If it's fiction, then it better be true.
Interpretation
Fiction should reflect deeper truths about life.
Sherman Alexie's quote suggests that even in the realm of fiction, there should be an underlying authenticity or truth that resonates with readers. It implies that a story, while not factual, should convey genuine emotions, experiences, or insights that speak to the human condition and our understanding of reality.
In practice
During a creative writing workshop, a teacher might use this quote to inspire students to seek truth in their fictional narratives.
Gordie, the white boy genius, gave me this book by a Russian dude named Tolstoy, who wrote, 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Well, I hate to argue with a Russian genius, but Tolstoy didn't know Indians, and he didn't know that all Indian families are unhappy for the same exact reasons: the frikkin' booze.
My wife was the first romantic partner who understood both American and native parts of me - not so much the positive stuff, but the damage.
I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited. If you speak and write in English, or Spanish, or Chinese, or any other language, then only a certain percentage of human beings will get your meaning. But when you draw a picture everybody can understand it. If I draw a cartoon of a flower, then every man, woman, and child in the world can look at it and say, "That's a flower.
We all have to find our own ways to say good-bye.
I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don't write to protect them. It's far too late for that. I write to give them weapons-in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.
A lot of people have no idea that right now Y.A. (young adult). is the Garden of Eden of literature.
History is a mighty dramos, enacted upon the theatre of times, with suns for lamps and eternity for a background.
Myths give us our sense of personal identity, answering the question, 'Who am I?'
People of this world are deluded. They're always longing for something - always, in a word, seeking.
The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
The universe has a body and soul and evolves through cosmic time. As microcosms of stardust, we do the same.
Most of the real bad guys in the world are people like you and me; they're not stupid, and you can't smell their horns.
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