--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first job is to write the characters…" description: "\"My first job is to write the characters as full and authentic people as well as I can.\" — Sara Zarr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/sara-zarr-2184_authentic_my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters_1009572.png" --- # My first job is to write the characters as full and… ![“My first job is to write the characters as full and authentic people as well as I can.” quote by Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/sara-zarr-2184_authentic_my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters_1009572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/sara-zarr-2184_authentic_my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters_1009572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/sara-zarr-2184_authentic_my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters_1009572.png) > “My first job is to write the characters as full and authentic people as well as I can.” [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She emphasizes crafting fully realized, authentic characters in storytelling. **In simple terms:** Write characters with depth and truth. Key Takeaway Prioritize character authenticity. Themes writing character development authenticity storytelling Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary creative When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting workshops - creative retreats Key Concepts narrative theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you avoid stereotypes? - What research informs character creation? A Different Perspective Time constraints can limit depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authentic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [First job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-job/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think as long as you're authentic, people will relate to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-woodson/i-think-as-long-as-you-re-authentic-people-will-relate-to-that/) [Charles Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-woodson/) > [“Authentic people are instantly more likable and trustworthy, which makes building rapport with them a pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/authentic-people-are-instantly-more-likable-and-trustworthy-which/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [The reason why Roc-A-Fella crossed and became so essential to pop culture is that we were probably the most authentic people that were also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-dash/the-reason-why-roc-a-fella-crossed-and-became-so-essential-to-pop/) [Damon Dash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-dash/) > [“We feel safe around authentic people, as if we could reveal to them our deepest, darkest secrets, as if we could trust them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-fields-millburn/we-feel-safe-around-authentic-people-as-if-we-could-reveal-to-them/) [Joshua Fields Millburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-fields-millburn/) > [I believe that my work has been well-received because it is authentic. All people really want are authenticity and truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-my-work-has-been-well-received-because-it-is-authentic/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [“The more positively centered and grounded you are in your authentic being, the more people may be drawn to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/the-more-positively-centered-and-grounded-you-are-in-your-authentic/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [You might not be funny, but don't force it. Just be authentic because people are going to always appreciate that more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaza-pachulia/you-might-not-be-funny-but-don-t-force-it-just-be-authentic-because/) [Zaza Pachulia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaza-pachulia/) > [My only job is to write in such a way that the reader gets a new handle on humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-steinbeck/my-only-job-is-to-write-in-such-a-way-that-the-reader-gets-a-new/) [Thomas Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-steinbeck/) > [I knew I wasn't the sort of person who could do a full-time job and write in the evening and at weekends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-knew-i-wasn-t-the-sort-of-person-who-could-do-a-full-time-job-and/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I didn’t do anything. I don’t have an explanation, I don’t know why I wanted to write. I did some short stories at that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-didn-t-do-anything-i-don-t-have-an-explanation-i-don-t-know-why-i/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The writer's job is not to write a novel, hold it up and say, “Here I am,” but to write a novel, hold it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-writer-s-job-is-not-to-write-a-novel-hold-it-up-and-say-here-i-am/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why do you want to become an author? I will accept only one answer. If it is because you feel you can write better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngaio-marsh/why-do-you-want-to-become-an-author-i-will-accept-only-one-answer-if/) [Ngaio Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngaio-marsh/) > [When you're on a staff, it's not your job to write what you think is funny. It's your job to write what the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-lawrence/when-you-re-on-a-staff-it-s-not-your-job-to-write-what-you-think-is/) [Billy Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-lawrence/) > [It's absolutely a dream job to get to write for Gwen Stacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/it-s-absolutely-a-dream-job-to-get-to-write-for-gwen-stacy/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [I think it's hard to have a full-time job and write fiction, but for essays, you need to be in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-think-it-s-hard-to-have-a-full-time-job-and-write-fiction-but-for/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) ## More by Sara Zarr > [My books have been translated into various languages and sold in other countries, but I never have any contact with the foreign publishers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/my-books-have-been-translated-into-various-languages-and-sold-in/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [“Is this okay with you, Jenna? For him to stay here?" "Yeah," I said. "It's good. You have no idea what it takes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/is-this-okay-with-you-jenna-for-him-to-stay-here-yeah-i-said-it-s/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [Remember that no matter where I am or what I'm doing I've got a special place inside me that's all for you. It's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/remember-that-no-matter-where-i-am-or-what-i-m-doing-i-ve-got-a/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [“I don't understand, Jenna, why you couldn't give him a ride home?" Mom struck the archetypal Mom pose-hands on hips, perplexed look on face,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-don-t-understand-jenna-why-you-couldn-t-give-him-a-ride-home-mom/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [I lived too much in my head instead of the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-lived-too-much-in-my-head-instead-of-the-real-world/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [The importance of our connection, what it meant to find each other again, the way it made what happened to us and between us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/the-importance-of-our-connection-what-it-meant-to-find-each-other/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [“And