--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two different forms of…" description: "\"There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend to come from the inside of a character, and movies tend to look at them from the outside in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/walter-kirn-2189_books_there-are-two-different-forms-of-storyte_1735602.png" --- # There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend… ![“There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend to come from the inside of a character, and movies tend to look at them from the outside in relation to others in their world.” quote by Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/walter-kirn-2189_books_there-are-two-different-forms-of-storyte_1735602.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/walter-kirn-2189_books_there-are-two-different-forms-of-storyte_1735602.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/walter-kirn-2189_books_there-are-two-different-forms-of-storyte_1735602.png) > “There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend to come from the inside of a character, and movies tend to look at them from the outside in relation to others in their world.” [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Novels explore a character’s inner life, while films show that character through external interactions and world context. **In simple terms:** Novels focus inside; movies focus outside. Key Takeaway Choose the medium that best fits your story’s focus. Themes storytelling medium perspective character film novel Mood reflective analytical Type explanatory comparative When to use this quote - Writing a novel - directing a film - adapting a book - teaching creative writing - analyzing media Key Concepts Narrative voice visual framing internal monologue external conflict Questions to Reflect On - Which medium best serves your narrative goal? - How can you blend internal and external perspectives? A Different Perspective Novels can’t fully convey visual spectacle; films may miss deep interiority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-movies-1039128/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Forms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forms/) [Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [Movies Tend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies-tend-255582/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Novels Tend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels-tend-1470834/) [Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/others/) [Outside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Storytelling Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling-novels-1470835/) [Tend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tend/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Size matters in fiction, but so does lack of size. 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Characters don't speak like people normally do in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/most-hindi-movies-tend-to-dramatise-events-they-are-very-dialogue/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [Apocalyptic movies tend to thrive when people are concerned about the state of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-w-s-anderson/apocalyptic-movies-tend-to-thrive-when-people-are-concerned-about-the/) [Paul W. S. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-w-s-anderson/) ## More by Walter Kirn > [Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it's someone else's witch being hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/everyone-loves-a-witch-hunt-as-long-as-it-s-someone-else-s-witch/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“I just wasn't ready for his stories. 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That's a savage person who looks at everything as a story and, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-sides-to-me-one-is-the-writer-that-s-a-savage-person/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [I remember the first time I went to Italy when I was eighteen, I was in Florence and there were all these eighteen, nineteen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-to-italy-when-i-was-eighteen-i-was/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Quiet cunning bested boastful brawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/quiet-cunning-bested-boastful-brawn/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The idea that Americans favor politicians who either remind them of themselves or can imagine what their selves are like because they too have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/the-idea-that-americans-favor-politicians-who-either-remind-them-of/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“Our habit of wishing backward from what is to what might have been is the soft but persistent tapping that cracks the crystal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/our-habit-of-wishing-backward-from-what-is-to-what-might-have-been-is/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Memo to extreme partisans: If you can't bring yourselves to love your enemies, can you at least learn to hate your friends?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/memo-to-extreme-partisans-if-you-can-t-bring-yourselves-to-love-your/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [People can be so neglectful of each other and of their own heritage - then death intrudes. 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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. 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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": "There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend to come from the inside of a character, and movies tend to look at them from the outside in relation to others in their world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Kirn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-different-forms-of-storytelling-novels-tend-to-come/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-different-forms-of-storytelling-novels-tend-to-come/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/walter-kirn-2189_books_there-are-two-different-forms-of-storyte_1735602.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/walter-kirn-2189_books_there-are-two-different-forms-of-storyte_1735602.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/walter-kirn-2189_books_there-are-two-different-forms-of-storyte_1735602.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend to come from the inside of a character, and…” — Walter Kirn", "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": "Walter Kirn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are two different forms of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-different-forms-of-storytelling-novels-tend-to-come/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-different-forms-of-storytelling-novels-tend-to-come/#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 } } ] } ```