--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think, when you are writing…" description: "\"I think, when you are writing non-fiction, you feel there's an obligation to get it absolutely right, so all your factual details have to be, have, you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d2/ronald-frame-16363_absolutely_i-think-when-you-are-writing-non-fiction_3169051.jpg" --- # I think, when you are writing non-fiction, you feel… ![“I think, when you are writing non-fiction, you feel there's an obligation to get it absolutely right, so all your factual details have to be, have, you know, to go through a long list of them and tick them. I'm not saying that's not important in fiction, but I think you have a bit more leeway; you…” quote by Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d2/ronald-frame-16363_absolutely_i-think-when-you-are-writing-non-fiction_3169051.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d2/ronald-frame-16363_absolutely_i-think-when-you-are-writing-non-fiction_3169051.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d2/ronald-frame-16363_absolutely_i-think-when-you-are-writing-non-fiction_3169051.jpg) > “I think, when you are writing non-fiction, you feel there's an obligation to get it absolutely right, so all your factual details have to be, have, you know, to go through a long list of them and tick them. I'm not saying that's not important in fiction, but I think you have a bit more leeway; you can suit yourself.” [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Non‑fiction demands factual precision; fiction allows flexibility. **In simple terms:** Fact‑checking matters more in non‑fiction. Key Takeaway Adjust rigor to genre. Themes accuracy genre flexibility Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - researching a biography - writing a novel - academic publishing - journalism Key Concepts epistemology creative freedom editing Questions to Reflect On - When should you relax standards? - How does genre shape responsibility? A Different Perspective Strict fact‑checking can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely/) [Bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bit/) [Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details/) [Factual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factual/) [Factual Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factual-details-2434962/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-feel-239323/) [Fiction Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-think-411914/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-fiction-1484635/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/list/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long list](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-list/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Non fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-fiction/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/) [Suit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suit/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Tick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tick/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) [Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yourself/) ## Related quotes > [Don't worry about the little factual details. Get to the heart of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lee-hancock/don-t-worry-about-the-little-factual-details-get-to-the-heart-of-it/) [John Lee Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lee-hancock/) > [“...But if we are to say anything important, if fiction is to stay relevant and vibrant, then we have to ask the right questions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-copperman/but-if-we-are-to-say-anything-important-if-fiction-is-to-stay/) [Michael Copperman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-copperman/) > [Children's fiction is the most important fiction of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/children-s-fiction-is-the-most-important-fiction-of-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When I was younger, when I was at school, I did read a lot of fiction. I think as you get older perhaps you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/when-i-was-younger-when-i-was-at-school-i-did-read-a-lot-of-fiction-i/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [Even the people who have had success and made money writing these books of fiction seem to feel the need to pretend it's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/even-the-people-who-have-had-success-and-made-money-writing-these/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [“You might think of the barrier between fiction and reality as being a bit like a blood-brain barrier, which allows only some kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/you-might-think-of-the-barrier-between-fiction-and-reality-as-being-a/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [There is poetry in fiction. If you cannot see it and feel it when you write, you need to step back and examine what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/there-is-poetry-in-fiction-if-you-cannot-see-it-and-feel-it-when-you/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [I like dramas because there's a big overlap between film and fiction, so I feel relatively qualified to talk about plot and characterisation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-like-dramas-because-there-s-a-big-overlap-between-film-and-fiction/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [I want my fiction to feel real most of the time, so it makes sense to pay attention to life and to how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-want-my-fiction-to-feel-real-most-of-the-time-so-it-makes-sense-to/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [Mostly the natural landscapes work as a sounding board for my characters, so they can understand themselves, and it acts as a mirror in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/mostly-the-natural-landscapes-work-as-a-sounding-board-for-my/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [As a teenager, I didn't read a ton of teen fiction, and now I feel like I wish that I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-andrews/as-a-teenager-i-didn-t-read-a-ton-of-teen-fiction-and-now-i-feel-like/) [Jesse Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-andrews/) > [Even in fiction, I feel rigorous honesty applies. It doesn't apply to facts; it applies to what I think of as not telling emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/even-in-fiction-i-feel-rigorous-honesty-applies-it-doesn-t-apply-to/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I'm reluctant to get involved in science fiction, because I feel like I've done it and done it well, so unless something comes along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bamber/i-m-reluctant-to-get-involved-in-science-fiction-because-i-feel-like/) [Jamie Bamber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bamber/) > [It's true that I don't rearrange that much in the fiction, but I feel if you change even one name or the order of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/it-s-true-that-i-don-t-rearrange-that-much-in-the-fiction-but-i-feel/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [But I think writing should be a bit of a struggle. We're not writing things that are going to change the world in big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evie-wyld/but-i-think-writing-should-be-a-bit-of-a-struggle-we-re-not-writing/) [Evie Wyld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evie-wyld/) ## More by Ronald Frame > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [As a writer, you