--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time I wrote fiction, I was…" description: "\"Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every time I wrote nonfiction, I was encouraged.\" — Ron Chernow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/ron-chernow-1189_discouraged_every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discour_1422180.png" --- # Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every… ![“Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every time I wrote nonfiction, I was encouraged.” quote by Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/ron-chernow-1189_discouraged_every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discour_1422180.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/ron-chernow-1189_discouraged_every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discour_1422180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/ron-chernow-1189_discouraged_every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discour_1422180.png) > “Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every time I wrote nonfiction, I was encouraged.” [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author feels discouraged when writing fiction but encouraged when writing nonfiction, indicating differing confidence across genres. **In simple terms:** Fiction feels discouraging; nonfiction encouraging. Key Takeaway Embrace both genres. Themes creativity confidence genre dynamics Mood reflective motivated Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal projects - career decisions Key Concepts self‑esteem literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - What fuels confidence in nonfiction? - How can you boost fiction motivation? A Different Perspective Genre bias may limit growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discouraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraged/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Discouraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-discouraged-5040419/) [Nonfiction Encouraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction-encouraged-5040420/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote/) [Wrote Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-fiction-433479/) [Wrote Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-nonfiction-3270562/) ## Related quotes > [I wrote six nonfiction books before getting into narrative fiction with 'Robopocalypse,' including 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising.' My goal all along was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/i-wrote-six-nonfiction-books-before-getting-into-narrative-fiction/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [No matter how long my day job hours were, I always made time to write. I wrote fiction, short stories, and poetry. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/no-matter-how-long-my-day-job-hours-were-i-always-made-time-to-write/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [When I wrote nonfiction, my best work was the really personal stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/when-i-wrote-nonfiction-my-best-work-was-the-really-personal-stuff/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [I wrote fiction during my entire childhood, from age 4 to 18, and started writing plays when I went to Yale and Oxford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiye-selasi/i-wrote-fiction-during-my-entire-childhood-from-age-4-to-18-and/) [Taiye Selasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiye-selasi/) > [The first seven years that I wrote fiction, I sent out stories and a novel and made a total of $25.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/the-first-seven-years-that-i-wrote-fiction-i-sent-out-stories-and-a/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [Whenever I wrote fiction, people always seemed to think that what I wrote was true, that it was entirely autobiographical. And when I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ames/whenever-i-wrote-fiction-people-always-seemed-to-think-that-what-i/) [Jonathan Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ames/) > [I started writing nonfiction because nonfiction is well-suited to subjects that, if you wrote them as fiction, people would say, "I don't believe this.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-monroe/i-started-writing-nonfiction-because-nonfiction-is-well-suited-to/) [Debra Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-monroe/) > [In New York I was always so scared of saying that I wrote fiction. It just seemed like, 'Who am I to dare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/in-new-york-i-was-always-so-scared-of-saying-that-i-wrote-fiction-it/) [Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/) > [I've always loved to write, and I wrote fiction all my life. That's what I thought I was going to do in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-ve-always-loved-to-write-and-i-wrote-fiction-all-my-life-that-s/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-stevens/well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-harsh-critic-because-i-know/) [Dave Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-stevens/) > [I am profoundly in the D's - discouraged, depressed, disheartened, disgusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dunbar-nelson/i-am-profoundly-in-the-d-s-discouraged-depressed-disheartened/) [Alice Dunbar Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dunbar-nelson/) > [I think it's very easy to get discouraged early on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-think-it-s-very-easy-to-get-discouraged-early-on/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [Many persons have been confused and discouraged at the very outset of the study by the great variety and the delicate distinctions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-staunton/many-persons-have-been-confused-and-discouraged-at-the-very-outset-of/) [Howard Staunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-staunton/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) ## More by Ron Chernow > [“In other words, Julia still believed in the beneficial effects of tobacco long after her husband had likely died from it. Even grimacing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/in-other-words-julia-still-believed-in-the-beneficial-effects-of/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Right before his inauguration, he received a Quaker delegation and asked them to nominate Indian agents from their members. “If you can make Quakers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/right-before-his-inauguration-he-received-a-quaker-delegation-and/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Grant roomed with Fred Dent, who also singled out Grant as “the clearest headed young man I ever saw . . . He always wanted to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/grant-roomed-with-fred-dent-who-also-singled-out-grant-as-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Hamilton has often been extolled as the exponent of a rational foreign policy based on cool calculations of national self-interest. But his April 14…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-has-often-been-extolled-as-the-exponent-of-a-rational/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“While the folks at home embraced him as an improbable hero, Washington was denigrated in England as a reckless young warrior and in France…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/while-the-folks-at-home-embraced-him-as-an-improbable-hero-washington/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“the immorality of slavery became patently clear that spring. He had acquired from Colonel Dent the mulatto slave named William Jones who had worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-immorality-of-slavery-became-patently-clear-that-spring-he-had/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“As