--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write…" description: "\"I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write what I know and hope that honesty resonates with other people's experiences.\" — Viv Albertine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/436/viv-albertine-5176_gifted_i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write_199166.jpg" --- # I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write what I know and… ![“I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write what I know and hope that honesty resonates with other people's experiences.” quote by Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/436/viv-albertine-5176_gifted_i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write_199166.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/436/viv-albertine-5176_gifted_i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write_199166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/436/viv-albertine-5176_gifted_i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write_199166.jpg) > “I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write what I know and hope that honesty resonates with other people's experiences.” [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author admits limited storytelling skill, choosing authenticity over craft to connect with readers. **In simple terms:** Write honestly to connect. Key Takeaway Embrace honesty in writing. Themes authenticity writing connection Mood reflective hopeful Type advice personal When to use this quote - personal essays - blog posts - fiction based on experience - memoir Key Concepts self-disclosure relatability Questions to Reflect On - How does personal truth affect reader engagement? - Can authenticity replace skill? A Different Perspective Honesty may not compensate for lack of narrative technique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gifted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifted/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Honesty Resonates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty-resonates-2083445/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-honesty-2083446/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Storyteller Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storyteller-write-996577/) [Write Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-know/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Anytime I hear songs that are so honest, whether they make the person who's singing it look good or not, there's a level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grammer/anytime-i-hear-songs-that-are-so-honest-whether-they-make-the-person/) [Andy Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grammer/) > [I'm a storyteller; I write what I want to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-collins/i-m-a-storyteller-i-write-what-i-want-to-read/) [Jackie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-collins/) > [I was determined not to sit around and watch my life deteriorate. I kept reaching out in hope and honesty that someone would find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradley/i-was-determined-not-to-sit-around-and-watch-my-life-deteriorate-i/) [Charles Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradley/) > [3 things in life that should never be lost: peace, hope, honesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/3-things-in-life-that-should-never-be-lost-peace-hope-honesty/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I write to tell stories. I believe that there a some professions in the world that will last forever: doctor or a nurse, teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eppu-nuotio/i-write-to-tell-stories-i-believe-that-there-a-some-professions-in/) [Eppu Nuotio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eppu-nuotio/) > [I'm trying to write something in which you know that it's all about sex but you never see any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/i-m-trying-to-write-something-in-which-you-know-that-it-s-all-about/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [“The old nut goes, 'Write what you know,' but often a writer is clearer about what he doesn't know and must learn about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-bell/the-old-nut-goes-write-what-you-know-but-often-a-writer-is-clearer/) [Susan Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-bell/) > [“When I write to please everybody, it falls flat. When I write what I know, fearlessly, It won't please everybody, but it doesn't fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-p-chavez/when-i-write-to-please-everybody-it-falls-flat-when-i-write-what-i/) [Ronald P. Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-p-chavez/) > [You can only really write about what you know about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singleton/you-can-only-really-write-about-what-you-know-about/) [John Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singleton/) > [Nowadays it seems as though people sit down to write what they know is going to be a trilogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/nowadays-it-seems-as-though-people-sit-down-to-write-what-they-know/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [I write about what I know, what I live, what I observe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-momsen/i-write-about-what-i-know-what-i-live-what-i-observe/) [Taylor Momsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-momsen/) > [Write about what you know, that's what I say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/write-about-what-you-know-that-s-what-i-say/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [Some writing courses will advise you to write what you know. I've always thought this is very odd advice ... because it means, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/some-writing-courses-will-advise-you-to-write-what-you-know-i-ve/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/it-s-not-just-the-adage-write-what-you-know-it-s-about-gathering-up/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“As someone else once said, "Write what you know". Well I know very little, so I write, and illustrate, Nonsense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-h-tubb/as-someone-else-once-said-write-what-you-know-well-i-know-very-little/) [Paul H Tubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-h-tubb/) ## More by Viv Albertine > [I have a lot of empathy, and I think that's where mothering starts. You are there to empathise and facilitate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-have-a-lot-of-empathy-and-i-think-that-s-where-mothering-starts-you/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I get the same lurching thrill now when I'm about to sit down to an egg mayonnaise sandwich and a packet of plain crisps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-get-the-same-lurching-thrill-now-when-i-m-about-to-sit-down-to-an/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I have a daughter. I have my imagination. I have friends. I, in no way, am going to louse that up with some idiot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-have-a-daughter-i-have-my-imagination-i-have-friends-i-in-no-way-am/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I don't believe in an afterlife. You live on in the people you influence during your lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-you-live-on-in-the-people-you/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [Women are constantly taught to think about what other people are thinking, from those 'Jackie' magazine quizzes - 'What's he thinking?' - to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/women-are-constantly-taught-to-think-about-what-other-people-are/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [Most