--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the most difficult things in…" description: "\"One of the most difficult things in writing a novel or anything at all is to choose the point of view from which it's going to be told.\" — Truman Capote" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/truman-capote-376_books_one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writ_68688.jpg" --- # One of the most difficult things in writing a novel or… ![“One of the most difficult things in writing a novel or anything at all is to choose the point of view from which it's going to be told.” quote by Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/truman-capote-376_books_one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writ_68688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/truman-capote-376_books_one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writ_68688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/truman-capote-376_books_one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writ_68688.jpg) > “One of the most difficult things in writing a novel or anything at all is to choose the point of view from which it's going to be told.” [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a narrative perspective shapes how readers experience events, characters, and themes, making it a foundational decision in storytelling. **In simple terms:** Narrative perspective determines reader engagement. Key Takeaway Perspective guides story perception. Themes Narrative structure Storytelling technique Reader empathy Character development Mood thoughtful analytical Type advice observation When to use this quote - Planning a novel - Drafting a short story - Adapting a memoir - Writing a screenplay Key Concepts Point of view Narrative voice Story architecture Practical Applications - Selecting POV early - Experimenting with multiple narrators Questions to Reflect On - How does POV affect character intimacy? - What challenges arise when shifting POV mid‑story? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Difficult things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-things/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Writing a novel that works is an extremely difficult thing to do. It requires a level of skill and dedication that always surprises me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/writing-a-novel-that-works-is-an-extremely-difficult-thing-to-do-it/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [Writing in the first person automatically gives you a point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/writing-in-the-first-person-automatically-gives-you-a-point-of-view/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“people say i can do that, But they can't because they weren't see the things in my point of view”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj/people-say-i-can-do-that-but-they-can-t-because-they-weren-t-see-the/) @Rj > [If you tailor your news viewing so that you only get one point of view, well of course you're going to think somebody else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jennings/if-you-tailor-your-news-viewing-so-that-you-only-get-one-point-of/) [Peter Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jennings/) > [With comedic news, it's about having a point of view. If you don't have that, you don't have a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-jones/with-comedic-news-it-s-about-having-a-point-of-view-if-you-don-t-have/) [Jason Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-jones/) > [You've got all these characters and yet, you're hovering over one character like a fly over a stinky diaper. Realize that you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/you-ve-got-all-these-characters-and-yet-you-re-hovering-over-one/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [From the traditional point of view, I am not handsome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-woo-bin/from-the-traditional-point-of-view-i-am-not-handsome/) [Kim Woo-bin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-woo-bin/) > [“there is no such thing as a god’s-eye view (by which would be meant a Deist god’s-eye view) available to human beings, a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-god-s-eye-view-by-which-would-be-meant-a/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [Just another point of view, I'm just a reflection of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bootsy-collins/just-another-point-of-view-i-m-just-a-reflection-of-you/) [Bootsy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bootsy-collins/) > [“The final goal of which an ethnographer should never lose sight…is, briefly, to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronis-aw-malinowski/the-final-goal-of-which-an-ethnographer-should-never-lose-sight-is/) Bronisław Malinowski > [“point of view is worth 80 IQ points”—a”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/point-of-view-is-worth-80-iq-points-a/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [What we get in the States is a pro-Palestinian point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pellegrino/what-we-get-in-the-states-is-a-pro-palestinian-point-of-view/) [Mark Pellegrino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pellegrino/) > [“Nothing is ever right, it just isn't wrong from our point of view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-gomez/nothing-is-ever-right-it-just-isn-t-wrong-from-our-point-of-view/) Bryan Gomez > [I have a tendency to often share the point of view of the conspiracy theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-have-a-tendency-to-often-share-the-point-of-view-of-the-conspiracy/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) ## More by Truman Capote > [“You can beat your brains out for her, and she’ll hand you horseshit on a platter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/you-can-beat-your-brains-out-for-her-and-she-ll-hand-you-horseshit-on/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“The walls of the cell fell away, the sky came down, I saw the big yellow bird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/the-walls-of-the-cell-fell-away-the-sky-came-down-i-saw-the-big/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Don't wanna ride on the devil's side...just wanna ride with you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/don-t-wanna-ride-on-the-devil-s-side-just-wanna-ride-with-you/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [Wrinkles and bones, white hair and diamonds: I can't wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/wrinkles-and-bones-white-hair-and-diamonds-i-can-t-wait/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [You can't blame a writer for what the characters say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/you-can-t-blame-a-writer-for-what-the-characters-say/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [There is really no practical help that one can offer; it is a matter of self-discovery, of one's own convictions, or working with one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/there-is-really-no-practical-help-that-one-can-offer-it-is-a-matter/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“...Narcissus was so egotist...he was merely another of us who, in our unshatterable isolation, recognized, on seeing his reflection, the beautiful comrade, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/narcissus-was-so-egotist-he-was-merely-another-of-us-who-in-our/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Is it - I'm not certain - possible to love someone if your first interest is the use you can make of him? Doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/is-it-i-m-not-certain-possible-to-love-someone-if-your-first-interest/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I've never worked for a newspaper. I've had some very bad reviews in newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-ve-never-worked-for-a-newspaper-i-ve-had-some-very-bad-reviews-in/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [But, my dear, so few things are fulfilled: what are most lives but a series of incompleted episodes? 'We work in the dark, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/but-my-dear-so-few-things-are-fulfilled-what-are-most-lives-but-a/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“…she, glittery voyager of secure destination, steamed down the harbor with whistles whistling and confetti in the air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/she-glittery-voyager-of-secure-destination-steamed-down-the-harbor/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Because it's indeed difficult to portray, in any meaningful depth, another being, his appearance, speech, mentality, without to some degree, and often for quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/because-it-s-indeed-difficult-to-portray-in-any-meaningful-depth/) [truman capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“It's a bore, but the answer is good things only happen to you if you're good. Good? Honest is more what I mean. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/it-s-a-bore-but-the-answer-is-good-things-only-happen-to-you-if-you/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“In the courtyard there was an angel of black stone, and its angel head rose above giant elephant leaves; the stark glass angel eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/in-the-courtyard-there-was-an-angel-of-black-stone-and-its-angel-head/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [Just remember: If one bird carried every grain of sand, grain by grain, across the ocean, by the time he got them all on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/just-remember-if-one-bird-carried-every-grain-of-sand-grain-by-grain/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) [Explore all 585 Truman Capote quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the most difficult things in writing a novel or anything at all is to choose the point of view from which it's going to be told.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Truman Capote" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writing-a-novel-or-anything-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writing-a-novel-or-anything-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/truman-capote-376_books_one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writ_68688.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/truman-capote-376_books_one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writ_68688.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/truman-capote-376_books_one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writ_68688.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the most difficult things in writing a novel or anything at all is to choose the point of view from…” — Truman Capote", "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": "Truman Capote", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the most difficult things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writing-a-novel-or-anything-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writing-a-novel-or-anything-at/#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 } } ] } ```