Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Howdy

Howdy. Long time no write. I've been trying to write a blog in 144 characters or less.  If that wasn't difficult enough I'm having to write backwards. It's a lot like writing was on 12 dogs. Sometimes it even works like a "circular story" sometimes not. The thing I miss is the jumping back and forth in virtual time and creating that kind of "time travel" kind of thing.

Things are going okay here.

I didn't get every thing done but I got a lot done.

That's good.
.

A million little reasons about fiction writers and what they write... Or how James Frey got published and then pilloried by Oprah...

I didn't notice until I read the comment section of her blog that people were doubting that this story was real.  Like many, I was caught up in the idea of a daughter's efforts to honor her father. When I did read about the photos, I went to look. Sure enough there were missing shadows, etc.  I was interested in her journey. I went to her blog to see what happened next not to prove the story was a lie. When I saw the comments and the photos, I came back here to join the conversation not to prove her wrong.
"...This certainly is a sweet story but it is the Internet. People do lie. How do they know that she is telling the truth?..."  is what I wanted to know.

I don't make it a habit of going after writers and their truth. Sometimes the most "truthful" story is wrapped in fiction.
That said.
I remember the "million little pieces" of a James, Frey's biography. Mr. Frey didn't exactly tell the truth because he wanted to get a book published. He fooled the publisher, the readers, and Oprah Winfrey in order to show the world he was a great writer. That some of those pieces were a lie? Didn't seem to matter.  Mr Frey's story reminds me that an author is trying to get the reader to "suspend disbelief"  with the reader's consent. You aren't trying to trick them.
It's hurtful to write something that's not true and then send it out into the world as fact. Like you, people care and they worry. If this is true, my heart goes out to the young lady and her family. If it isn't and people believe her and worry? That's just as hurtful as having to prove that the story did happen
.
As writers, there is a responsibility to be truthful.
They must tell the reader.
 "This is fiction or fact or like most good stories, a little of both."
Kind regards and thank you for taking the time to comment. I'm not attacking you. I'm just wondering about the truth of a very interesting story.
Sincerely,
Writer Ann