---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Novelists should be free to write…"
description: "\"Novelists should be free to write whatever they want, to let their imaginations roam as close to or as removed from reality as they see fit.\" — Sarah W..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/sarah-weinman-7655_close_novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatev_2814326.jpg"
---

#  Novelists should be free to write whatever they want, to…

![“Novelists should be free to write whatever they want, to let their imaginations roam as close to or as removed from reality as they see fit.” quote by Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/sarah-weinman-7655_close_novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatev_2814326.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/sarah-weinman-7655_close_novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatev_2814326.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/sarah-weinman-7655_close_novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatev_2814326.jpg)

> “Novelists should be free to write whatever they want, to let their imaginations roam as close to or as removed from reality as they see fit.”

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

## About This Quote

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

Writers should have unrestricted creative freedom, allowing imagination to diverge from or mirror reality as they choose.

**In simple terms:** Writers need freedom to imagine any reality.

Key Takeaway

Protect artistic liberty.

Themes

creativity freedom imagination reality literature

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- screenwriting
- experimental fiction

Key Concepts

authorial autonomy genre blending expressive limits

Questions to Reflect On

- When does freedom become responsibility?
- How do limits shape creativity?

A Different Perspective

Constraints can spark innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Some kids don't want to be organized all the time. They want to let their imaginations run; they want to see where a stream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/some-kids-don-t-want-to-be-organized-all-the-time-they-want-to-let/)

[Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/)

> [We start out as pretty creative beings... Children let their imaginations take them to place they've never seen and do things that seem impossible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/we-start-out-as-pretty-creative-beings-children-let-their/)

[Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/)

> [In order to live our lives without limits we must be willing to never let our imaginations die, and we must never forbid ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-live-our-lives-without-limits-we-must-be-willing-to-never/)

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

> [I am free to write the worst junk in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-am-free-to-write-the-worst-junk-in-the-world/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [I believe that, in an ideal world, writers would feel free to write what matters to them without having to consider success, failure, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-believe-that-in-an-ideal-world-writers-would-feel-free-to-write/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [In the past, I was free to write in quiet and in the space wherever my desk was at. I could leave my instruments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/in-the-past-i-was-free-to-write-in-quiet-and-in-the-space-wherever-my/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [“I am free to write what I want and my readers are free to think what they can”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlowe-sr/i-am-free-to-write-what-i-want-and-my-readers-are-free-to-think-what/)

Marlowe Sr

> [I wanted to be free to write the way I wanted to write, and my impression of Christian publishing, at least in fiction, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-wanted-to-be-free-to-write-the-way-i-wanted-to-write-and-my/)

[Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/)

> [As far as I'm concerned, freedom is the most important thing to creativity. You should feel free to write in whatever way, whatever language,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-freedom-is-the-most-important-thing-to/)

[Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/)

> [Everyone is free to write and say whatever he likes, without any restrictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/everyone-is-free-to-write-and-say-whatever-he-likes-without-any/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [“I write because I'm free, because I can, because I will. I write because I must, because I'm breathing, because I'd go crazy otherwise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nad-ge-richards/i-write-because-i-m-free-because-i-can-because-i-will-i-write-because/)

[Nadège Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nad-ge-richards/)

> [Except for the usual house chores, doing income tax, etc., I am free to write whenever I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuriy-tarnawsky/except-for-the-usual-house-chores-doing-income-tax-etc-i-am-free-to/)

[Yuriy Tarnawsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuriy-tarnawsky/)

> [I always counsel aspiring novelists that passion is the most important quality for a writer to possess - technique can be taught, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-always-counsel-aspiring-novelists-that-passion-is-the-most/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/)

[August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/)

> [“She'll be an excellent novelist: a monster of self-absorption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lan-samantha-chang/she-ll-be-an-excellent-novelist-a-monster-of-self-absorption/)

[Lan Samantha Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lan-samantha-chang/)

