Isn’t All Writing Fact Inspired Fiction?
Asking for a friend.
Asking for a friend.
Recently, a friend expressed some disappointment in finding out that not all of my writing is 100% accurate. I believe the term used was “fact inspired fiction”; I was a little taken aback. Because I thought: “Who in their right mind (or write mind — insert rim shot) would write with such accuracy?”
Maybe I’m in the minority by bending the rules here and there in my writing?
I mean, memoirs are a wildly popular genre. And I’ve never understood those to be written with 100% accuracy? Obviously, we all know about the Oprah/James Frey incident. He took it a bit far, for sure.
I think if I set about writing a memoir, it would probably read something like a cross between Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (wait a minute, that actually sounds good).
But who among us who has NOT taken some liberties when writing any kind of reflection on a past event?
Does the fact that I may have combined two events into one night make either of the events any less real? I don’t think so.
Taking events that happened with two different people and combining them into one person make the event less real? Maybe.
Does the fact that I like to write in the first person denote that it’s real? It shouldn’t.
And is that misunderstanding on the reader or me? Arguably, the reader.
Isn’t the objective of writing to tap into emotions, and write them in such a way that they will achieve some kind of universal truth?
That’s my goal, and again, maybe I’m in the minority.
If that’s my goal, I certainly feel that it can be applied across genres.
Without taking a forensic look at my writing, I feel most of my writing falls above the 90% accuracy rate …but even that statement can’t be 100% accurate without going back and re-reading everything again to get the proper percentage.
Let’s take the following:
The Wild One, Forever
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — the pied pipers of the broken-hearted.psiloveyou.xyz
In there, there are both fictitious and true elements:
Was “everyone” at that party “up and coming comedians”? No. MANY of them were, but all? Absolutely not.
Was it “well after midnight when I met her”? I honestly don’t recall. I think so, but I was pretty tipsy (drunk), which means it probably was. But it was also many years ago.
Did I really say “who said anything about dating?” to the woman who said she would never date someone like me? Yea, that one’s true.
Did my buddy say, “be careful…”? Yea, that’s true.
Was it scotch we drank on the roof? I think so, but can’t be certain (see the previous mention of being tipsy).
Was it “14–15 months”? Yea, that’s true.
Did I fall in love with her? Yea, that’s true.
Did we move in and break-up in a matter of months, and did I stay in the neighborhood? Yea, that’s true.
Did we get back together? Yea, that’s true.
Was the second time I got back together with her great? Eh, that’s a bit of an exaggeration.
Is Tom Petty the “pied piper of the brokenhearted”? Well, yea, subjectively, that’s true.
That’s not the entire piece, but of those 11 points, 6 are hard yes’, 2 uncertainties, 1 exaggeration, 1 subjective assertion, and only 1 hard no.
If we factor out the uncertainties, exaggeration, and subjective assertion, that leaves 7 points, of which 6 are truths. That’s not too shabby. Although I admit, it only tallies up to about 86% accuracy.
But accuracy wasn’t my goal there and, as mentioned, typically isn’t my goal.
My usual goal is two-fold—one, to entertain, and two, to capture some truth that someone can identify with. And in my attempt to do that, do I have a bigger responsibility for the accuracy or the story-telling?
I will always argue for the story-telling.
Now I could pick The Wild One, Forever apart, and denote every truth, every fiction, and exaggeration. Aside from a lack of desire to do so, I don’t see a point.
Since much of what I write uses the first person, “I,” does that automatically indicate that the piece should be considered 100% true? Or does the use of the first person have to be so exaggerated for it to be false?
Take this piece:
The Terminal Illness Cure
I was only speeding up the process…and doubling his insurance payout. A story in 100 words.medium.com
Have I ever been to war? No.
Am I an assassin? No.
[spoiler]Did I murder my terminally ill mother so my father could collect more insurance? No. While my mother is dead, she wasn’t terminally ill …or murdered.
Let’s look at photo-journalists. Now you’d think they would be the ultimate conveyers of truth and accuracy, right? You may think that I don’t.
Do they, or their editors, touch up, crop, or frame the photo to accentuate the delivery or message? Yea, of course, they do.
Does it make the photo any less powerful or real? No.
