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Striving for the Truth in Fiction
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John Caruso
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May 04, 2004 08:06 PDT
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Striving for the Truth in Fiction
When we write we should strive to tell the truth, even when we’re
inventing fiction. If we cannot convince ourselves of the validity of
our writing, there is no way we will be able to convey a sincerity to
our readers.
Let me back track just a bit. By saying we should “strive to tell the
truth” what I really mean is that we should strive to tell the STORY'S
truth. By believing in your characters and their motives, by believing
in the forces that move your story, by believing in the reality of your
work you will present a fictitious world that is, well, believable.
Please note that believing in your characters, the forces, and the
reality does not necessarily mean agreeing with them. For example, you
may choose to write a story about an evil person. Let’s say he abuses
puppies. When you write that story, you strive to present that
character, truly, in terms of his actions, his motivations, and the
situations in which he finds himself. I know you, as the author, don’t
abuse puppies, nor would you condone abusing puppies. However, in order
to make that character pop off the page you have to infuse him with his
own truth. We need to believe he has his reasons for abusing puppies and
that his actions are true to his character within the context of the
story. Perhaps he feels he has no control over his life and so he tries
to assert control through abuse. Perhaps he’s reliving a childhood
trauma. In the end, however, he needs to be grounded in authenticity.
Telling the truth involves giving specifics. Vagaries are the playground
of lies. This is where your work with “showing, not telling” comes into
play. Action verbs, not weak adverbs and adjectives, elevate your work.
The more specific your characters, your setting, and your theme, the
more truth your story will convey.
Telling the truth also involves making sure the story feels right to
you. If you can see the shortcuts, the inconsistencies, the lies, so
will your reader. There have been times I’ve written something and
deemed it “good enough.” It may have contained some minor plot issues or
sketchy characters, but I figured no one would really notice. However, I
didn’t have a conviction to the story. I didn’t believe in it.
Consequently, I couldn’t infuse it with the truth it needed to make the
fiction believable and so the story flopped.
Take a look at those stories that have never felt “right.” Have you been
true to them? Have you given them truth? Try to dissect one of those
stories and see where you can give it a shot of contextual honesty.
Tighten your writing. Be direct. Be specific. You may be surprised at
what you end up creating. Honestly.
John Caruso
joh-@coffeehouseforwriters.com
Copyright 2004, John Caruso
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