Blog #24; the nature of truth in fiction; exploring consequences of characters’ actions; keeping motivation as a writer
Truth in fiction sounds like an oxymoron, but is very real. The true aim of serious fiction is to find meaning by relating greater truths of human existence in “a made up” story. I was thinking about this when considering a story I’ve been working on about the disparity between ideals and reality, and how people and institutions are often self-contradictory. There are many ways to write a true work of fiction, and these are the stories I get excited about. Whether historical or contemporary, these works are challenges, especially for the advanced writer, because as you grow, you see more deeply the implications of what you are writing and its consequences. Characters’ motivated actions propel the narrative, and often it is hard to see where the consequences of those actions will fall. Writing fiction is a process of exploration, an exploration of characters’ actions, and the consequences. We can continue to explore as we write never fully knowing anything but a smal