female artists - to do what you have to do and to be as honest as you have to be, to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/most-female-artists-to-do-what-you-have-to-do-and-to-be-as-honest-as/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [The more blows you have in life, the better, because it means you're challenging yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/the-more-blows-you-have-in-life-the-better-because-it-means-you-re/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I'd like to be with someone kind who can hold a conversation and is in my age group. If that's too much to ask,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-d-like-to-be-with-someone-kind-who-can-hold-a-conversation-and-is/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I think, often, people who do something new creatively don't benefit financially from it - it's the people who come after and make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-think-often-people-who-do-something-new-creatively-don-t-benefit/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [If I didn't live in London, I would live in Glasgow. I love the colour of the brick and the black ironwork. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/if-i-didn-t-live-in-london-i-would-live-in-glasgow-i-love-the-colour/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [We used to have massively long discussions about how we should stand on stage. Should we stand with our legs apart? No, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/we-used-to-have-massively-long-discussions-about-how-we-should-stand/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I'm the angriest and most empathetic person you'll ever meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-m-the-angriest-and-most-empathetic-person-you-ll-ever-meet/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [“At last there is an unknown element back in my life. This is how it used to be. This is how I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/at-last-there-is-an-unknown-element-back-in-my-life-this-is-how-it/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I think I am the Elizabeth Barrett of 2015. Not in terms of genius but in bed a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-think-i-am-the-elizabeth-barrett-of-2015-not-in-terms-of-genius-but/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I do read a lot of autobiographies and biographies but from people who are not in my field - older women, older artists, Miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-do-read-a-lot-of-autobiographies-and-biographies-but-from-people/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) [Explore all 103 Viv Albertine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) ## More Gifted quotes > [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/) > [There are special, strange gifted people in the world and they have to be treated with understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/there-are-special-strange-gifted-people-in-the-world-and-they-have-to/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“A lot of gifted kids are angels who are on this earth with responsibilities to help others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-silverman/a-lot-of-gifted-kids-are-angels-who-are-on-this-earth-with/) [Linda Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-silverman/) > [There have been times when a particularly heavy dose of such cynicism has caused me to reflect that surely this is the age and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/there-have-been-times-when-a-particularly-heavy-dose-of-such-cynicism/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [I am neither especially clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-neither-especially-clever-nor-especially-gifted-i-am-only-very/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/) [L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/) > [Even though I am nearly deaf, I seem to be gifted with a kind of inner hearing which enables me to detect sounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/even-though-i-am-nearly-deaf-i-seem-to-be-gifted-with-a-kind-of-inner/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [For me, men and women are different. A man is genetically gifted to pull more than a woman. But at the same time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajol/for-me-men-and-women-are-different-a-man-is-genetically-gifted-to/) [Kajol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajol/) > [I grew up feeling like a weirdo like many kids do. But I was lucky to find my own home for peculiar children. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-grew-up-feeling-like-a-weirdo-like-many-kids-do-but-i-was-lucky-to/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [There are a lot of people who can slide on talent their whole lives; they're just naturally gifted. I've never considered myself one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-efron/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-can-slide-on-talent-their-whole-lives/) [Zac Efron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-efron/) > [As long as a man's heart beats, as long as a man's flesh quivers, I do not allow that a being gifted with thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/as-long-as-a-man-s-heart-beats-as-long-as-a-man-s-flesh-quivers-i-do/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [The secular mind and heart, however gifted and personally charming, has no place in the leadership of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/the-secular-mind-and-heart-however-gifted-and-personally-charming-has/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [However gifted an individual is at the outset, if his or her talents cannot be developed because of his or her social condition, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/however-gifted-an-individual-is-at-the-outset-if-his-or-her-talents/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I watch people get older and lose their intellectual acuity; you lose that sharpness, that cleanness, that brain that you worked so hard on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/i-watch-people-get-older-and-lose-their-intellectual-acuity-you-lose/) [Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/) [Browse all 882 Gifted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifted/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write what I know and hope that honesty resonates with other people's experiences.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viv Albertine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write-what-i-know-and-hope-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gifted" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write-what-i-know-and-hope-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/436/viv-albertine-5176_gifted_i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write_199166.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/436/viv-albertine-5176_gifted_i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write_199166.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/436/viv-albertine-5176_gifted_i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write_199166.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write what I know and hope that honesty resonates with other people's…” — Viv Albertine", "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": "Viv Albertine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not a gifted storyteller, so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write-what-i-know-and-hope-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write-what-i-know-and-hope-that/#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 } } ] } ```