need a strong sense of self-belief. And when it comes to writing, I've always had that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/as-a-writer-you-need-a-strong-sense-of-self-belief-and-when-it-comes/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [What appears on the page comes out of your experience, and no-one is going to see it in quite the same way - so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/what-appears-on-the-page-comes-out-of-your-experience-and-no-one-is/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [I can remember somebody once saying to me that they thought my life must be less real than these other people that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-can-remember-somebody-once-saying-to-me-that-they-thought-my-life/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [I think if you study people in the street today, you do sometimes feel that they have taken their behavior and their language from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-think-if-you-study-people-in-the-street-today-you-do-sometimes-feel/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [“Some things belong to the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/some-things-belong-to-the-past/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [“You care for empresses and queens?” I asked him. “No. For tragic heroines.” “Why them?” “Suffering and courageous women who deserve their own immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/you-care-for-empresses-and-queens-i-asked-him-no-for-tragic-heroines/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [“Experience can never be undone, or knowledge unlearned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/experience-can-never-be-undone-or-knowledge-unlearned/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [“That’s what friends are for,” Sheba said. “I don’t know what they’re for,” I told her. “So that we don’t get out of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/that-s-what-friends-are-for-sheba-said-i-don-t-know-what-they-re-for/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [As a little boy, I apparently had a predilection for undoing latch gates, running up pathways and ringing doorbells - and then running off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/as-a-little-boy-i-apparently-had-a-predilection-for-undoing-latch/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [“A woman can only satisfy and fulfil herself, I understood, when she establishes her own authority, and see beyond equality, realising how terrible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/a-woman-can-only-satisfy-and-fulfil-herself-i-understood-when-she/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [“I’m not just a face, or a body. I’m a Havisham.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-m-not-just-a-face-or-a-body-i-m-a-havisham/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > ['Ghost City' began as a idea. I felt that I hadn't read or heard a great deal about the sort of life that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/ghost-city-began-as-a-idea-i-felt-that-i-hadn-t-read-or-heard-a-great/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [“Martin suggests, let's see Chartres on the way back. The cathedral with its bleached stone and green roofs is visible across miles of flat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/martin-suggests-let-s-see-chartres-on-the-way-back-the-cathedral-with/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [When I was younger, when I was at school, I did read a lot of fiction. I think as you get older perhaps you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/when-i-was-younger-when-i-was-at-school-i-did-read-a-lot-of-fiction-i/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) [Explore all 40 Ronald Frame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) ## More Absolutely quotes > [I am absolutely my own biggest critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lando-norris/i-am-absolutely-my-own-biggest-critic/) [Lando Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lando-norris/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [I was brought up by the English side of my family, who are very repressed and working class. Absolutely lovely, but very English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-was-brought-up-by-the-english-side-of-my-family-who-are-very/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [Nobody ever wins by the cavalry coming to rescue you. It isn't a question of you're happy if you get married, or you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/nobody-ever-wins-by-the-cavalry-coming-to-rescue-you-it-isn-t-a/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [“None is absolutely true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-z-lavine/none-is-absolutely-true/) [T.Z. Lavine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-z-lavine/) > [The game business arose from computer programs that were written by and for young men in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/the-game-business-arose-from-computer-programs-that-were-written-by/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [If I was a man, I would be a drag queen. Honestly, I would. I absolutely love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/if-i-was-a-man-i-would-be-a-drag-queen-honestly-i-would-i-absolutely/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [There's very little about being in a functional-M.R.I. scanner that is natural: you are flat on your back, absolutely still, with your head immobilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-marantz-henig/there-s-very-little-about-being-in-a-functional-m-r-i-scanner-that-is/) [Robin Marantz Henig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-marantz-henig/) > [When you're still, and some actors are really brilliant at that, you bring a kind of energy to you as opposed to sending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/when-you-re-still-and-some-actors-are-really-brilliant-at-that-you/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) > [I'm absolutely an Elizabeth Taylor fan!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-m-absolutely-an-elizabeth-taylor-fan/) [Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/) > [You can absolutely be what you can't see! That's what innovators and disruptors do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-bryant/you-can-absolutely-be-what-you-can-t-see-that-s-what-innovators-and/) [Kimberly Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-bryant/) > [There were a lot of clubs interested in me - a lot, really. But Manchester United appeared and didn't go away. They absolutely wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-di-maria/there-were-a-lot-of-clubs-interested-in-me-a-lot-really-but/) [Angel Di Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-di-maria/) > [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I absolutely love 'TOWIE.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-collins/i-absolutely-love-towie/) [Gemma Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-collins/) > [Chucky is absolutely still a puppet. He will remain to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-dourif/chucky-is-absolutely-still-a-puppet-he-will-remain-to-be/) [Fiona Dourif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-dourif/) [Browse all 1,136 Absolutely quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think, when you are writing non-fiction, you feel there's an obligation to get it absolutely right, so all your factual details have to be, have, you know, to go through a long list of them and tick them. 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