## More by Sarah Weinman

> ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [America in the 1800s isn't quite the historical mystery hotbed as the same period in the country it bested in the War of Independence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/america-in-the-1800s-isn-t-quite-the-historical-mystery-hotbed-as-the/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [While every historical era has its unique appeal as a setting for tales of crime and detection, the 19th century is exceptional - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/while-every-historical-era-has-its-unique-appeal-as-a-setting-for/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [After so many attempts to mount a musical version of 'Lolita,' the project was well and truly dead by the summer of 1971. Chief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/after-so-many-attempts-to-mount-a-musical-version-of-lolita-the/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [My one criticism of Vertigo Crime to date is that it's been a boys' club, reveling in violence that, while entertainingly lurid, lacks depth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-one-criticism-of-vertigo-crime-to-date-is-that-it-s-been-a-boys/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-focus-will-always-be-crime-but-it-might-not-always-be-fiction-nor/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [First, a confession: I liked 'The Da Vinci Code.' This news is even more of a surprise to me than it might be to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/first-a-confession-i-liked-the-da-vinci-code-this-news-is-even-more/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [Having set its tonal template, Vertigo Crime laid low for a few months before starting in earnest at the beginning of 2010.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/having-set-its-tonal-template-vertigo-crime-laid-low-for-a-few-months/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> ['The Chill,' by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi, was both a wise and nervy choice to start the year: Starr's standalone novels, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-chill-by-jason-starr-and-mick-bertilorenzi-was-both-a-wise-and/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [The interior nature of 'Basic Black' is central to its unfolding. Shirley Kaszenbowski, regarded from the outside, is the embodiment of the invisible woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-interior-nature-of-basic-black-is-central-to-its-unfolding/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [The 'Vampire of Ropraz' claims to be based on a true story, but the name of Rosa's father matches that of a notable Swiss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-vampire-of-ropraz-claims-to-be-based-on-a-true-story-but-the-name/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [In the summer of 1997, a little more than half a lifetime ago, I got my first proper summer job. The job, with one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/in-the-summer-of-1997-a-little-more-than-half-a-lifetime-ago-i-got-my/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [As I considered Parker and his absurdist reflection in the Westlake-authored 'Dortmunder' novels, I wrote, 'His natural ability to observe human behavior and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/as-i-considered-parker-and-his-absurdist-reflection-in-the-westlake/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [The abundance of Roman historical mysteries contrasts with the surprising paucity of crime novels set in classical Greece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-abundance-of-roman-historical-mysteries-contrasts-with-the/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [Writers of historical fiction are often faced with a problem: if they include real-life people, how do they ensure that their make-believe world isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/writers-of-historical-fiction-are-often-faced-with-a-problem-if-they/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

[Explore all 89 Sarah Weinman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

## More Close quotes

> [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/)

[Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/)

> [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Everything I write is highly personal, but put in such a way that it's not dropping everything in someone's lap. Although sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/everything-i-write-is-highly-personal-but-put-in-such-a-way-that-it-s/)

[Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/)

> [I'm quite close with my family, especially my twin sister, and it's always hard to leave her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-scanlen/i-m-quite-close-with-my-family-especially-my-twin-sister-and-it-s/)

[Eliza Scanlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-scanlen/)

> [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/)

[Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/)

> [We began intercepting Japanese radio transmissions, which indicated the two forces were very close to each other. We found out later that we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-adams/we-began-intercepting-japanese-radio-transmissions-which-indicated/)

[Jack Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-adams/)

> [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/)

[Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/)

> [One of the positive things about Pep is that he is so close with his staff - they support him in every situation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/one-of-the-positive-things-about-pep-is-that-he-is-so-close-with-his/)

[Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/)

> [The first thing I hear when I wake up is the sea, which is so close to our house that its reflections from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/the-first-thing-i-hear-when-i-wake-up-is-the-sea-which-is-so-close-to/)

[Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/)

> [I've been very close to Konnan for many years now. I thank him for much of my success in this industry. He opened the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rey-mysterio/i-ve-been-very-close-to-konnan-for-many-years-now-i-thank-him-for/)

[Rey Mysterio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rey-mysterio/)

> [My grandmother made sure that I went to church every Sunday. And she'd come over and pick us boys up, and we would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-grandmother-made-sure-that-i-went-to-church-every-sunday-and-she-d/)

[John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/)

> [My whole family is really close. I'm lucky for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-liboiron/my-whole-family-is-really-close-i-m-lucky-for-that/)

[Landon Liboiron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-liboiron/)

> [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/)

[Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/)

> [I think we were raised in a nice Texas Jewish family where education was the most important thing, and close behind that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/i-think-we-were-raised-in-a-nice-texas-jewish-family-where-education/)

[Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/)

> [We went to a very small high school. It was, like, in a wooded house; it was a weird school. I hung out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-peretti/we-went-to-a-very-small-high-school-it-was-like-in-a-wooded-house-it/)

[Chelsea Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-peretti/)

Browse all 2,016 Close quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Novelists should be free to write whatever they want, to let their imaginations roam as close to or as removed from reality as they see fit.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Weinman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatever-they-want-to-let-their/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Close"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatever-they-want-to-let-their/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/sarah-weinman-7655_close_novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatev_2814326.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/sarah-weinman-7655_close_novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatev_2814326.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/sarah-weinman-7655_close_novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatev_2814326.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Novelists should be free to write whatever they want, to let their imaginations roam as close to or as…” — Sarah Weinman",
                "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": "Sarah Weinman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Novelists should be free to write...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatever-they-want-to-let-their/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/novelists-should-be-free-to-write-whatever-they-want-to-let-their/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
