You\u2019ve probably heard the line \u201cnever let the truth get in the way of a good story.\u201d You\u2019ve probably also heard it attributed to the humourist Mark Twain \u2013 although, ironically enough, that attribution is doubtful at best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But have you ever considered it as a piece of writing advice? It\u2019s actually a tremendously helpful way of thinking about creative non-fiction and the way you have to wrestle reality onto the page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are five useful lessons (perhaps we could even call them truisms!) that the famous phrase suggests: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The truth isn\u2019t the only thing that matters \u2013 and shortly, we\u2019ll look more closely at why that\u2019s the case. However, it\u2019s still vitally important in non-fiction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best way to get readers to believe in you as a narrator is to make sure everything you say is credible. Check your facts. Verify your sources. Test your theories. Where you are doubtful, say so. Do not lie. Your book is pointless if it doesn\u2019t feel trustworthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Telling the truth doesn\u2019t necessarily mean telling the whole truth. Your duty is to your reader \u2013 not to every single thing that happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just because something has lodged in your memory, that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it\u2019s important. Always be thinking about what moves your writing forwards. What does your reader need<\/em> to know to understand your narrative? What is less important? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, what\u2019s interesting? Remember, stories are meant to be fun to read. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about how journalists write up quotations. They don\u2019t give us all the \u2018ums\u2019 and \u2018ahs\u2019, the hesitations and repetitions of natural speech \u2013 but we don\u2019t (usually!) think that this is a deception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s okay to make speech run more fluently and fluidly \u2013 as long as you stick to the essential meaning and import. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These feelings can be hard to predict and easy to hurt. If you\u2019re writing about real people, you have to be careful \u2013 both from the point of view of not getting sued, and in line with the demands of basic humanity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think carefully before you put anyone into your book. Are you sure you need to include them? Are you sure they will remember things in the same way you do? Are you certain your portrayal is accurate? Is there a justification for disguising someone\u2019s identity? <\/p>\n\n\n\n I know I\u2019ve already (kind of) said this, but it\u2019s worth repeating. It\u2019s worth stressing that the stories you tell as a non-fiction writer are worth telling, in spite of all the potential difficulties of doing so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The truth counts. Today, yesterday, forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting it down on the page might just be the most important thing you do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You\u2019ve probably heard the line \u201cnever let the truth get in the way of a good story.\u201d You\u2019ve probably also heard it attributed to the humourist Mark Twain \u2013 although, ironically enough, that attribution is doubtful at best. But have you ever considered it as a piece of writing advice? It\u2019s actually a tremendously helpful<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38188,"featured_media":784914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[262],"tags":[28527],"class_list":["post-788499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topic-creative-non-fiction-memoir","tag-non-fiction"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n3. Remember that good dialogue on the page is not the same as real speech <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. Real people have real feelings\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
5. The truth matters <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
At Jericho Writers, Sam is a tutor on both the\u00a0Ultimate Novel Writing Programme<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Novel Writing Course<\/a>, and also offers\u00a0one-to-one mentoring<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0editorial support<\/a>.<\/strong> You may also like to check out the Introduction to Memoir and Creative Non-Fiction course<\/a>. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n