Prompt: What do you think about truth in fiction? How much truth surfaces in your writing? How much of yourself? Does something that comes from a true story resonate more with a reader? (Think about stories or essays you have read.) What role does truth have in our creative work?
Although it may seem paradoxical, I believe that truth is a crucial element in fiction. A definition of “fiction” in the diction is “a made-up story”. Does that mean the story is false and untrue? I would argue no; fiction is simply truth taken to the next level. Fiction writers know how to build the story on a foundation of truth—to earn the reader’s trust—and although this is where most non-fiction writers stop, fiction writers take it even further: they expand the reader’s definition of “truth”. Because my favorite book is Olive Kitteridge, I feel that I must reference this book again to prove this point. Although the story is obviously not “true” in the most narrow definition of the word—that the characters in the story never really existed in real life; the events never really happened—but the book is one of the “truest” stories I’ve ever read in my life. Never had I felt so much empathy for a character in the story. I felt like I was vicariously living Olive’s life. She was as real to me as the face I see in the mirror. And through the author Elizabeth Strout’s detailed, animated portrayal of Olive, she created truth from the black letters on the white page. Before reading the book, my own definition of truth did not include Olive, but after I read the book, Olive was a part of truth for me. I could hardly have known Olive better if she had been a real person.
In any fiction story, the more outrageous the fiction aspect, the more the story is grounded in truth. Take J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Could anything be more fatuous than magic, witches, wizards, and dark lords? Yet the existence of so many websites and forums dedicated solely to the world of Harry Potter, the long lines at 2 AM in front of bookstores before the release of a sequel in the series, the millions of people that dress up as a character from Harry Potter and attend midnight screenings of the movies—these all testify to the truth of Harry Potter. Readers have all been “enchanted and bewitched” by Rowling into believing her story wholeheartedly.
So why is truth so crucial? Because a true story does resonate more with a reader—skillful description by an author can teleport a reader from a library, study, or bedroom into a completely different world—but this all begins with a reader willing to believe. And what makes someone believe? Truth. If the most absurd thing is described in terms the reader understands and can picture and this absurdity is consistent throughout the story, soon the reader becomes accustomed to it and will no longer think of it as weird. Moreover, the most important part of truth is the truth that lies in the characters. The characters must have certain quirks; the characters must demonstrate human emotion; characters must talk naturally; and the most believable characters have a good and a bad side. The next worst thing to living with someone perfect is having to read about someone who is completely perfect. Because everyone has a sinful side, nothing is more endearing than another person who shares in that sin, but still succeeds despite of it (or perhaps because of it!).
Because I’m a firm believer that truth in fiction is what creates the most enjoyment for the reader, I try to incorporate truth into my writing. I always make my characters have certain idiosyncrasies because no one is perfect, and everyone loves and cheers for the underdog. I also try to exploit the human emotions to help me build credibility in the eyes of the reader. I try to expose the tender feelings of even the most callous characters; a shadow of a tear on the corner of the villain’s eyes when her daughter pushes her away; a villain’s recollections of a childhood full of neglect and abandonment.
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