--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A writer is trying to create believable…" description: "\"A writer is trying to create believable people in credible moving situations in the most moving way he can.\" — William Faulkner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/william-faulkner-306_believable_a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable_2951261.png" --- # A writer is trying to create believable people in credible… ![“A writer is trying to create believable people in credible moving situations in the most moving way he can.” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/william-faulkner-306_believable_a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable_2951261.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/william-faulkner-306_believable_a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable_2951261.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/william-faulkner-306_believable_a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable_2951261.png) > “A writer is trying to create believable people in credible moving situations in the most moving way he can.” [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer must craft realistic characters and situations that move readers emotionally. **In simple terms:** Writers need believable people and compelling scenes. Key Takeaway Focus on authenticity in characters and plot. Themes writing authenticity emotion Mood inspirational creative Type literary instructional When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - creative workshops Key Concepts literature character development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance realism and creativity? - What makes a scene emotionally moving? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on believability can stifle imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I always try to write about believable people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-always-try-to-write-about-believable-people/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [I think one of the things you have to learn if you're going to create believable characters is never to make generalizations about groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-think-one-of-the-things-you-have-to-learn-if-you-re-going-to-create/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [Once you create a believable fictional universe, you suck the audiences into that world and they tag along for the ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiagarajan-kumararaja/once-you-create-a-believable-fictional-universe-you-suck-the/) [Thiagarajan Kumararaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiagarajan-kumararaja/) > [You have to live life if you're going to create believable lives on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-jo-napoli/you-have-to-live-life-if-you-re-going-to-create-believable-lives-on/) [Donna Jo Napoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-jo-napoli/) > [Part of the Disney success is our ability to create a believable world of dreams that appeals to all age groups. The kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/part-of-the-disney-success-is-our-ability-to-create-a-believable/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I've established myself as a proper artist. And it's ridiculous when anyone questions my credibility - I've had four number one singles and I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/i-ve-established-myself-as-a-proper-artist-and-it-s-ridiculous-when/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [For most of us even the imagined threat of criticism functions to control our behavior. We are haunted to some degree by questions about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hare/for-most-of-us-even-the-imagined-threat-of-criticism-functions-to/) [Robert D. Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hare/) > [“have found triangulating with highly believable people who are willing to have thoughtful disagreements has never failed to enhance my learning and sharpen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/have-found-triangulating-with-highly-believable-people-who-are/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Find the most believable people possible who disagree with you and try to understand their reasoning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/find-the-most-believable-people-possible-who-disagree-with-you-and/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“It doesn’t pay to be open-minded with everyone. Instead, spend your time exploring ideas with the most believable people you have access to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/it-doesn-t-pay-to-be-open-minded-with-everyone-instead-spend-your/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“When it comes to deciding whether a leader is believable, people first listen to the words, then they watch the actions. They listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-kouzes/when-it-comes-to-deciding-whether-a-leader-is-believable-people-first/) [James M. Kouzes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-kouzes/) > [You hear many things, take a little from each experience, and tune your imagination to create believable characters and situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-clark/you-hear-many-things-take-a-little-from-each-experience-and-tune-your/) [Dave Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-clark/) > [You can't believe anything that's written in an historical novel, and yet the author's job is always to create a believable world that readers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/you-can-t-believe-anything-that-s-written-in-an-historical-novel-and/) [Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/) > [It's true, there aren't many explicit references to Canada in my book. And not many explicit references to the U.S., either. I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/it-s-true-there-aren-t-many-explicit-references-to-canada-in-my-book/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I wanted to create a believable feeling for 18th Century reality in the Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer. I didn't want this typical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tykwer/i-wanted-to-create-a-believable-feeling-for-18th-century-reality-in/) [Tom Tykwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tykwer/) ## More by William Faulkner > [“The river itself is not a hundred yards across, and pa and Vernon and Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the only things in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-river-itself-is-not-a-hundred-yards-across-and-pa-and-vernon-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The quality an artist must have is objectivity in judging his work, plus the honesty and courage not to kid himself about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-quality-an-artist-must-have-is-objectivity-in-judging-his-work/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Luster returned, wearing a stiff new straw hat with a colored band and carrying a cloth cap. The hat seemed to isolate Luster's