--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The very dull truth is that writing love…" description: "\"The very dull truth is that writing love scenes is the same as writing other scenes - your job is to be fully engaged in the character's experience. Wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/madeline-miller-2938_changed_the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love_1993209.jpg" --- # The very dull truth is that writing love scenes is the… ![“The very dull truth is that writing love scenes is the same as writing other scenes - your job is to be fully engaged in the character's experience. What does this mean to them? How are they changed by it, or not? I remember being a little nervous, as I am when writing any high-stakes, intense…” quote by Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/madeline-miller-2938_changed_the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love_1993209.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/madeline-miller-2938_changed_the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love_1993209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/madeline-miller-2938_changed_the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love_1993209.jpg) > “The very dull truth is that writing love scenes is the same as writing other scenes - your job is to be fully engaged in the character's experience. What does this mean to them? How are they changed by it, or not? I remember being a little nervous, as I am when writing any high-stakes, intense scene (death, sex, grief, joy).” [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing love scenes requires the same depth of character immersion as any other intense moment, focusing on how it transforms or reveals the character. **In simple terms:** Treat love scenes like any other scene, fully entering the character’s mind. Key Takeaway Engage fully with character emotions in every scene. Themes writing character development emotion intimacy Mood reflective introspective Type instructional creative When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - character workshops - creative retreats Key Concepts Narrative immersion psychology empathy Questions to Reflect On - How does a love scene advance the story? - What emotions does it reveal about the character? A Different Perspective May overlook plot relevance if focus stays only on emotional intensity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) [Engaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engaged/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Scenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-scenes-522381/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Scene Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene-death-3467063/) [Scenes Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenes-writing-2909822/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Stakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stakes/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-love/) [Writing Scenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-scenes-1819908/) ## Related quotes > [In the last scene, between death and ourselves, there is no more pretending: we must speak plain French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-last-scene-between-death-and-ourselves-there-is-no-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Strangely, I always have a lot of cut scenes. I keep writing shorter and shorter scripts, thinking that this time, I'll get all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/strangely-i-always-have-a-lot-of-cut-scenes-i-keep-writing-shorter/) [David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/) > [Writers have problems writing sex scenes, because writing one really well is pornography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/writers-have-problems-writing-sex-scenes-because-writing-one-really/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [ I thought of the scene while writing scenes with Rebecca \[Hall\] and wrote it like an opening montage of showing where someone works. If… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-holofcener/i-thought-of-the-scene-while-writing-scenes-with-rebecca-hall-and/) [Nicole Holofcener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-holofcener/) > [“When writing, there are some scenes that are emotionally overwhelming. They completely overcome the author, and only when they do this can they cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-f-wilson/when-writing-there-are-some-scenes-that-are-emotionally-overwhelming/) [Dean F. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-f-wilson/) > [I just kind of like to feel myself into stuff by writing scenes and seeing what characters end up saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-just-kind-of-like-to-feel-myself-into-stuff-by-writing-scenes-and/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [How long will we show birds and bees in love scenes? The world has moved on and we should portray intimate scenes realistically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/how-long-will-we-show-birds-and-bees-in-love-scenes-the-world-has/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [There are people on the ratings board and so froth who don't want certain scenes in the film. There are people who come up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/there-are-people-on-the-ratings-board-and-so-froth-who-don-t-want/) [Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/) > [Love scenes, if genuine, are indescribable; for to those who have enacted them the most elaborate description seems tame, and to those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/love-scenes-if-genuine-are-indescribable-for-to-those-who-have/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Doing love scenes is always awkward. I mean, it's just not a normal thing to go to work and lay in bed with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-richards/doing-love-scenes-is-always-awkward-i-mean-it-s-just-not-a-normal/) [Denise Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-richards/) > [I think the love scenes are very powerful and they're not trying to simply show the bodies of the actors but trying to reflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-leung-chiu-wai-2/i-think-the-love-scenes-are-very-powerful-and-they-re-not-trying-to/) [Tony Leung Chiu Wai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-leung-chiu-wai-2/) > [It's a little uncomfortable doing love scenes in armor, but, you know, when the heat's on, the heat's on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heath-ledger/it-s-a-little-uncomfortable-doing-love-scenes-in-armor-but-you-know/) [Heath Ledger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heath-ledger/) > [All love scenes started on the set are continued in the dressing room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hitchcock/all-love-scenes-started-on-the-set-are-continued-in-the-dressing-room/) [Alfred Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hitchcock/) > [I tell you what really turns my toes up: love scenes with 68-year-old men and actresses young enough to be their granddaughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/i-tell-you-what-really-turns-my-toes-up-love-scenes-with-68-year-old/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [I love scenes that are just emotional give and take. By the same token, action sequences are great to do. They have their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-lang/i-love-scenes-that-are-just-emotional-give-and-take-by-the-same-token/) [Stephen Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-lang/) ## More by Madeline Miller > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“This was a man who moved like the gods were watching: every gesture he made was upright and correct. There was no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/this-was-a-man-who-moved-like-the-gods-were-watching-every-gesture-he/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bury-us-and-mark-our-names-above-let-us-be-free/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Patroclus, he says, Patroclus. Patroclus. Over and over until it is sound only.