--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is what I think is fun about fiction…" description: "\"This is what I think is fun about fiction - you get to use as much history as you want as scaffolding and then go beyond it and change it and mutate it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/robin-sloan-1513_change_this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fictio_3104645.png" --- # This is what I think is fun about fiction - you get to use… ![“This is what I think is fun about fiction - you get to use as much history as you want as scaffolding and then go beyond it and change it and mutate it.” quote by Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/robin-sloan-1513_change_this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fictio_3104645.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/robin-sloan-1513_change_this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fictio_3104645.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/robin-sloan-1513_change_this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fictio_3104645.png) > “This is what I think is fun about fiction - you get to use as much history as you want as scaffolding and then go beyond it and change it and mutate it.” [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction lets writers use real history as a base, then creatively alter it. **In simple terms:** Use history as a springboard for imagination. Key Takeaway Blend fact with invention for richer stories. Themes creativity history fiction Mood playful thoughtful Type inspirational literary When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - role‑playing games Key Concepts alternate timelines worldbuilding Questions to Reflect On - Which historical events could be reimagined? - How does altering facts affect narrative impact? A Different Perspective Risk of distorting historical truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [In a sense, fantasy is a freer play of the imagination. You can achieve exactly the situation you want with less groundwork, less of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/in-a-sense-fantasy-is-a-freer-play-of-the-imagination-you-can-achieve/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [That's the miracle of fiction. I use it to spray on certain moments or places from my youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/that-s-the-miracle-of-fiction-i-use-it-to-spray-on-certain-moments-or/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [One of the great things about fiction is you can use an issue and describe it in human terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/one-of-the-great-things-about-fiction-is-you-can-use-an-issue-and/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [As a novelist, I mined my history, my family and my memory, but in a very specific way. Writing fiction, I never made use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/as-a-novelist-i-mined-my-history-my-family-and-my-memory-but-in-a/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [The more cases of Ebola infection we have, the more chances there are for the virus to mutate in a particular way that adapts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/the-more-cases-of-ebola-infection-we-have-the-more-chances-there-are/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Life needs a membrane to contain itself so it can replicate and mutate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-lanting/life-needs-a-membrane-to-contain-itself-so-it-can-replicate-and-mutate/) [Frans Lanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-lanting/) > [“This is the world we live in. Conditions change and we mutate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-the-world-we-live-in-conditions-change-and-we-mutate/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Conditions change and we mutate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/conditions-change-and-we-mutate/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Every few years, you have to change your strategy. You have to look at how the world is mutating, and mutate. Not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genesis-p-orridge/every-few-years-you-have-to-change-your-strategy-you-have-to-look-at/) [Genesis P-Orridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genesis-p-orridge/) > [I'm tired of reading about history, I want to make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-savio/i-m-tired-of-reading-about-history-i-want-to-make-it/) [Mario Savio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-savio/) > [History is what you want it to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-is-what-you-want-it-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like characters and stories that challenge the status quo. Lately, I'm really interested in history because I find that in my public school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-like-characters-and-stories-that-challenge-the-status-quo-lately-i/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [If people really want to know and learn from history, why do they want bad history? Why don't they want good history? Wouldn't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-weir/if-people-really-want-to-know-and-learn-from-history-why-do-they-want/) [Alison Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-weir/) > [I don't look back on history. I want to look forward to the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-janssen/i-don-t-look-back-on-history-i-want-to-look-forward-to-the-future/) [Vincent Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-janssen/) > [“It's bad idea to try to prevent people from knowing their own history. If you want to do anything new you must first make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-hans-josef-gombrich/it-s-bad-idea-to-try-to-prevent-people-from-knowing-their-own-history/) Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich ## More by Robin Sloan > [“But it will make mistakes," she says. "Hadoop will probably get us from a hundred thousand buildings down to, like, five thousand." "So we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/but-it-will-make-mistakes-she-says-hadoop-will-probably-get-us-from-a/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [You can go as far back as fifth grade, and you will find me tinkering with media and computers, making things that are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/you-can-go-as-far-back-as-fifth-grade-and-you-will-find-me-tinkering/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [He has the strangest expression on his face- the emotional equivalent of 404 PAGE NOT FOUND.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/he-has-the-strangest-expression-on-his-face-the-emotional-equivalent/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Baking, by contrast, was solving the same problem over and over again, because every time, the solution was consumed. I mean, really: chewed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/baking-by-contrast-was-solving-the-same-problem-over-and-over-again/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-it-makes-me-feel-better-as-if/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [There's just no escaping it: The half-life of media on the Internet is super short. Tweets flow and fade; pages that look great today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/there-s-just-no-escaping-it-the-half-life-of-media-on-the-internet-is/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“My limbic system has grown accustomed to a certain (very low) level of human (female) contact. With her standing right next to me, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/my-limbic-system-has-grown-accustomed-to-a-certain-very-low-level-of/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“The shelves were packed close together, and it felt like I was standing at the border of a forest--not a friendly Californian forest, either,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/the-shelves-were-packed-close-together-and-it-felt-like-i-was/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“How was New York?' Ashley asks politely. I'm not sure how to respond. Something like: Well, the mustachioed master of the secret library is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/how-was-new-york-ashley-asks-politely-i-m-not-sure-how-to-respond/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [We range widely, we readers of fiction, but I think we all need a home. Mine is science fiction. It's my home shelf, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/we-range-widely-we-readers-of-fiction-but-i-think-we-all-need-a-home/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Neel cuts in: "Where'd you grow up?" "Palo Alto," she says. From there to Stanford to Google: for a girl obsessed with the outer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/neel-cuts-in-where-d-you-grow-up-palo-alto-she-says-from-there-to/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Doing research for 'Penumbra,' I read quite a bit about the early history of printing, and the more I did, the more it sounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/doing-research-for-penumbra-i-read-quite-a-bit-about-the-early/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“History hinges on such small things. A difference of thirty degrees, and this story would end here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/history-hinges-on-such-small-things-a-difference-of-thirty-degrees/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“It is very quiet. I set my chin into my palm and count my friends and wonder what else is hiding in plain sight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/it-is-very-quiet-i-set-my-chin-into-my-palm-and-count-my-friends-and/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) [Explore all 227 Robin Sloan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…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 > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is what I think is fun about fiction - you get to use as much history as you want as scaffolding and then go beyond it and change it and mutate it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robin Sloan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fiction-you-get-to-use-as-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fiction-you-get-to-use-as-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/robin-sloan-1513_change_this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fictio_3104645.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/robin-sloan-1513_change_this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fictio_3104645.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9c/robin-sloan-1513_change_this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fictio_3104645.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is what I think is fun about fiction - you get to use as much history as you want as scaffolding and…” — Robin Sloan", "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": "Robin Sloan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This is what I think is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fiction-you-get-to-use-as-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/this-is-what-i-think-is-fun-about-fiction-you-get-to-use-as-much/#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 } } ] } ```