--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a fiction writer you train yourself to…" description: "\"As a fiction writer you train yourself to think about situations subjectively. I don't really care for narratives that are just A, B, C, D, and then E...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/oscar-hijuelos-24619_auras_as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-t_1607434.jpg" --- # As a fiction writer you train yourself to think about… ![“As a fiction writer you train yourself to think about situations subjectively. I don't really care for narratives that are just A, B, C, D, and then E. I like the aura that fiction has, how it can conjure up dream imagery. It's a sort of emotional speculation that you can shape and work with.” quote by Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/oscar-hijuelos-24619_auras_as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-t_1607434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/oscar-hijuelos-24619_auras_as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-t_1607434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/oscar-hijuelos-24619_auras_as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-t_1607434.jpg) > “As a fiction writer you train yourself to think about situations subjectively. I don't really care for narratives that are just A, B, C, D, and then E. I like the aura that fiction has, how it can conjure up dream imagery. It's a sort of emotional speculation that you can shape and work with.” [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction writers should explore subjective, dream‑like narratives rather than linear, formulaic plots. **In simple terms:** Prefer imaginative, emotional storytelling. Key Takeaway Embrace creative, non‑linear writing. Themes creativity subjectivity dreams Mood inspired thoughtful Type literary creative When to use this quote - novel writing - workshop - creative exercises Key Concepts narrative structure emotional speculation Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance imagination with coherence? - What techniques keep readers engaged? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating readers who prefer clear plots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Auras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auras/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Conjure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-conjure-6124426/) [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Fiction writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writers/) [Imagery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagery/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narratives/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Situations Subjectively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations-subjectively-6124427/) [Speculation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speculation/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [That's why I have to be a fiction writer, because I can't remember what just happened or where I went last week or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/that-s-why-i-have-to-be-a-fiction-writer-because-i-can-t-remember/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [I'm not a science-fiction writer. I've only written one book that's science fiction, and that's Fahrenheit 451. All the others are fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-not-a-science-fiction-writer-i-ve-only-written-one-book-that-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [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 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/) > [And while dollars have little to do with it, the fiction writer should be asking the same question any capable film producer would ask:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/and-while-dollars-have-little-to-do-with-it-the-fiction-writer-should/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) ## More by Oscar Hijuelos > [“Glorious life ending. There must have been a moment when his son had gasped for air, the last time, as Jesus must. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/glorious-life-ending-there-must-have-been-a-moment-when-his-son-had/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [Music infuses your spirit with a certain energy that I try to convey in my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/music-infuses-your-spirit-with-a-certain-energy-that-i-try-to-convey/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [People in their forties, fifties, and onward enjoy the whole world of books in a different way than the Internet-age kids do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/people-in-their-forties-fifties-and-onward-enjoy-the-whole-world-of/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [Nightclubs are the equivalent of a Catholic Church in a poor country. You hear a lot of stuff about churches filled with gold while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/nightclubs-are-the-equivalent-of-a-catholic-church-in-a-poor-country/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [“The house in which the fourteen sisters of Emilio Montez O'brien lived, radiated femininity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/the-house-in-which-the-fourteen-sisters-of-emilio-montez-o-brien/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [If you start believing all that press about you, you're in trouble. I don't even read my reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/if-you-start-believing-all-that-press-about-you-you-re-in-trouble-i/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [It's true that immigrant novels have to do with people going from one country to another, but there isn't a single novel that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/it-s-true-that-immigrant-novels-have-to-do-with-people-going-from-one/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [A lot of people consider my books to be straightforward, but I think that I write from atmosphere to atmosphere rather than from event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/a-lot-of-people-consider-my-books-to-be-straightforward-but-i-think/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [Latins are predisposed to thinking about the past. Catholicism has a lot to do with it because Catholicism is a contemplation of the past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/latins-are-predisposed-to-thinking-about-the-past-catholicism-has-a/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [Oh yes!...The sweet summons of God to man. That's when He calls you up to His arms. And it's the most beautiful thing, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/oh-yes-the-sweet-summons-of-god-to-man-that-s-when-he-calls-you-up-to/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [“On his back, Robert must have had time to see something beautiful, and not just the ugliness of a city street at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/on-his-back-robert-must-have-had-time-to-see-something-beautiful-and/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [I grew up with the idealistic notion that writing and literature were noble causes. I had no inkling, no sense of what