--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We all fictionalize ourselves in the…" description: "\"“We all fictionalize ourselves in the process of creating a story out of the raw materials of our life. For some it is a soap opera, for others an epic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e4/neil-mccormick-265805_creativity_we-all-fictionalize-ourselves-in-the-pro_2383832.jpg" --- # We all fictionalize ourselves in the process of creating a… ![“We all fictionalize ourselves in the process of creating a story out of the raw materials of our life. For some it is a soap opera, for others an epic, but, for all of us, it's an ongoing narrative that we constantly manipulate and reshape, improving (like the best anecdotes) in the retelling…” quote by Neil McCormick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e4/neil-mccormick-265805_creativity_we-all-fictionalize-ourselves-in-the-pro_2383832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e4/neil-mccormick-265805_creativity_we-all-fictionalize-ourselves-in-the-pro_2383832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e4/neil-mccormick-265805_creativity_we-all-fictionalize-ourselves-in-the-pro_2383832.jpg) > ““We all fictionalize ourselves in the process of creating a story out of the raw materials of our life. For some it is a soap opera, for others an epic, but, for all of us, it's an ongoing narrative that we constantly manipulate and reshape, improving (like the best anecdotes) in the retelling. This is not just true of writers. The story is one of the key ways we define and order our experiences as human beings: how we tell ourselves and others who we are. (from the Daily Telegraph)”” Neil McCormick ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We constantly reshape our life narratives, like storytellers, defining identity through retelling. **In simple terms:** We rewrite our lives like stories. Key Takeaway Narratives shape self‑identity. Themes identity storytelling self reflection culture Mood introspective creative Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - personal therapy - creative writing - branding - education - media analysis Key Concepts narrative psychology literary theory self‑construction Questions to Reflect On - How do you edit your life story? - What narratives define you? A Different Perspective Stories can be distorted over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Soap opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soap-opera/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [So often with beginning writers, the story that they want to start with is the most important story of their life - my molestation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/so-often-with-beginning-writers-the-story-that-they-want-to-start/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [In fact, people seem to be tired of fiction now. There are so many other ways of exploring humanity - by ethnology, psychoanalysis, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/in-fact-people-seem-to-be-tired-of-fiction-now-there-are-so-many/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I don't want people thinking they know me instead of the character. Steve McQueen has loads of stories about him - who knows what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-harington/i-don-t-want-people-thinking-they-know-me-instead-of-the-character/) [Kit Harington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-harington/) > [The other reason I didn't want to fictionalize it is because one of the main points of publishing a memoir in nonfiction was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/the-other-reason-i-didn-t-want-to-fictionalize-it-is-because-one-of/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [When a novel is based on an actual crime, it should do much more than loosely fictionalize it. The novel must stand alone as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/when-a-novel-is-based-on-an-actual-crime-it-should-do-much-more-than/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [It's really hard to write about art in general. But it's exceptionally hard to fictionalize art and make work that isn't a parody, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/it-s-really-hard-to-write-about-art-in-general-but-it-s-exceptionally/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) > [“You do not even think of your own past as quite real; you dress it up, you gild it or blacken it, censor it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/you-do-not-even-think-of-your-own-past-as-quite-real-you-dress-it-up/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Perhaps the most significant thing George Lucas did in creating 'Star Wars' was to fictionalize the Tao - to spark a universe where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/perhaps-the-most-significant-thing-george-lucas-did-in-creating-star/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [One of my standard - and fairly true - responses to the question as to how story ideas come to me is that story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/one-of-my-standard-and-fairly-true-responses-to-the-question-as-to/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [I love writing picture books because they are very child-centered and family-focused. The idea of creating a story within 2-5 typewritten pages is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerdine-nolen/i-love-writing-picture-books-because-they-are-very-child-centered-and/) [Jerdine Nolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerdine-nolen/) > [“The best thing about being a writer is the joy of creating a story that’s never been told before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae/the-best-thing-about-being-a-writer-is-the-joy-of-creating-a-story/) Rae > [It's all about creating a back story for the character and developing emotional responses that are true to life in relation to the character.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corin-nemec/it-s-all-about-creating-a-back-story-for-the-character-and-developing/) [Corin Nemec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corin-nemec/) > [Voice isn't fixed or unmalleable, it adapts to the characters you are creating and the story being told. I suppose in some way that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/voice-isn-t-fixed-or-unmalleable-it-adapts-to-the-characters-you-are/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-an-object-that-can-contain/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [CREATING MY OWN STORY. =)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/creating-my-own-story/) [ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We all fictionalize ourselves in the process of creating a story out of the raw materials of our life. For some it is a soap opera, for others an epic, but, for all of us, it's an ongoing narrative that we constantly manipulate and reshape, improving (like the best anecdotes) in the retelling. 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