Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
Fiction is the truth inside the lie.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fiction reveals deeper truths through imaginative storytelling.
Stephen King's quote suggests that while fiction may be fabricated or untrue on the surface, it often conveys core truths about human experience, emotions, and the world. Through narratives that are not factual, authors can express profound insights and reflect on real-life issues, thereby allowing readers to connect with their own realities in meaningful ways.
Themes
FictionTruthLieStorytellingInsight
In practice
Example use cases
In a book club discussion, you might quote this while analyzing a novel's themes.
More from Stephen King
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Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
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That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
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Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
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