I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/i-grew-up-with-the-idealistic-notion-that-writing-and-literature-were/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [As a kid I had all kinds of questions about how I fit it with my neighborhood and friends and other Latinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/as-a-kid-i-had-all-kinds-of-questions-about-how-i-fit-it-with-my/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [When you write fiction, you can sort of invent more but also pack it with emotions that are very pertinent to you. Whereas with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/when-you-write-fiction-you-can-sort-of-invent-more-but-also-pack-it/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [I have never - I have never let go of my childhood contacts. My best friends from childhood are still my best friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/i-have-never-i-have-never-let-go-of-my-childhood-contacts-my-best/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) [Explore all 23 Oscar Hijuelos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) ## More Auras quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The sun, a red wheel, was sinking slowly in the west. Besides being spectacularly beautiful, the early-summer sunset was exceedingly soft and gentle: black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/the-sun-a-red-wheel-was-sinking-slowly-in-the-west-besides-being/) [Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/) > [When you smile and project an aura of warmth, kindness, and friendliness, you will attract warms, kindness, and friendliness. Happy people will be drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/when-you-smile-and-project-an-aura-of-warmth-kindness-and/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Who do you think of first in the morning? Good manipulators do it in the dream plane. The morning practice of meditation increases the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/who-do-you-think-of-first-in-the-morning-good-manipulators-do-it-in/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The wild black scavengers of the skies laid their eggs in season and lovingly fed their young. They soared high over prairies and mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-m-miller-jr-2/the-wild-black-scavengers-of-the-skies-laid-their-eggs-in-season-and/) [Walter M. Miller, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-m-miller-jr-2/) > [“I see the glow before I see her. The orange light is so strong it’s hard to believe the house isn’t on fire, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-cameron/i-see-the-glow-before-i-see-her-the-orange-light-is-so-strong-it-s/) [Erica Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-cameron/) > [Hollywood gives a young girl the aura of one giant, self-contained orgy farm, its inhabitants dedicated to crawling into every pair of pants they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-lake/hollywood-gives-a-young-girl-the-aura-of-one-giant-self-contained/) [Veronica Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-lake/) > [ He \[Ryan White\] had a kind of angelic aura about him. And his family, too, it's like, they are going through all this suffering,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/he-ryan-white-had-a-kind-of-angelic-aura-about-him-and-his-family-too/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [You have to defeat a great players aura more than his game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/you-have-to-defeat-a-great-players-aura-more-than-his-game/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [“My physical eyes are like sunglasses, filtering out the colors, but when I'm out here, the aura that emanates from every living thing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-rosati/my-physical-eyes-are-like-sunglasses-filtering-out-the-colors-but/) [Gina Rosati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-rosati/) > [Speaking of opinions, the charming woman does not air hers very freely. The crude woman is eager to let you know what she thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margery-wilson/speaking-of-opinions-the-charming-woman-does-not-air-hers-very-freely/) [Margery Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margery-wilson/) > [Whatever is felt upon the page without being specifically named there - that, one might say, is created. It is the inexplicable presence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/whatever-is-felt-upon-the-page-without-being-specifically-named-there/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [That beautiful sister of mine was an overwhelming and volatile mixture. One had the feeling that she'd been shot from a canon and showered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bennett/that-beautiful-sister-of-mine-was-an-overwhelming-and-volatile/) [Joan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bennett/) > [I am scared of my father to this day. My father walked in the room - and God knows I am telling the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-am-scared-of-my-father-to-this-day-my-father-walked-in-the-room-and/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [You should always have a product that has nothing to do with who you are or what people think about you... so that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/you-should-always-have-a-product-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-who-you/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) [Browse all 210 Auras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auras/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a fiction writer you train yourself to think about situations subjectively. I don't really care for narratives that are just A, B, C, D, and then E. I like the aura that fiction has, how it can conjure up dream imagery. It's a sort of emotional speculation that you can shape and work with.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Hijuelos" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-to-think-about-situations/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Auras" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-to-think-about-situations/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/oscar-hijuelos-24619_auras_as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-t_1607434.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/oscar-hijuelos-24619_auras_as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-t_1607434.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/oscar-hijuelos-24619_auras_as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-t_1607434.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a fiction writer you train yourself to think about situations subjectively. I don't really care for…” — Oscar Hijuelos", "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": "Oscar Hijuelos", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a fiction writer you train...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-to-think-about-situations/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/as-a-fiction-writer-you-train-yourself-to-think-about-situations/#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 } } ] } ```