I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article or profile a subject - skills that I assumed would be useless when it came to fiction. It was from my imagination that the characters in my story would emerge.

Amy Waldman’s quote, "I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article or profile a subject - skills that I assumed would be useless when it came to fiction. It was from my imagination that the characters in my story would emerge," reflects her transition from journalism to fiction writing. As a reporter, she had developed strong investigative and profiling skills, which are essential in non-fiction work. However, she initially believed that these skills wouldn’t apply to the creative process of writing a novel, which she expected to be driven solely by her imagination.

Waldman acknowledges that her experience as a reporter had taught her to gather and analyze facts, but she thought that fiction would require a different set of tools—primarily the ability to create characters and stories from scratch, guided by her inner creativity. She expected that imagination would be the dominant force in her writing process, pushing her to create worlds and characters that did not rely on the factual or researched approach she was accustomed to as a journalist.

However, the quote also hints at the broader realization that writing fiction isn't entirely separate from non-fiction. The ability to research, observe, and profile a subject—skills developed through journalism—can enhance storytelling, even in a fictional context. Waldman’s process may have involved more creativity than research, but her journalistic skills likely helped her create more realistic and complex characters, grounding the fictional world in a sense of authenticity.

Ultimately, Waldman’s quote highlights the evolution of her writing career and the surprising overlap between her experience as a reporter and her newfound role as a novelist. It suggests that even the most creative endeavors are shaped by previous experiences, and that skills from one domain, like journalism, can influence and inform work in another, such as fiction.