How To Spot the Truth In Fiction?
Patrick Greenwood
Award-Winning Author I Brand Strategist I Managing Content Director I Executive Ghostwriter I SEO I Podcast I USMC Veteran I Cybersecurity Blogger
Writing fictional novels with a blend of nonfiction makes for very interesting storytelling. When authors add fiction to nonfiction or vice versa, are they trying to hide something? Shhh.. yes :)
Embedded in every fictional story are always truth and reality. How the writers choose to hide the truth makes for very interesting detective work.
One of the first things to look at when decoding fiction is the reader’s initial take of the first 20 pages. Within those 20 pages, does the initial plot align with the author’s background in any way? If the story is a spy novel, did the author serve in the military or within the intelligence community?
Does the story seem all too real? Consider some of the greatest fictional writers of our time: Tom Clancy, Danielle Steele, and James Patterson. By studying Tom Clancy’s novels, including The Hunt for the Red October, one can see how an insurance salesperson from Baltimore could write with so much technical detail.
How did Tom Clancy gain access to some material about naval warfare tactics? By reading this novel, I beg the question, is this real? Ultimately, several years later, after Tom Clancy’s death, the Navy Department acknowledged a possible Soviet Submarine may have sunk in the Atlantic several years ago. Did Clancy know valuable information while he wrote the novel? Only he knows!
Another clue readers need to be keen on is whether the story seems either too natural to be accurate or so out there that it would be near impossible for it to be nonfictional.
A writer’s skill is measured often by how they navigate the delicate balance between truth and fiction. It’s a game they play, and it’s this interplay that makes their stories so interesting.
As a writer, how do you know when you’ve reached a good balance? You will get one of my favorite questions: “Dude, is this real?”
Mission accomplished!
Love,
Patrick
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Award-Winning Author
5 个月Very informative, Patrick. After reading both of your books, Sunrise in Saigon and Shores of Okinawa, my question was the same: Is this true? Is this fiction or non-fiction? You do an excellent job of both in your books. I needed this essay for my WIP--the story of my Volga German grandparents emigrating from Russia to the US in 1913. I'm having a heck of a time balancing the love story with the Russian upheaval taking place. I've been overwhelmed with Russian/Volga German history. How much to include that's true; how much sort-of-fictional dialogue? I am fortunate to have a mentor, Marina Osipova, a newfound author friend who is an excellent writer in that balancing act. I sent you an email with her info. I'd love to see her on your show. Back to your truth/fiction posting, I'm keeping it handy while I write. Thanks for help with the balancing act. ??
Escaping My Demons
5 个月The ingenuity and creativity of the author are what draw you into the storyline that makes you believe fiction is real.????
Author
5 个月I LOVE when I get asked that question - about the story and about the characters. Readers will ask me "is this character based on a REAL person?"...definitely adds to the story if readers are following along, trying to determine if they know this person too!
I Write for People & Companies Deeply Rooted in Traditional American Values Author: JOINING THE ARMY: A GUIDE FOR MOTHERS OF SOON-TO-BE SOLDIERS
5 个月Very nice! Gives credit to the phrase, "You can't make this stuff up!" It's so true.... it can't be. :)
Award-Winning-Author | Writing Coach | Celebrated Cover Designer | Talent Referral Specialist | Inspirational Writer
5 个月Love this !!! Way to put it out there!