--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: my experience as a fiction writer tells…" description: "\"my experience as a fiction writer tells me that the deeper I look into myself, the more universal is the experience I find there.\" — Marion Dane Bauer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/marion-dane-bauer-25339_deeper_my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells_2863118.png" --- # my experience as a fiction writer tells me that the deeper… ![“my experience as a fiction writer tells me that the deeper I look into myself, the more universal is the experience I find there.” quote by Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/marion-dane-bauer-25339_deeper_my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells_2863118.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/marion-dane-bauer-25339_deeper_my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells_2863118.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/marion-dane-bauer-25339_deeper_my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells_2863118.png) > “my experience as a fiction writer tells me that the deeper I look into myself, the more universal is the experience I find there.” [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that introspection reveals experiences that resonate broadly across humanity. **In simple terms:** Looking inside reveals shared human experiences. Key Takeaway Explore inner feelings to connect with others. Themes self‑discovery universality writing Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy - education - community building Key Concepts psychology empathy storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How can personal stories foster empathy? - What universal themes emerge from self‑reflection? A Different Perspective Personal insights may be limited by cultural differences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Fiction writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“There’s an analogy I came up with once for an interviewer who asked me how much of my material was autobiographical,” Octavia says. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/there-s-an-analogy-i-came-up-with-once-for-an-interviewer-who-asked/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [There used to be a category called women's fiction - meaning not too rude, not too much sex, a bit domestic and internal. Women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/there-used-to-be-a-category-called-women-s-fiction-meaning-not-too/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [My intent was to gain experience for fiction I eventually hoped to write. But there's no question I was drawn in by the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/my-intent-was-to-gain-experience-for-fiction-i-eventually-hoped-to/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [It's always great when you want scientific fact to get a really good science fiction writer to talk to you about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/it-s-always-great-when-you-want-scientific-fact-to-get-a-really-good/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [If you're a fiction writer, though, I can tell you how to let people talk through you. Listen. Just be quiet, and listen. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-you-re-a-fiction-writer-though-i-can-tell-you-how-to-let-people/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The fiction writer has to engage in a continual examination of conscience. He has to be aware of the freak in himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-fiction-writer-has-to-engage-in-a-continual-examination-of/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [A fiction writer is never entirely alone. Her characters are constantly whispering in her ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/a-fiction-writer-is-never-entirely-alone-her-characters-are/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [What I'm doing is exploring things. This is why I'm a fiction writer rather than an essayist or a politician or whatever. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/what-i-m-doing-is-exploring-things-this-is-why-i-m-a-fiction-writer/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [If I couldn't be a fiction writer, I would be a roller coaster designer for theme parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wells/if-i-couldn-t-be-a-fiction-writer-i-would-be-a-roller-coaster/) [Mike Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wells/) > [The beginning of human knowledge is through the senses, and the fiction writer begins where the human perception begins. He appeals through the senses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-beginning-of-human-knowledge-is-through-the-senses-and-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [The challenge for any fiction writer is that your job involves simply sitting at a desk for a very, very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/the-challenge-for-any-fiction-writer-is-that-your-job-involves-simply/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [As a fiction writer, one of things you learn is God lives in specificity. You know, human kindness is increased as we pursue specificity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/as-a-fiction-writer-one-of-things-you-learn-is-god-lives-in/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The training of a journalist, of working with words for thousands of hours, is extraordinarily useful for a fiction writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/the-training-of-a-journalist-of-working-with-words-for-thousands-of/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [I don't think the function of writing, at least for me as a fiction writer, is to say to people, "Here's the answer." It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-don-t-think-the-function-of-writing-at-least-for-me-as-a-fiction/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [The fiction writer has a lot of balls to juggle. Setting, pacing, dialogue, and so on. And let's not forget: plot. That was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/the-fiction-writer-has-a-lot-of-balls-to-juggle-setting-pacing/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) ## More by Marion Dane Bauer > [I was an adult before I began to learn that there is a difference between a conversation and an argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/i-was-an-adult-before-i-began-to-learn-that-there-is-a-difference/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [“I have never met a bigot who was a reader as a child. (ix)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/i-have-never-met-a-bigot-who-was-a-reader-as-a-child-ix/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [You don't choose your themes; they choose you. The meaning of your stories will rise out of your deepest longings, often out of longings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/you-don-t-choose-your-themes-they-choose-you-the-meaning-of-your/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [“The power of fiction is that it gives us, as readers, the opportunity to move inside another human being, to look out through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/the-power-of-fiction-is-that-it-gives-us-as-readers-the-opportunity/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [Human beings are storytelling animals. That's what separates us from other creatures, not just having thumbs or using tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/human-beings-are-storytelling-animals-that-s-what-separates-us-from/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [Writing the opening lines of a story is a bit like starting to ski at the steepest part of a hill. You must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/writing-the-opening-lines-of-a-story-is-a-bit-like-starting-to-ski-at/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [Never think of revising as fixing something that is wrong. That starts you off in a negative frame of mind. Rather think of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/never-think-of-revising-as-fixing-something-that-is-wrong-that-starts/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [I used to tiptoe up to my bedroom door and leap into my room in an attempt to surprise my dolls in the midst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/i-used-to-tiptoe-up-to-my-bedroom-door-and-leap-into-my-room-in-an/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [It is the nature of stories to leave out far more than they include.