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/patroclus-he-says-patroclus-patroclus-over-and-over-until-it-is-sound/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“True is what men believe, and they believe this of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/true-is-what-men-believe-and-they-believe-this-of-you/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Strange that such a small kindness felt like grace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/strange-that-such-a-small-kindness-felt-like-grace/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Briseis is kneeling by my body. She has brought water and cloth, and washes the blood and dirt from my skin. Her hands are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/briseis-is-kneeling-by-my-body-she-has-brought-water-and-cloth-and/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [Odysseus inclines his head. "True. But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/odysseus-inclines-his-head-true-but-fame-is-a-strange-thing-some-men/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“I would like to say that all the while I waited to break out, but the truth is, I'm afraid I might have floated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-would-like-to-say-that-all-the-while-i-waited-to-break-out-but-the/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“I gaped at the cold shock of his beauty, deep-green eyes, features fine as a girl's. It struck from me a sudden, springing dislike.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-gaped-at-the-cold-shock-of-his-beauty-deep-green-eyes-features-fine/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [I found myself grinning until my cheeks hurt, my scalp prickling till I thought it might lift off my head. My tongue ran away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-found-myself-grinning-until-my-cheeks-hurt-my-scalp-prickling-till/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/when-he-died-all-things-soft-and-beautiful-and-bright-would-be-buried/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Bring him back to me,' he told them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bring-him-back-to-me-he-told-them/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Her mouth was a gash of red, like the torn-open stomach of a sacrifice, bloody and oracular. Behind it her teeth shone sharp and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/her-mouth-was-a-gash-of-red-like-the-torn-open-stomach-of-a-sacrifice/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [and her skin shone luminous and impossibly pale, as if it drank light from the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/and-her-skin-shone-luminous-and-impossibly-pale-as-if-it-drank-light/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) [Explore all 142 Madeline Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) ## More Changed quotes > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [You made me hate my own reflection Question every choice I make So I could try to be perfect But I will try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn/you-made-me-hate-my-own-reflection-question-every-choice-i-make-so-i/) [Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn/) > [Everything has changed and nothing has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/everything-has-changed-and-nothing-has-changed/) [Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When I became Miss World, I couldn't believe I had won it. I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Working with Rihanna has changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/working-with-rihanna-has-changed-my-life/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [The international game has changed for bidding cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ueberroth/the-international-game-has-changed-for-bidding-cities/) [Peter Ueberroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ueberroth/) > [You changed my life, don't know what you're doing to me with your love. You got me feeling super human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-changed-my-life-don-t-know-what-you-re-doing-to-me-with-your-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not changing because I'm part of a hit. People around me have changed in their attitude toward me, but I haven't changed. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/i-m-not-changing-because-i-m-part-of-a-hit-people-around-me-have/) [Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) [Browse all 6,529 Changed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The very dull truth is that writing love scenes is the same as writing other scenes - your job is to be fully engaged in the character's experience. What does this mean to them? How are they changed by it, or not? I remember being a little nervous, as I am when writing any high-stakes, intense scene (death, sex, grief, joy).", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madeline Miller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love-scenes-is-the-same-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Changed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love-scenes-is-the-same-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/madeline-miller-2938_changed_the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love_1993209.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/madeline-miller-2938_changed_the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love_1993209.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4f/madeline-miller-2938_changed_the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love_1993209.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The very dull truth is that writing love scenes is the same as writing other scenes - your job is to be…” — Madeline Miller", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Madeline Miller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The very dull truth is that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love-scenes-is-the-same-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/the-very-dull-truth-is-that-writing-love-scenes-is-the-same-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```