---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Key to all fiction, long or short, is to…"
description: "\"Key to all fiction, long or short, is to remember that the wolfman did not want the moon.\" — Ron Carlson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/ron-carlson-28022_fiction_key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-r_319262.png"
---

#  Key to all fiction, long or short, is to remember that the…

![“Key to all fiction, long or short, is to remember that the wolfman did not want the moon.” quote by Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/ron-carlson-28022_fiction_key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-r_319262.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/ron-carlson-28022_fiction_key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-r_319262.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/ron-carlson-28022_fiction_key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-r_319262.png)

> “Key to all fiction, long or short, is to remember that the wolfman did not want the moon.”

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrative twist is that the wolfman, contrary to expectations, has no desire for the moon, subverting typical mythic symbolism.

**In simple terms:** The wolfman doesn't want the moon, defying mythic expectations.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about symbolic desires in storytelling.

Themes

mythology subversion character motivation

Mood

intriguing playful

Type

interpretive literary

When to use this quote

- creative writing workshops
- story analysis
- character development exercises

Key Concepts

symbolic inversion unexpected motives literary surprise

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the wolfman's lack of desire reveal about his character?
- How does this subversion affect the story's theme?

A Different Perspective

The twist may feel forced if not supported by narrative context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keys/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Wolfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-wolfman-3011749/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-moon-474724/) [Wolfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolfman-1274277/) [Wolfman Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolfman-did-3011750/)

## Related quotes

> [Slowly we unfurl. As lotus flowers. 'Cause all I want is the moon upon a stick just to see what if.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radiohead/slowly-we-unfurl-as-lotus-flowers-cause-all-i-want-is-the-moon-upon-a/)

[Radiohead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radiohead/)

> [Bob Smith from Brooklyn is a guy who sometimes gets hung with problems and fears. Wolfman Jack is a happy-go-lucky guy who knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfman-jack/bob-smith-from-brooklyn-is-a-guy-who-sometimes-gets-hung-with/)

[Wolfman Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfman-jack/)

> [Id rather be with Dracula than the Wolfman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janina-gavankar/id-rather-be-with-dracula-than-the-wolfman/)

[Janina Gavankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janina-gavankar/)

> [I had three weeks of prep on 'Wolfman,' a ridiculously inadequate amount of time to try to bring together the fractured and scattered pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-johnston/i-had-three-weeks-of-prep-on-wolfman-a-ridiculously-inadequate-amount/)

[Joe Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-johnston/)

> [The struggle of making a film for any studio is the fact that the producers and the studio have an idea of what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-struggle-of-making-a-film-for-any-studio-is-the-fact-that-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen. More Nothing. The Return of Nothing. Son of Nothing. Nothing Rides Again. Nothing and Abbot and Costello meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/nothing-happened-nothing-continued-to-happen-more-nothing-the-return/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Excuse me, Mr Tall-and-Good-looking Wolfman, but can you help the English midget reach the sauce?’ I think not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/excuse-me-mr-tall-and-good-looking-wolfman-but-can-you-help-the/)

[Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/)

> [“If the Wolfman had not disappeared from my life I would have made certain to question him further about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/if-the-wolfman-had-not-disappeared-from-my-life-i-would-have-made/)

[Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/)

> [I'd rather be with Dracula than the Wolfman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janina-gavankar/i-d-rather-be-with-dracula-than-the-wolfman/)

[Janina Gavankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janina-gavankar/)

> [“Wolfman's got nards!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-chalem/wolfman-s-got-nards/)

[Brent Chalem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-chalem/)

> [“Working for Mab now, are you, Wolfman?" he smirked. "Like a good little attack dog? Will you also roll over and beg if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/working-for-mab-now-are-you-wolfman-he-smirked-like-a-good-little/)

[Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/)

> [“Not the city light. We want -the moon- The Moon none of our own doing! -RAE ARMANTROUT”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rubin-r-naiman/not-the-city-light-we-want-the-moon-the-moon-none-of-our-own-doing/)

[Rubin R. Naiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rubin-r-naiman/)

> [“Iniquity it is; but pass the can. My lad, no pair of kings our mothers bore; Our only portion is the estate of man:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman-2/iniquity-it-is-but-pass-the-can-my-lad-no-pair-of-kings-our-mothers/)

[A.E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman-2/)

> [“Of course I want the moon. And were you to offer it, I'd propose as a trade the stars in my eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/of-course-i-want-the-moon-and-were-you-to-offer-it-i-d-propose-as-a/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [“I want the moon, up there. But... he will always be unreachable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hotaru-odagiri/i-want-the-moon-up-there-but-he-will-always-be-unreachable/)

[Hotaru Odagiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hotaru-odagiri/)

## More by Ron Carlson

> [The big secret is the ability to stay in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-big-secret-is-the-ability-to-stay-in-the-room/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [It is philosophically impossible to be an atheist, since to be an atheist you must have infinite knowledge in order to know absolutely that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/it-is-philosophically-impossible-to-be-an-atheist-since-to-be-an/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“I tell students, when in doubt, to title their story after the smallest concrete object in their story. I warn them off plays on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-tell-students-when-in-doubt-to-title-their-story-after-the-smallest/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [The men and women, the weapons, the deerhunt all make a huge and fragile danger in John Bolger's novel The Hunters. There is care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-men-and-women-the-weapons-the-deerhunt-all-make-a-huge-and/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [In grammar school they taught me that a frog turning into a prince was a fairy tale. In the university they taught me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/in-grammar-school-they-taught-me-that-a-frog-turning-into-a-prince/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“I always write from my own experiences, whether I've had them or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-always-write-from-my-own-experiences-whether-i-ve-had-them-or-not/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [The writer is the person who stays in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-writer-is-the-person-who-stays-in-the-room/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or to understand the inner workings of my narrator, I'm trying to survive the typing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-or-to-understand-the-inner/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“The most important thing a writer can do after completing a sentence is to stay in the room. The great temptation is to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-most-important-thing-a-writer-can-do-after-completing-a-sentence/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“I was young those nights, but I was getting over it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-was-young-those-nights-but-i-was-getting-over-it/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [Get down, get naked, get savage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/get-down-get-naked-get-savage/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“THE TABLECLOTH OF TURIN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-tablecloth-of-turin/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“We live in a society that doesn’t offer any support or appreciation for ventures that aren’t clearly articulated and aligned for a goal. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/we-live-in-a-society-that-doesn-t-offer-any-support-or-appreciation/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [It never ceases to amaze us that when we were in kindergarten they taught us that a frog turning into a prince was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/it-never-ceases-to-amaze-us-that-when-we-were-in-kindergarten-they/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

> [“It is not my job to explain the story or understand the story or reduce it to a phrase or offer it as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/it-is-not-my-job-to-explain-the-story-or-understand-the-story-or/)

[Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

[Explore all 20 Ron Carlson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/)

## 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": "Key to all fiction, long or short, is to remember that the wolfman did not want the moon.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ron Carlson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-remember-that-the-wolfman-did/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fiction"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-remember-that-the-wolfman-did/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/ron-carlson-28022_fiction_key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-r_319262.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/ron-carlson-28022_fiction_key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-r_319262.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/ron-carlson-28022_fiction_key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-r_319262.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Key to all fiction, long or short, is to remember that the wolfman did not want the moon.” — Ron Carlson",
                "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": "Ron Carlson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Key to all fiction, long or...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-remember-that-the-wolfman-did/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-remember-that-the-wolfman-did/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
