Topic: How much truth do you put into your writing?

"Writers write what they know." I've always heard that. Stephen Kings says, "Fiction is the truth inside the lie."
For the sake of discussion, how much "truth" do you put into your fictional writing? How much of yourself is part of your characters?
For example: I had a student say the words that follow to me. AND I had books thrown at me in the classroom, though I was never actually hit. I took a small real-life incident and let my imagination run to create Lucky Thirteen. http://amzn.to/1ld8grm

Dupree burst out laughing. “You a scrawny little white woman. You come in here tryin’ to change somethin’ you don’t know nothin’ about. You know what these slits in my eyebrow mean?” He pointed to two shaved spaces in his eyebrow. “Maybe you should be afraid of me.”
Larkin did know much of the gang liturgy and symbolism. She had learned quickly during her first year in the classroom. She had also learned not to show fear to these kids, so, although shivering inside, she calmly replied, “Mr. Parks, it appears you do not know who has the power in this room. Perhaps, you should leave us.” She moved toward the intercom.
Dupree jumped up from his desk and shouted, “Try it, bitch!”
Larkin raised an eyebrow and pushed the button. At the same moment, the literature book from beneath Dupree’s desk hit her in the face.

Quote Post 1

Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

I always wondered how many other people did this because I do it a lot in my writing. Most of my characters are a fictionalized amalgamation of real people. Same goes for certain events. If a real life event/situation is stuck in my head, it almost always comes out, in some form, in my writing.

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

I put truth into my writing when it fits the story. If I can draw upon some of my own experiences, great, it makes writing a scene that much easier. But if I can't no problem either.

I once heard an interview with Billy Joel where they asked him how he could write the song Goodnight Saigon when he never served in Vietnam. He replied that is the job of an artist, to imagine that which had not occurred or been experienced. I thought it summed up the role of imagination.

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4 Reply by max keanu (edited by max keanu 2015-06-13 20:04:59)

Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

THE THATCHER HEAD - I have a personality disorder and I put that truth into the MILES TODD/NIGEL DICK character. Although, my true character is more like Roger McCray.

APHRODITE'S RAINBOW - In this novel, I wrote what ever popped into my head at the time I sat down to write. Again though, my personality disorder involving my dual personality problem emerged as CloneDroids.

THE SWIFTNESS OF THE SEA, let me explore my feminine and somewhat perverse side dealing with my disassociation & detachment from the surf&sun&body culture of Hawaii.

BEHIND THE HEDGES, explores my extreme delusional thinking brought on by CIDP, my $42k/mo treatments and severe physical pain.

THE FAMILY SLUGS, explores the realms of truth and lies of an unrequited love.

And, I'm just getting started in this novel game again. Thanks for asking.

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

I've tried to put as much truth into BEDLAM - THE BEGINNING, and I'm uncertain how much should be footnoted.  Any recommendations?  What I've footnoted thus far I want to stand as it is without any embellishment into the story.  Thanks.

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6 Reply by dagnee (edited by dagnee 2015-07-18 17:38:26)

Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

Randall Krzak wrote:

I've tried to put as much truth into BEDLAM - THE BEGINNING, and I'm uncertain how much should be footnoted.  Any recommendations?  What I've footnoted thus far I want to stand as it is without any embellishment into the story.  Thanks.

The last time I read a work of fiction with footnotes was a special edition of A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, in which archaic Irish words were footnoted and defined.
I don't know that a fictional thriller would need footnotes, I think listing your research resources at the end would be enough. Unless I am misunderstanding your question.

big_smile

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

Many thanks for your response and you understood what I was looking for.  Will continue as planned.  Thanks again.

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

I agree with dagnee.

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

My short story, The Painted Perp, fair accurately describes myself and my detective partner in an actual happening.  My granddaughter says I am writing Hunter as who I would like to be.  She may be right.  Mike

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

Randall Krzak wrote:

I've tried to put as much truth into BEDLAM - THE BEGINNING, and I'm uncertain how much should be footnoted.  Any recommendations?  What I've footnoted thus far I want to stand as it is without any embellishment into the story.  Thanks.

Generally I don't like footnotes in fiction. I have written historical fiction which is fact based. However, the action is portrayed through fictional characters in the story. In these cases I use a one page account of my sources. Bernard Cornwell, who writes a great deal of historical fiction, often has a map page and a place name list at the beginning of his books. He often has a page or two at the end of his books in which he comments on the main historical sources he used as background for his story.

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

John Byram wrote:
Randall Krzak wrote:

I've tried to put as much truth into BEDLAM - THE BEGINNING, and I'm uncertain how much should be footnoted.  Any recommendations?  What I've footnoted thus far I want to stand as it is without any embellishment into the story.  Thanks.

Generally I don't like footnotes in fiction. I have written historical fiction which is fact based. However, the action is portrayed through fictional characters in the story. In these cases I use a one page account of my sources. Bernard Cornwell, who writes a great deal of historical fiction, often has a map page and a place name list at the beginning of his books. He often has a page or two at the end of his books in which he comments on the main historical sources he used as background for his story.

Yes. Leave footnotes out of fiction

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

Many thanks for your advice. The footnotes have been eliminated.

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Re: How much truth do you put into your writing?

I always create fictional characters based on qualities in real people. I never use a single person for a character because a real person has a story and I would have to bend them to my will for them to fit into the fictional "reality" I create. I avoid cliché characteristics so when I say I use qualities, I mean attitudes, values, fears, biases, eccentricities, and even expressions and body language from real people to create verisimilitude.  I do not use their life story, their appearance or their real interactions. I like to say that nonfiction is the effective and interesting portrayal of facts researched or experienced, while fiction is the compelling presentation of truths wrapped in a believable but non-factual plot. I use much of my own knowledge but the characters are not me, nor do I need their adventures because my own real life has been far beyond most fictional characters. When your reality includes having interviewed a murderer whose victim was his wife and when asked what triggered him to kill her, he answered, "Because she let the peas run into the mashed potatoes and she knows I like them separate," NO fictional dialogue could ever match that let alone top it.

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