part of being American is respecting all people's right to be whatever they want to be and at the same time respecting your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/and-part-of-being-american-is-respecting-all-people-s-right-to-be/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [And he left. I watched him walk out – he didn’t say good-bye, he didn’t even look back. It scared me, how easy it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/and-he-left-i-watched-him-walk-out-he-didn-t-say-good-bye-he-didn-t/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [I tend to describe recurring themes as being part of a writer's DNA - something so deeply embedded in us that even we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-tend-to-describe-recurring-themes-as-being-part-of-a-writer-s-dna/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [I do have a little bit more confidence in - or at least familiarity with - my process. For example, when it feels like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-do-have-a-little-bit-more-confidence-in-or-at-least-familiarity/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [The world was full of beauty. She wanted to grab hold of it and take it down into her bones. Yet always it seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/the-world-was-full-of-beauty-she-wanted-to-grab-hold-of-it-and-take/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [“Does all this have anything to do with Cameron coming back?" "Basically." She didn't put any letters down. Our game had effectively stopped. "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/does-all-this-have-anything-to-do-with-cameron-coming-back-basically/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [I'm not really a plot writer - I'm more interested in the characters and sort of small events that propel the story forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-m-not-really-a-plot-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-the-characters/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [“Apparently, the world was perfect in 1958.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/apparently-the-world-was-perfect-in-1958/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [“The sight of them (her friends) let a little air into her soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/the-sight-of-them-her-friends-let-a-little-air-into-her-soul/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) [Explore all 181 Sara Zarr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) ## More Authentic quotes > [“RIGHT Do you do what feels right or what is seen right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-downer/right-do-you-do-what-feels-right-or-what-is-seen-right/) [Kitty Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-downer/) > [When somebody comes across as authentic and genuine and sweet, people just want to spend time with that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-holmes/when-somebody-comes-across-as-authentic-and-genuine-and-sweet-people/) [Pete Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-holmes/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [Being authentic can be a good thing in that often people who are fixated on that are also fixated on having very high standards,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-meyer/being-authentic-can-be-a-good-thing-in-that-often-people-who-are/) [Edgar Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-meyer/) > [“REMEMBER Do you live your life according to how you want to remember it or how you will be remembered?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-downer/remember-do-you-live-your-life-according-to-how-you-want-to-remember/) [Kitty Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-downer/) > [I've put my days of fantasy behind me and make authentic realistic films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/i-ve-put-my-days-of-fantasy-behind-me-and-make-authentic-realistic/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [I think as long as you're authentic, people will relate to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-woodson/i-think-as-long-as-you-re-authentic-people-will-relate-to-that/) [Charles Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-woodson/) > [I had always wanted to expand to beauty, but I knew I wanted to be able to translate my design aesthetic in an authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ronson/i-had-always-wanted-to-expand-to-beauty-but-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be/) [Charlotte Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-ronson/) > [“But now? Being a sellout is the authentic thing. When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/but-now-being-a-sellout-is-the-authentic-thing-when/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [“The biggest mistake people make when trying to be authentic is just that: they try. They see these role models of what an "authentic"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/the-biggest-mistake-people-make-when-trying-to-be-authentic-is-just/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [“Some days I like to wander to old and warn our places, forests ripped apart by man and streams that carry stagnant water where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/some-days-i-like-to-wander-to-old-and-warn-our-places-forests-ripped/) [Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [Christie led the way - with a bulldozer. The governor is blunt, brash, and self-consciously authentic, the antithesis to what turns off today's voters:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/christie-led-the-way-with-a-bulldozer-the-governor-is-blunt-brash-and/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [“Show up authentically and synergy will meet you there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/show-up-authentically-and-synergy-will-meet-you-there/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Disturb reality, defy gravity, be authentic and above all... be happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-gonzalez/disturb-reality-defy-gravity-be-authentic-and-above-all-be-happy/) [Joaquin Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-gonzalez/) > [We have to express ourselves in the most true and authentic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/we-have-to-express-ourselves-in-the-most-true-and-authentic-way/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) [Browse all 784 Authentic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My first job is to write the characters as full and authentic people as well as I can.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sara Zarr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters-as-full-and-authentic-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authentic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters-as-full-and-authentic-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/sara-zarr-2184_authentic_my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters_1009572.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/sara-zarr-2184_authentic_my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters_1009572.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/sara-zarr-2184_authentic_my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters_1009572.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My first job is to write the characters as full and authentic people as well as I can.” — Sara Zarr", "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": "Sara Zarr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My first job is to write...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters-as-full-and-authentic-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/my-first-job-is-to-write-the-characters-as-full-and-authentic-people/#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 } } ] } ```