--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My characters are fictional. I get ideas…" description: "\"My characters are fictional. I get ideas from real people, sometimes, but my characters always exist only in my head.\" — S. E. Hinton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/s-e-hinton-13299_always_my-characters-are-fictional-i-get-ideas_2415481.png" --- # My characters are fictional. I get ideas from real people… ![“My characters are fictional. I get ideas from real people, sometimes, but my characters always exist only in my head.” quote by S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/s-e-hinton-13299_always_my-characters-are-fictional-i-get-ideas_2415481.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/s-e-hinton-13299_always_my-characters-are-fictional-i-get-ideas_2415481.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/s-e-hinton-13299_always_my-characters-are-fictional-i-get-ideas_2415481.png) > “My characters are fictional. I get ideas from real people, sometimes, but my characters always exist only in my head.” [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fictional characters are imagined, though inspired by real people. **In simple terms:** Characters are imagined, sometimes based on real people. Key Takeaway Use imagination while observing reality. Themes creativity inspiration fiction Mood introspective creative Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - writing - storytelling - teaching - psychology - media Key Concepts character development observation Questions to Reflect On - How do real experiences shape your stories? - What limits imagination? A Different Perspective May blur line between fact and fiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Fictional characters exist in only two places, neither of which is on the printed page. They exist, first, in the mind of the writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maren-elwood/fictional-characters-exist-in-only-two-places-neither-of-which-is-on/) [Maren Elwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maren-elwood/) > [I never base a character on someone I know. You can get ideas from real life, but every character you write is some aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-never-base-a-character-on-someone-i-know-you-can-get-ideas-from/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [Great ideas are a dime a dozen.Its the few who make their ideas real who move the world forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/great-ideas-are-a-dime-a-dozen-its-the-few-who-make-their-ideas-real/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are some things that are real, that you can see, that you can observe, like the moon, and grass and things. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-campion/there-are-some-things-that-are-real-that-you-can-see-that-you-can/) [Jane Campion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-campion/) > [Me and Miley just clicked. She has good ideas. She's real creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-will-made-it/me-and-miley-just-clicked-she-has-good-ideas-she-s-real-creative/) [Mike Will Made It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-will-made-it/) > [Ideas are like dreams; they will disappear unless we record them. Write a book, a blog, build a company, anything that makes the ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/ideas-are-like-dreams-they-will-disappear-unless-we-record-them-write/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [People have enough ideas. The real question is "Which ideas are you going to use?".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ray/people-have-enough-ideas-the-real-question-is-which-ideas-are-you/) [Michael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ray/) > [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I just love to collaborate with people who take my ideas real serious, and they don't put up walls around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/i-just-love-to-collaborate-with-people-who-take-my-ideas-real-serious/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [We feel the same emotions for our ideas as we do for the real world, which is why we can cry while reading a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-feel-the-same-emotions-for-our-ideas-as-we-do-for-the-real-world/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [What I crave, and what I want to see on television, is when you see a minority character, not to have it being about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zazie-beetz/what-i-crave-and-what-i-want-to-see-on-television-is-when-you-see-a/) [Zazie Beetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zazie-beetz/) > [“I have lived so long within the circle of this book and with these characters that often it seems to me that the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-have-lived-so-long-within-the-circle-of-this-book-and-with-these/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Everything I make is with intention. I'm not very haphazard with my artist work, although I wish I was sometimes. I'm very conscious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xaviera-simmons/everything-i-make-is-with-intention-i-m-not-very-haphazard-with-my/) [Xaviera Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xaviera-simmons/) > [I like characters. I like spirited characters whether they exist in fiction or real life. Whether they're the invention of artistic people or directors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/i-like-characters-i-like-spirited-characters-whether-they-exist-in/) [Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/) > [We like existentially wacky characters who exist in existential crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-russo/we-like-existentially-wacky-characters-who-exist-in-existential-crisis/) [Joe Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-russo/) ## More by S. E. Hinton > [I learned that if you want to get somewhere, you just make up your mind and work like hell til you get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-learned-that-if-you-want-to-get-somewhere-you-just-make-up-your/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [Asleep, he looked a lot younger than going-on-seventeen, but I had noticed that Johnny looked younger when he was asleep too, so I figured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/asleep-he-looked-a-lot-younger-than-going-on-seventeen-but-i-had/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [Naturally, everything boils down to relationships in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/naturally-everything-boils-down-to-relationships-in-my-books/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [Since I am first of all a character writer, that character's emotions are as vivid to me as my own. I always begin with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/since-i-am-first-of-all-a-character-writer-that-character-s-emotions/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [Any writer who gives a reader a pleasurable experience is doing every other writer a favor because it will make the reader want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/any-writer-who-gives-a-reader-a-pleasurable-experience-is-doing-every/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [I grew up here and my friends are here. There's nothing wrong with here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-grew-up-here-and-my-friends-are-here-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-here/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [I find it to be easier to write from a man's point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-find-it-to-be-easier-to-write-from-a-man-s-point-of-view/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/stay-gold-ponyboy-stay-gold/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [My mother was physically and emotionally abusive. My father was an extremely cold man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-mother-was-physically-and-emotionally-abusive-my-father-was-an/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > ['The Outsiders' cast in particular was a joy to be around - sweet kids, normal goofy teenagers off camera and serious artists on. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/the-outsiders-cast-in-particular-was-a-joy-to-be-around-sweet-kids/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [If people want to find me, they can. They'll see a middle-aged woman wandering around the grocery store, looking to see what to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/if-people-want-to-find-me-they-can-they-ll-see-a-middle-aged-woman/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/when-i-stepped-out-into-the-bright-sunlight-from-the-darkness-of-the/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [My goal from being a child was to have a happy home life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-goal-from-being-a-child-was-to-have-a-happy-home-life/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [I never base a character on someone I know. You can get ideas from real life, but every character you write is some aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-never-base-a-character-on-someone-i-know-you-can-get-ideas-from/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [My boyfriend suggested I write two pages a day. He wouldn't take me out if I hadn't done my two pages. That's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-boyfriend-suggested-i-write-two-pages-a-day-he-wouldn-t-take-me/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) [Explore all 51 S. E. Hinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My characters are fictional. 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