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/it-is-the-nature-of-stories-to-leave-out-far-more-than-they-include/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [“But never in his saddest dreams had he thought he'd spend his last years dusting this enormous old house for no one at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/but-never-in-his-saddest-dreams-had-he-thought-he-d-spend-his-last/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [another word for talent is obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/another-word-for-talent-is-obsession/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [“You should know better than to run from a storm, too. We wolves are careful. Always we are careful. But we are not afraid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/you-should-know-better-than-to-run-from-a-storm-too-we-wolves-are/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [“So much longing. So many lives filled with longing. It's what stories― all our stories― are made of. And what is longing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/so-much-longing-so-many-lives-filled-with-longing-it-s-what-stories/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [It is curious how believable I can be when I criticize myself, how unconvincing when I give myself praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/it-is-curious-how-believable-i-can-be-when-i-criticize-myself-how/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) > [“A cry drifted along Walnut Street, more mournful than any tears. It rode a puff of breeze into the bedroom where Mark lay, holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/a-cry-drifted-along-walnut-street-more-mournful-than-any-tears-it/) [Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) [Explore all 23 Marion Dane Bauer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/) ## More Deeper quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Schools must inquire deeper into their own practices, explore new ways to motivate their learners, make use of learning styles, introduce multiple intelligences, integrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fullan/schools-must-inquire-deeper-into-their-own-practices-explore-new-ways/) [Michael Fullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fullan/) > [It's bluesy, rocky jazz. I call it soul music, but it's not James Brown soul music. It comes from my soul. It comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsel-korey/it-s-bluesy-rocky-jazz-i-call-it-soul-music-but-it-s-not-james-brown/) [Tinsel Korey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsel-korey/) > [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [“It is usually easier to see what lies on the surface of a person rather than taking the time and attention to delve deeper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anne-warren/it-is-usually-easier-to-see-what-lies-on-the-surface-of-a-person/) [Tracy Anne Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anne-warren/) > [Your deeper sense isn’t a springboard; it’s a landing place. If you draw conclusions too quickly or too slowly, you’ll establish your self where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/your-deeper-sense-isn-t-a-springboard-it-s-a-landing-place-if-you/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [Forgiving the men who killed my parents and brother was a process, a journey into deeper and deeper prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immaculee-ilibagiza/forgiving-the-men-who-killed-my-parents-and-brother-was-a-process-a/) [Immaculee Ilibagiza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immaculee-ilibagiza/) > [I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-thought-i-knew-a-lot-about-music-then-you-start-digging-and-the/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-with-the-thought-that-if-life/) [Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/) > [On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/on-a-deeper-level-you-are-already-complete-when-you-realize-that/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Each day my love grows deeper, deeper than I never thought before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-day-my-love-grows-deeper-deeper-than-i-never-thought-before/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know what I was thinking about on my way home? How different my life would be if you’d made that gash a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/you-know-what-i-was-thinking-about-on-my-way-home-how-different-my/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what's called a memory trace. With each repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-we-have-the-same-thought-again-the-line-of-the-original-thought/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I would say 'Home' is a lot richer and deeper than my earlier classical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-would-say-home-is-a-lot-richer-and-deeper-than-my-earlier-classical/) [Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/) Browse all 2,332 Deeper quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "my experience as a fiction writer tells me that the deeper I look into myself, the more universal is the experience I find there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marion Dane Bauer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells-me-that-the-deeper-i-look/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deeper" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells-me-that-the-deeper-i-look/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/marion-dane-bauer-25339_deeper_my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells_2863118.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/marion-dane-bauer-25339_deeper_my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells_2863118.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/marion-dane-bauer-25339_deeper_my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells_2863118.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“my experience as a fiction writer tells me that the deeper I look into myself, the more universal is the…” — Marion Dane Bauer", "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": "Marion Dane Bauer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "my experience as a fiction writer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells-me-that-the-deeper-i-look/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/my-experience-as-a-fiction-writer-tells-me-that-the-deeper-i-look/#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 } } ] } ```