If they're going to write a story they're going to write the story whether it's true or not.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I think you tell the story that has to be told. You tell the story that's the truth. You tell the story that readers will be interested in and should know about.
Truth is quite constricting, in a way. You endlessly see at the start of a film 'This is a true story'.
I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one.
The kind of fiction I'm trying to write is about telling the truth.
I believe that the writer should tell a story. I believe in plot. I believe in creating characters and suspense.
Writing is writing, and stories are stories. Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and non-fiction. And even there, who can be sure?
If somebody is in a story, they need to be there for a reason, and not just to set up somebody else's story.
They may well say not only is this not true, but I will put in an injunction to prevent publication. No, stories don't go in unless I'm convinced by the people who write them that they're true. And if I'm wrong, then so be it.
A writer's job is to tell the truth.
Surely the job of fiction is to actually tell the truth. It's a paradox that's at the heart of any kind of storytelling.