--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think most fiction focuses on…" description: "\"I think most fiction focuses on uncomfortable settings because that's interesting.\" — N. K. Jemisin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/n-k-jemisin-2-15368_fiction_i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfor_2986431.jpg" --- # I think most fiction focuses on uncomfortable settings… ![“I think most fiction focuses on uncomfortable settings because that's interesting.” quote by N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/n-k-jemisin-2-15368_fiction_i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfor_2986431.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/n-k-jemisin-2-15368_fiction_i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfor_2986431.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/n-k-jemisin-2-15368_fiction_i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfor_2986431.jpg) > “I think most fiction focuses on uncomfortable settings because that's interesting.” [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She notes that fiction often chooses unsettling settings because they engage readers. **In simple terms:** Uncomfortable settings capture interest. Key Takeaway Explore tension to engage audiences. Themes fiction setting conflict creativity Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - story development - media analysis Key Concepts Narrative theory psychology of interest Questions to Reflect On - Why do readers gravitate to discomfort? - How to balance comfort and tension? A Different Perspective Overuse of discomfort may alienate readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Focuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-focuses-4670922/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Settings Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settings-interesting-4670923/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-fiction/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) [Uncomfortable Settings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable-settings-4670924/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I think fiction allows you to inhabit new domains and it's you, the reader living in that domain for a few days that results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-fiction-allows-you-to-inhabit-new-domains-and-it-s-you-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [It's my experience that people don't think of fiction writing as being as intellectually serious as other kinds of writing in academia and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chee/it-s-my-experience-that-people-don-t-think-of-fiction-writing-as/) [Alexander Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chee/) > [A lot of people think the best work I've done was nonfiction - the 'Brothers and Keepers' book. But I think of myself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/a-lot-of-people-think-the-best-work-i-ve-done-was-nonfiction-the/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [I just think that fiction that isn't exploring what it means to be human today isn't art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-just-think-that-fiction-that-isn-t-exploring-what-it-means-to-be/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [I'm a novelist. I think fiction is important or I wouldn't be doing it, but most of it's bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-peck/i-m-a-novelist-i-think-fiction-is-important-or-i-wouldn-t-be-doing-it/) [Dale Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-peck/) > [“I think fiction lends itself to messiness rather than the ideal, and plays well with the ironies surrounding what happens versus what should happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-think-fiction-lends-itself-to-messiness-rather-than-the-ideal-and/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Fiction is truth. I think fiction is the truest thing there ever was. My whole effort is to remove that distinction. The writer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-is-truth-i-think-fiction-is-the-truest-thing-there-ever-was/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think every fiction writer, to a certain extent, is a schizophrenic and able to have two or three or five voices in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-pearson/i-think-every-fiction-writer-to-a-certain-extent-is-a-schizophrenic/) [Ridley Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-pearson/) > [“An author has to fit into the skin of her characters, to imagine being trapped by unfortunate and sometimes violent circumstances she herself has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-h-marion/an-author-has-to-fit-into-the-skin-of-her-characters-to-imagine-being/) [Loretta H. Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-h-marion/) > [I think fiction recues history from its confusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-think-fiction-recues-history-from-its-confusions/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I don't believe a poet has a better hold on truth or morality than a fiction writer has. And I don't think a fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-don-t-believe-a-poet-has-a-better-hold-on-truth-or-morality-than-a/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“I would say, for the moment, that community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-would-say-for-the-moment-that-community-at-least-community-larger/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [If you think about it, fiction is nothing more than gossip about the people you've made up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dufresne/if-you-think-about-it-fiction-is-nothing-more-than-gossip-about-the/) [John Dufresne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dufresne/) > [Everybody should read fiction… I don’t think serious fiction is written for a few people. I think we live in a stupid culture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percival-everett/everybody-should-read-fiction-i-don-t-think-serious-fiction-is/) [Percival Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percival-everett/) > [In a lot of writing or intellectual discourse we're starting to use that model: "Oh, this is where it comes from!" I would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/in-a-lot-of-writing-or-intellectual-discourse-we-re-starting-to-use/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) ## More by N. K. Jemisin > [I write for myself - but it is nice when other people like it, too!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-write-for-myself-but-it-is-nice-when-other-people-like-it-too/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [In the 'Dreamblood' books, I'm focusing more on what I like about epic fantasy: the layering and depth of tension; the chance to really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/in-the-dreamblood-books-i-m-focusing-more-on-what-i-like-about-epic/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [Actual Victorian mores and politics were a reaction to a specific series of historical events, technological and scientific developments, and ethical trends in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/actual-victorian-mores-and-politics-were-a-reaction-to-a-specific/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [I don't really understand why so many fantasy writers choose to focus on worlds that just seem strangely denuded. But to them, I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-don-t-really-understand-why-so-many-fantasy-writers-choose-to-focus/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [To some degree, as I move outside of the exclusive genre audience, the exclusive genre issues don't bother me as much. Maybe that's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/to-some-degree-as-i-move-outside-of-the-exclusive-genre-audience-the/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [I would love to just write and not have everything I say or do turn into a political battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-would-love-to-just-write-and-not-have-everything-i-say-or-do-turn/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [As a black woman, I have no particular interest in maintaining the status quo. Why would I? The status quo is harmful; the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/as-a-black-woman-i-have-no-particular-interest-in-maintaining-the/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [I've been very happy with Orbit and am thrilled that they're giving me more chances to explore my creative visions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-ve-been-very-happy-with-orbit-and-am-thrilled-that-they-re-giving/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [It's the way the human brain works: when enough events occur in a pattern, we stop thinking and go into macro mode.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/it-s-the-way-the-human-brain-works-when-enough-events-occur-in-a/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [A fantasy novel set in something other than medieval Europe, featuring an almost entirely black cast, is considered risky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/a-fantasy-novel-set-in-something-other-than-medieval-europe-featuring/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [I think the people who believe that works can and always should be divorced from the context are people who have the privilege to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-think-the-people-who-believe-that-works-can-and-always-should-be/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [It's human nature that we come in our own flavours, and it doesn't make any sense to write a monochromatic or monocultural story unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/it-s-human-nature-that-we-come-in-our-own-flavours-and-it-doesn-t/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [Magic is the mysteries into which not everyone is so lucky, or unlucky, as to be initiated. It can be affected by belief, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/magic-is-the-mysteries-into-which-not-everyone-is-so-lucky-or-unlucky/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [It takes practice to do anything unique within this field, period, in writing, practice doing anything unique in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/it-takes-practice-to-do-anything-unique-within-this-field-period-in/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) > [I was raised to be very wary of the police. I was raised to stay away from them unless you absolutely have to. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-was-raised-to-be-very-wary-of-the-police-i-was-raised-to-stay-away/) [N. K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) [Explore all 43 N. K. Jemisin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) [Coheed and Cambria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coheed-and-cambria/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think most fiction focuses on uncomfortable settings because that's interesting.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "N. K. Jemisin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfortable-settings-because-that-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfortable-settings-because-that-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/n-k-jemisin-2-15368_fiction_i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfor_2986431.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/n-k-jemisin-2-15368_fiction_i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfor_2986431.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/n-k-jemisin-2-15368_fiction_i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfor_2986431.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think most fiction focuses on uncomfortable settings because that's interesting.” — N. K. Jemisin", "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": "N. K. Jemisin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think most fiction focuses on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfortable-settings-because-that-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin-2/i-think-most-fiction-focuses-on-uncomfortable-settings-because-that-s/#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 } } ] } ```