his life steadily unraveled, he pawned his gold watch and chain for $20 on December 23, 1857, to purchase Christmas presents for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/as-his-life-steadily-unraveled-he-pawned-his-gold-watch-and-chain-for/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Grant had overwhelmingly won the electoral vote, and had garnered the largest popular majority of the century, nearly 56 percent of the vote, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/grant-had-overwhelmingly-won-the-electoral-vote-and-had-garnered-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“The chief quartermaster on the West Coast, Robert Allen, an old friend of Grant’s, learned he was holed up in a cheap miner’s hotel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-chief-quartermaster-on-the-west-coast-robert-allen-an-old-friend/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Returning to his Manhattan town house on Christmas Eve, Grant, sixty-one, pivoted to hand the driver a holiday tip when he slipped on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/returning-to-his-manhattan-town-house-on-christmas-eve-grant-sixty/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“When he bet Julia that she wouldn’t dare to descend into the mine, located seventeen hundred feet below, it roused her fighting spirit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/when-he-bet-julia-that-she-wouldn-t-dare-to-descend-into-the-mine/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Consequential to the election outcome were the many private contacts in the capital between southern Democrats and Hayes’s northern Republican supporters. At Wormley’s Hotel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/consequential-to-the-election-outcome-were-the-many-private-contacts/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“The trial wasn’t the finest hour of American justice as the treatment of the prisoners seemed medieval in its barbarism. Almost all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-trial-wasn-t-the-finest-hour-of-american-justice-as-the-treatment/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“he warned that progressive accumulation of debt “is perhaps the NATURAL DISEASE of all Governments. And it is not easy to conceive anything more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/he-warned-that-progressive-accumulation-of-debt-is-perhaps-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) [Explore all 276 Ron Chernow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) ## More Discouraged quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Many persons have been confused and discouraged at the very outset of the study by the great variety and the delicate distinctions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-staunton/many-persons-have-been-confused-and-discouraged-at-the-very-outset-of/) [Howard Staunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-staunton/) > [I think it's very easy to get discouraged early on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-think-it-s-very-easy-to-get-discouraged-early-on/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [I am profoundly in the D's - discouraged, depressed, disheartened, disgusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dunbar-nelson/i-am-profoundly-in-the-d-s-discouraged-depressed-disheartened/) [Alice Dunbar Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dunbar-nelson/) > [Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-stevens/well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-harsh-critic-because-i-know/) [Dave Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-stevens/) > [I've taken my bumps and bruises, but you've got to be willing to get knocked down and pick yourself up. You can't get discouraged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-o-neal/i-ve-taken-my-bumps-and-bruises-but-you-ve-got-to-be-willing-to-get/) [Jermaine O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-o-neal/) > [I am a little discouraged and irritated at the welfare recipient families growing in size all the time. Those of us who work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilmar-moore/i-am-a-little-discouraged-and-irritated-at-the-welfare-recipient/) [Hilmar Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilmar-moore/) > [“The way you pass through the land of Learning is that you try a bunch of things. Fear would love for you to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/the-way-you-pass-through-the-land-of-learning-is-that-you-try-a-bunch/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [I do what I believe the Lord did, and that is walk in love with all mankind, which I don't see a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-smith/i-do-what-i-believe-the-lord-did-and-that-is-walk-in-love-with-all/) [Tasha Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-smith/) > [You need never be discouraged or afraid. The way through difficulties has always been prepared for you, and you will find it if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/you-need-never-be-discouraged-or-afraid-the-way-through-difficulties/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Lift up your eyes, discouraged one. When you feel like giving up, when they say it can't be done, it's up to you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-mullins/lift-up-your-eyes-discouraged-one-when-you-feel-like-giving-up-when/) [Matty Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-mullins/) > [I think there are so many young girls out there who may be discouraged by the images they see in magazines or on TV,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-knox/i-think-there-are-so-many-young-girls-out-there-who-may-be/) [Kelly Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-knox/) > [The cure for impatience with the fulfillment of God's timetable is to believe His promises, obey His will, and leave the results to Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/the-cure-for-impatience-with-the-fulfillment-of-god-s-timetable-is-to/) [Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/) > [I sometimes am discouraged by what seems to be a sort of conventional disparagement of humankind. I think often people feel that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-sometimes-am-discouraged-by-what-seems-to-be-a-sort-of-conventional/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 540 Discouraged quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discouraged/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every time I wrote nonfiction, I was encouraged.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ron Chernow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discouraged-and-every-time-i-wrote/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discouraged" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discouraged-and-every-time-i-wrote/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/ron-chernow-1189_discouraged_every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discour_1422180.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/ron-chernow-1189_discouraged_every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discour_1422180.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/ron-chernow-1189_discouraged_every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discour_1422180.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every time I wrote nonfiction, I was encouraged.” — Ron Chernow", "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 Chernow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every time I wrote fiction, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discouraged-and-every-time-i-wrote/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/every-time-i-wrote-fiction-i-was-discouraged-and-every-time-i-wrote/#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 } } ] } ```