--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're allowed to tell stories with…" description: "\"When you're allowed to tell stories with ambiguity and darkness and things that are still unresolved, that's the dream scenario as opposed to having to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/marti-noxon-5147_darkness_when-you-re-allowed-to-tell-stories-with_1249101.jpg" --- # When you're allowed to tell stories with ambiguity and… ![“When you're allowed to tell stories with ambiguity and darkness and things that are still unresolved, that's the dream scenario as opposed to having to fit into a more procedural mode or something a little more conventional. That's not what's working on TV right now.” quote by Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/marti-noxon-5147_darkness_when-you-re-allowed-to-tell-stories-with_1249101.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/marti-noxon-5147_darkness_when-you-re-allowed-to-tell-stories-with_1249101.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/marti-noxon-5147_darkness_when-you-re-allowed-to-tell-stories-with_1249101.jpg) > “When you're allowed to tell stories with ambiguity and darkness and things that are still unresolved, that's the dream scenario as opposed to having to fit into a more procedural mode or something a little more conventional. That's not what's working on TV right now.” [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work thrives when it embraces ambiguity, darkness, and unresolved elements, offering a richer, more authentic narrative than rigid, conventional structures. **In simple terms:** Stories are better when they stay uncertain and dark. Key Takeaway Embrace ambiguity for deeper storytelling. Themes creativity authenticity storytelling risk innovation Mood reflective inspired challenging Type artistic philosophical motivational When to use this quote - TV writing - film scripts - novel drafting - game design - personal journaling Key Concepts narrative complexity emotional truth artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance ambiguity with audience engagement? - When does darkness enhance a story? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating audiences seeking clear resolutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [I never thought I was right for TV or that TV was right for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-never-thought-i-was-right-for-tv-or-that-tv-was-right-for-me/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I had a really fun career in TV right after I left politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-had-a-really-fun-career-in-tv-right-after-i-left-politics/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [Being in TV, we get to do it again and again until it's 'right.' There's a part of me that likes the other way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/being-in-tv-we-get-to-do-it-again-and-again-until-it-s-right-there-s/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [I love working in TV. And I love the adrenaline of hosting things like 'Access Hollywood' with, like, zero preparation and just going straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-grande/i-love-working-in-tv-and-i-love-the-adrenaline-of-hosting-things-like/) [Frankie Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-grande/) > [The most frustrating part of working in TV and film is that you have to convince someone to let you make what you want;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-scheer/the-most-frustrating-part-of-working-in-tv-and-film-is-that-you-have/) [Paul Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scheer/) > [I love working in TV. TV is fast. You shoot it and it's done quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ian-cusick/i-love-working-in-tv-tv-is-fast-you-shoot-it-and-it-s-done-quickly/) [Henry Ian Cusick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ian-cusick/) > [Working in TV films has a lot of advantages over the daily grind of doing an hour series.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/working-in-tv-films-has-a-lot-of-advantages-over-the-daily-grind-of/) [Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/) > [Working on TV can be quite insular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/working-on-tv-can-be-quite-insular/) [Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/) > [When you're working on a TV show, your schedule can be very unpredictable, which means it's harder to book shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/when-you-re-working-on-a-tv-show-your-schedule-can-be-very/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [There are so many highs and lows working in TV. I learnt that the hard way when my contract for 'Big Brother's Bit On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-odudu/there-are-so-many-highs-and-lows-working-in-tv-i-learnt-that-the-hard/) [A. J. Odudu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-odudu/) > [We feel like we're kind of movie guys working in TV. So we're looking forward to that day when we get to work in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-konietzko/we-feel-like-we-re-kind-of-movie-guys-working-in-tv-so-we-re-looking/) [Bryan Konietzko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-konietzko/) > [There's something about the schedule of working in TV that's attractive. You know exactly what the next six months is going to be like:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-faxon/there-s-something-about-the-schedule-of-working-in-tv-that-s/) [Nat Faxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-faxon/) > [One of the things you have to get used to, working on a TV show, is filming out of sync.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/one-of-the-things-you-have-to-get-used-to-working-on-a-tv-show-is/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [I learned how to act working in TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-anne-moss/i-learned-how-to-act-working-in-tv/) [Carrie-Anne Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-anne-moss/) > [I like working in TV, but my real love is making movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-like-working-in-tv-but-my-real-love-is-making-movies/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) ## More by Marti Noxon > [I love characters who are really dedicated to a really bad plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-love-characters-who-are-really-dedicated-to-a-really-bad-plan/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [It's humiliating, being told you're not responsible enough to make your own choices in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/it-s-humiliating-being-told-you-re-not-responsible-enough-to-make/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I think many people expend a tremendous amount of energy on self-loathing and self-flagellation as well as getting caught in a vicious cycle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-think-many-people-expend-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-on-self/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I think women can relate to the feeling that we're internalizing too many demands, and we're trying to be good at everything, but one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-think-women-can-relate-to-the-feeling-that-we-re-internalizing-too/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I think we're in a time when people are much more interested in a show than where you find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-think-we-re-in-a-time-when-people-are-much-more-interested-in-a/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I've never had as much success as when I say to myself, 'I get that. I know what the feelings that that character would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-ve-never-had-as-much-success-as-when-i-say-to-myself-i-get-that-i/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I think the barrier for a lot of people to actual, real, lasting love is the fantasy. The problem is that we think in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-think-the-barrier-for-a-lot-of-people-to-actual-real-lasting-love/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [For me, the interesting thing about anorexia is that you show your wound. There's no hiding it. So my anger and sense of disappointment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/for-me-the-interesting-thing-about-anorexia-is-that-you-show-your/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [There're been sort of a sea change in my work in general, in that the more personal, the universal it's become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/there-re-been-sort-of-a-sea-change-in-my-work-in-general-in-that-the/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I think the science around mental illness is always evolving. There's always new kinds of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-think-the-science-around-mental-illness-is-always-evolving-there-s/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [Everybody expects to have a filmic experience when they're watching television, whether they're watching network, basic cable, premium, or streaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/everybody-expects-to-have-a-filmic-experience-when-they-re-watching/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [If you made a movie of 'Sharp Objects,' chances are that it would be a smaller film, but as a TV show, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/if-you-made-a-movie-of-sharp-objects-chances-are-that-it-would-be-a/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I can't be interesting, controversial, and the writer I'd like to be if I need everybody to like me and think I'm doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-can-t-be-interesting-controversial-and-the-writer-i-d-like-to-be-if/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [The truth is there's a difference between the competition shows where you're testing skills and the type of shows where you're trying to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/the-truth-is-there-s-a-difference-between-the-competition-shows-where/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I'm a big believer in 'Trojan horses' - There are certain themes that are more palatable when wrapped in something fun or distracting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/i-m-a-big-believer-in-trojan-horses-there-are-certain-themes-that-are/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) [Explore all 103 Marti Noxon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) Nicole Gentile [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're allowed to tell stories with ambiguity and darkness and things that are still unresolved, that's the dream scenario as opposed to having to fit into a more procedural mode or something a little more conventional. 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