Take this Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, from 1993, by South African photographer Kevin Carter of the famine in Sudan:
Fuckin’ grim, right?
But what did Carter do after he snapped the picture? Did he chase the vulture away? Help the child up? Did Carter bring the child to safety? Did he feed the child? Does any of that matter?
If you knew all that, how would it change your perception of what you felt when you initially saw this picture?
For me, this photo's power speaks to the universal truth of the famine. What happened after the shutter closed isn’t important …to me.
Now admittedly, nothing I have ever written is nearly as powerful as that photograph.
Documentary films are certainly manipulated through editing to achieve their goal.
For me, the simple truth is that any creative endeavor must entail some adjustment to achieve the creator’s objective — whatever that may be.
ORIGIN STORY
When I began writing this, it was in defense of my writing and my interpretation of “fact inspired fiction.” My friend will say I can be a bit defensive sometimes … she’s not entirely wrong; I’m workin’ on that bit. :)
I admit I didn’t much care for the term “fact inspired fiction” because I:
I didn’t know what it meant.
I don’t think what I write is “fact inspired fiction” (but see #1).
I needed to process what I felt about the comment.
But after finding a definition of “inspired fiction” (and I honest to God just looked this up as I wrote this — that is 100% true), I can see that point of view (I’m not afraid to eat a little crow).
Some libraries define it as:
“Inspired Fiction”:
“…highlight[s] people overcoming adversity or reaching new levels of understanding…these books [or writing] will uplift and entertain you.”
The library in Provo, Utah, defines “Inspired Fiction” this way:
“Instead of dwelling on the religious aspects of faith, they emphasize morals, values, and life lessons.”
There is much discussion around the interpretation of this genre and its subgenres:
Misery Lit
Theological fiction
Christian fiction
Visionary fiction
Gentle fiction
Some of the more famous writers in this genre, and subgenres, include:
James Frey
Mitch Albom
C. S. Lewis
The Chicken Soup for the Soul series
Frank McCourt
Maeve Binchy
Patrick Taylor
Michael Murphy
Now is the above referenced, The Wild One, Forever an example of “Inspired Fiction?” I don’t think I’m the one to answer that.
Did I overcome any adversity in it? No. A broken heart, but hardly comparable to other adversities in the genre or life.
Is anything I write; however, “true,” is it “inspirational”? I don’t think that’s for me to decide.
Is it entertaining? I also don’t think that’s for me to decide.
What is the goal of “inspired fiction”? I have no f’ing clue, depends on the subgenre. I guess.
The Wilde One, Forever was meant to be more cathartic for me than anything. I might argue that it aligns more closely with the Provo, Utah library’s definition of the genre. It’s more of a “life lesson” than anything.
Now, I am not sure that the strict definition of “inspired fiction” was what my friend meant when using the phrase “fact inspired fiction.” I haven’t asked, but I’m guessing it was meant more like “a story that may be rooted in fact.”
I don’t think anything I write would ever be classified as “inspirational” regardless of truth or accuracy. But again, maybe that’s not for me to decide.
Do I hit some universal truth? Sometimes. Maybe? Hopefully.
Is what I write 100% true? No. Good God, no. (is anyone’s?)
Is what I write entertaining? I hope so, at least sometimes. Maybe on some of my better days.
Do I play with narratives, settings, and people to illustrate a point? Yes. (doesn’t everyone?)
Does the usage of the first person automatically denote “truth”? It shouldn’t.
And in writing this particular piece, I’ve learned that maybe, just maybe, my friend wasn’t entirely incorrect.
“Inspired fiction” — and its subgenres — is still revealing itself and being defined. But since I now understand the term, I’m more accepting now than I was 24-hours ago. I think “inspirational fiction,” and as such, “fact inspired fiction” allows a little more latitude to play with truths and events. At least that’s how I interpret it. It’s also how I write.
Does it make it less true? Depends. If I took the same piece, The Wild One, Forever, and set it on Mars …well, yea, it’s considerably less true. If I’ve done my job correctly, it doesn’t make the emotional truth is any less real. Does it?
That said, I’m still curious if most, if not all, writers play with their content to fit their objective — whatever that may be. Let me know.
And if anyone wants to know what’s true and what’s not in what I write, ask, I’ll tell you the truth …or at least over 90% of the truth.