Quotes About Fiction

I'm not looking to write the great American novel, win a Pulitzer or teach history. I write to entertain my readers.

History is filled with fictional people.

History is a novel which did take place; a novel is history that could take place.

History would be an excellent thing if only it were true.

All our ancient history, as one of our wits remarked, is no more than accepted fiction.

The more one reads poetry, the less tolerant one becomes of any sort of verbosity, be that in political or philosophical discourse, be that in history, social studies or the art of fiction.

Fiction was invented the day Jonas arrived home and told his wife that he was three days late because he had been swallowed by a whale.

I've killed hundreds of teenagers. Hundreds. And I didn't know why. Why did I enjoy doing it so much? Why? And then I realized - I had a teenager at home!

I had always been wary of doing any autobiographical movies, truly feeling at home with fiction.

The reason that truth is stranger than fiction is that fiction has to have a rational thread running through it in order to be believable, whereas reality may be totally irrational.

Implausible truth can serve one better than plausible fiction

As with all other aspects of fiction, the key to writing good dialogue is honesty.

I am the false character that follows the name around.

Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to call him my guest of honor.

Kids often ask me if characters are real or made up - and I always tell them, 'I hope they're real but I made them up.'

But I think, and hope, that the novels can be understood and enjoyed as science fiction, on their own terms.

Fiction comes in all shapes and sizes. Secrets,lies,stories. We all tell them. Sometimes,because we hope to entertain. Sometimes,because we need to distract. And sometimes, because we have to.

Fiction can serve in a non-threatening way to open minds and, I hope, hearts to the Word of God.

I very much hope that when my wife reads my writings so she reads it as if she is a character and not the real one. Sometimes she takes it too personally.

We have fallen into this very mean description of humanity. Naturalism in fiction is too reductive in its definition of human beings.

Humanity lives in its fiction.

It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.

Part of the appeal of the fantastic is taking ridiculous ideas very seriously and pretending they're not absurd.

Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. There's no such place.