Fiction: A Sliver of the Truth

Photo: Claudia Zurc

Oscar Wilde, who opined in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying that, "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life". (Original source: Wikipedia)

I decided to write a blog post about this subject because I am working on a short story that takes a sliver of truth from an event that occurred to me. Although writing the story was cathartic, the inspiration was nonetheless painful.

When I asked my mentor if I could write fiction using real events, he said that most fictional stories originate from real life events.

So when you start writing your short story or novel, make sure that you’re objective about what you already know. If you’ve done some research and want to include it in your narrative, use a language your readers will understand. You’re not writing a thesis.

Facts add seasoning to any narrative, but no matter the genre, good fiction transports the reader into another world.

Another point to consider is being efficient on how you use the information from sources, such as magazine articles, newspaper reports, scientific books, etc. Don’t overwhelm your reader with unnecessary information or detour a colorful anecdote and turn it into a medical or police report.

Be true to your story. Facts can be fun if you do it right. If a detail doesn’t move the story forward by establishing the setting, advancing the plot or shedding light on the characters, get rid of it.

 “The reason we use truth in fiction is so we can tell a bigger, better lie,” says David Hewson, bestselling author of the Nic Costa thriller series. “It’s the lie—how big, convincing and ‘real’ it is—that matters.”

Six Tips to Editing your Fiction

The editing process can be tedious at times. For me, this is a love/hate relationship. I sometimes despise it and sometimes I enjoy it. Here are some wonderful tips (reminders) when you're editing your work. I wish I could take credit for them, but I got these tips from an article I read a couple years ago in the Writer's Digest. Do you follow some or any of these tips?
1. Try not to make things overly complicated. Alyssa once told me to take the plot out of its braid and throw it in a ponytail. Simple, but brilliant. Problem was, when I did this I had quite a mess to comb through.
2. Don’t be afraid. Of anything. If I can delete nearly my entire manuscript, you can axe a chapter that doesn’t fit.
3. Brainstorm several ways to reach each plot point. Choose the most unique.
4. Revision should not impede on your writing time. When you write, just write. Try to keep from listening to your brain’s insults.
5. When it’s time for revision, whittle away. If you can make a sentence more concise, do it.
6.Question everything. I often refer to the following questions, which are tacked to a corkboard in my office:

·         Does the book start with an inciting incident that will force your MC to act, and challenge your MC to grow?

·         Is there is enough emotion, tension, suspense, etc.? Or too much?

·         Is something too obvious? Does something come too easy because you need it to advance the plot?

·         What can you do to make each scene stronger?

·         How can you weed out your cliched sentences and/or ideas?

·         Is there a motivation for each event? What about a purpose?

·         Are you keeping your MC from attaining a goal? This is a must until the ending.

·         Will your reader wonder about or hope for something pertaining to your MC as they progress through the story?