--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Really good books need a chaos element…" description: "\"Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable.\" — Michel Faber" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/michel-faber-4084_books_really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-s_2337917.png" --- # Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or… ![“Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable.” quote by Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/michel-faber-4084_books_really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-s_2337917.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/michel-faber-4084_books_really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-s_2337917.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/michel-faber-4084_books_really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-s_2337917.png) > “Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable.” [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A compelling narrative requires an element of disorder or the unexpected to engage readers. **In simple terms:** Chaos makes stories interesting. Key Takeaway Include odd, inexplicable details. Themes creativity storytelling novelty Mood thoughtful inspired Type analytical creative When to use this quote - writing workshops - novel planning - creative brainstorming Key Concepts Narrative tension surprise character depth Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance order and chaos in a plot? - When does weirdness become distraction? A Different Perspective Too much chaos can confuse the audience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-need-913141/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Chaos Element](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos-element-5648620/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Need Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-chaos-1997959/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Weird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weird/) [Weird Inexplicable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weird-inexplicable-5085555/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Weird, inexplicable stuff is already happening in life, whereas art should offer resolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-murphy/weird-inexplicable-stuff-is-already-happening-in-life-whereas-art/) [Joni Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-murphy/) > [You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-chaos-in-your-soul-to-give-birth-to-a-dancing-star/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We need less chaos and more commonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/we-need-less-chaos-and-more-commonsense/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [To be in order, u need to be in chaos first](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/retno-ariyani-supriyadi/to-be-in-order-u-need-to-be-in-chaos-first/) [Retno Ariyani Supriyadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/retno-ariyani-supriyadi/) > [Fiction is able to encompass books that are bleak and which dwell on the manifold and terrible problems of our times. But I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/fiction-is-able-to-encompass-books-that-are-bleak-and-which-dwell-on/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [I know a bit about selling books, and you need a good title - a catchy concoction with a little Cajun spice, something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-know-a-bit-about-selling-books-and-you-need-a-good-title-a-catchy/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) > [If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them sound and smell and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/if-books-could-have-more-give-more-be-more-show-more-they-would-still/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) > [It is a good thing to read books, and need not be a bad thing to write them, but in any case, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-locker-lampson/it-is-a-good-thing-to-read-books-and-need-not-be-a-bad-thing-to-write/) [Frederick Locker-Lampson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-locker-lampson/) > [Ebooks have many advantages - publishers don't have to make guesses about how many books to print, books need never go "out of print",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-grenville/ebooks-have-many-advantages-publishers-don-t-have-to-make-guesses/) [Kate Grenville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-grenville/) > [We have everything we need to be happy but we aren't happy. 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They need to see their color, hair texture, their disability, themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-robinson/children-need-to-see-themselves-in-books-they-need-to-see-their/) [Christian Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-robinson/) > [I've only wanted paper and beautiful colors. It was my dream, and it still is my dream. And books. They're all I need, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/i-ve-only-wanted-paper-and-beautiful-colors-it-was-my-dream-and-it/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [If children haven't been read to, they don't love books. They need to love books, for books are the basis of literature, composition, history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/if-children-haven-t-been-read-to-they-don-t-love-books-they-need-to/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) ## More by Michel Faber > [One of the things my success as an author has forced me to face is how dysfunctional... Maybe that's a strong word, but how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/one-of-the-things-my-success-as-an-author-has-forced-me-to-face-is/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“One of Lucy's admirers took to her, apparently." "Took to her?" echoes William, his own feelings for Sugar causing him to construe the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/one-of-lucy-s-admirers-took-to-her-apparently-took-to-her-echoes/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Because I must do something while I still can. Each soul is still incalculably precious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/because-i-must-do-something-while-i-still-can-each-soul-is-still/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“She sings on and on, while the house is discreetly dusted all around her and, in the concealed and subterranean kitchen, a naked duck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/she-sings-on-and-on-while-the-house-is-discreetly-dusted-all-around/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [My energies get used up quite quickly, and the psychic space I'm in when I write is a very lonely one, so I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/my-energies-get-used-up-quite-quickly-and-the-psychic-space-i-m-in/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [When we ask bureaucrats to identify who is responsible for fixing anything, they reassure us that there are 'procedures in place.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/when-we-ask-bureaucrats-to-identify-who-is-responsible-for-fixing/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [I'm a loner and always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/i-m-a-loner-and-always-have-been/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [I tend to process emotional stuff very, very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/i-tend-to-process-emotional-stuff-very-very-slowly/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Yes, seven years old she was, when she finally plucked up the courage to ask her mother what Christmas was all about, and Mrs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/yes-seven-years-old-she-was-when-she-finally-plucked-up-the-courage/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/watch-your-step-keep-your-wits-about-you-you-will-need-them/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [Of course I know that the twins are only words on a page, and I'm certainly not the sort of writer who talks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/of-course-i-know-that-the-twins-are-only-words-on-a-page-and-i-m/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Isn't Heaven reward enough, without needing to see the damned punished?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/isn-t-heaven-reward-enough-without-needing-to-see-the-damned-punished/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Sunlight is bad,' he wheezes. 'It's the exact same stuff as breeds maggots in wounded soldiers' legs. And when there's no war on, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/sunlight-is-bad-he-wheezes-it-s-the-exact-same-stuff-as-breeds/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [I'm still tremendously proud of 'Crimson Petal.' I'm still very emotionally involved with these characters. I still care about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/i-m-still-tremendously-proud-of-crimson-petal-i-m-still-very/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [A text may be superbly written, exquisitely subtle, deeply meaningful, but still seem like a luxury extra, something we add to the already well-stocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/a-text-may-be-superbly-written-exquisitely-subtle-deeply-meaningful/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) [Explore all 106 Michel Faber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michel Faber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-something-weird-or-inexplicable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-something-weird-or-inexplicable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/michel-faber-4084_books_really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-s_2337917.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/michel-faber-4084_books_really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-s_2337917.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/michel-faber-4084_books_really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-s_2337917.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable.” — Michel Faber", "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": "Michel Faber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Really good books need a chaos...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-something-weird-or-inexplicable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/really-good-books-need-a-chaos-element-something-weird-or-inexplicable/#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 } } ] } ```