The Truth You Find In Fiction
Writing Fiction that Makes You Feel
“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”
Robert Frost
While watching Amy Tan’s Master Class, something she said really stood out to me. She was talking about the truth we discover in fiction, when we dig deep within ourselves to craft a story, create a character, and create a world that touches the reader’s heart.
Amy Tan explains in her Masterclass that fiction should and does help us find the truth, our truth, if it is done well.
Using events in our lives to build a character and a scene is a key component of some of the best fiction. This isn’t to say we write about a time we feel uncomfortable sharing. Some events aren’t meant to be shared with the world, but we can incorporate what we felt during those moments into our story. Writing about that memory is the best way to do this, but not exactly how it happened.
It is one of the greatest compliments we can get as fiction writers when our characters become so compelling that people think the story we are telling is real, and in a way it is, because we are adding real emotions to a fictional character. Creating fiction is not about fabricating lies, but about creating truths readers can understand.
