Day 94

Honesty in writing – can there be too much, as in writing an autobiography?

…

To me there’s honesty and there’s truth.

I read autobiographies and biographies, but there are recollections laced with factual surrounding events. However, quite often, a lot of these events can be taken with a grain of salt.

I do it myself. I tell the truth, but it’s the embellishment that makes events grander, or the strategic omissions that make it larger or smaller than life.

The more embellishment, the better the sales. Everyone wants to read about heroes, people who get things done, and sometimes just to read the other side of the story.

Fiction, though, requires no semblance of the truth, and when weaving it with real events, it’s always a good idea not to try and improve on or demean people who were real and involved. I’m always weaving real places and real events into historical stories, and I work very hard to understand the people, the places, and the events.

And just remember not to make people you know too identifiable in your stories.

As for my autobiography, it will be better than the life I wish I could lead in my books, because 300 pages of utterly boring stuff will not sell.