skull,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/luster-returned-wearing-a-stiff-new-straw-hat-with-a-colored-band-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-is-easy-enough-to-say-that-man-is-immortal-simply-because-he-will/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [And sure enough, even waiting will end...if you can just wait long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/and-sure-enough-even-waiting-will-end-if-you-can-just-wait-long-enough/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-believe-that-man-will-not-merely-endure-he-will-prevail-he-is/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/never-be-afraid-to-raise-your-voice-for-honesty-and-truth-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/to-understand-the-world-you-must-first-understand-a-place-like/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What modren ideas?” pap said. “I didn’t know there was but one idea about work—until it is done, it ain’t done, and when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-modren-ideas-pap-said-i-didn-t-know-there-was-but-one-idea-about/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was only as he put his hand on the door that he became aware of complete silence beyond it, a silence which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-only-as-he-put-his-hand-on-the-door-that-he-became-aware-of/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“She has no mother because fatherblood hates with love and pride, but motherblood with hate loves and cohabits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/she-has-no-mother-because-fatherblood-hates-with-love-and-pride-but/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Byron listened quietly, thinking to himself how people everywhere are about the same, but that it did seem that in a small town, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/byron-listened-quietly-thinking-to-himself-how-people-everywhere-are/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was too late. Maybe yesterday, while I was still a child, but not now. I knew too much, had seen too much, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-too-late-maybe-yesterday-while-i-was-still-a-child-but-not-now/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) [Explore all 673 William Faulkner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More Believable quotes > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Making the unbelievable believable is different on a set with 'Fantastic Four,' where it's like, 'Wind machines! Because the airship is coming in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/making-the-unbelievable-believable-is-different-on-a-set-with/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > ['The Avengers' made it more believable that I could have been a major in the U.S. Army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cobie-smulders/the-avengers-made-it-more-believable-that-i-could-have-been-a-major/) [Cobie Smulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cobie-smulders/) > [In creating the strange milieu in which your story takes place, you must first understand as well as you possibly can the familiar milieu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/in-creating-the-strange-milieu-in-which-your-story-takes-place-you/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Good fiction makes the truth believable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarrant-smith/good-fiction-makes-the-truth-believable/) Tarrant Smith > [As an actor, I like my films to be believable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-kay-menon/as-an-actor-i-like-my-films-to-be-believable/) [Kay Kay Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-kay-menon/) > [Mostly it's lies, writing novels. You set out to tell an untrue story and you try to make it believable, even to yourself. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/mostly-it-s-lies-writing-novels-you-set-out-to-tell-an-untrue-story/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [American traditions and the American ethic require us to be truthful, but the most important reason is that truth is the best propaganda and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/american-traditions-and-the-american-ethic-require-us-to-be-truthful/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Why am I an atheist? The short answer is that I cannot accept any of the alternatives. I simply don't find them believable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-smoker/why-am-i-an-atheist-the-short-answer-is-that-i-cannot-accept-any-of/) [Barbara Smoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-smoker/) > [I don't understand that, because I think that what people like most about the show is that they recognize themselves in the characters and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-don-t-understand-that-because-i-think-that-what-people-like-most/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [An idea has no worth at all without believable characters to implement it; a plot without characters is like a tennis court without players.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-jones/an-idea-has-no-worth-at-all-without-believable-characters-to/) [Chuck Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-jones/) > [What is most important to me is that my narrator's voice is believable, and that, though it is clearly an absolute fiction, it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bohjalian/what-is-most-important-to-me-is-that-my-narrator-s-voice-is/) [Chris Bohjalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bohjalian/) > [I'm straight, but the character was too important to me to muddle his world with my private life. 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They don't have to be nice; you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/you-have-to-create-characters-certainly-in-series-tv-who-people/) [Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/) Browse all 230 Believable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A writer is trying to create believable people in credible moving situations in the most moving way he can.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Faulkner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable-people-in-credible-moving/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable-people-in-credible-moving/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/william-faulkner-306_believable_a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable_2951261.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/william-faulkner-306_believable_a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable_2951261.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/william-faulkner-306_believable_a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable_2951261.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A writer is trying to create believable people in credible moving situations in the most moving way he can.” — William Faulkner", "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": "William Faulkner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A writer is trying to create...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable-people-in-credible-moving/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/a-writer-is-trying-to-create-believable-people-in-credible-moving/#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 } } ] } ```