The challenge of telling the truth in creative non-fiction

You’ve probably heard the line “never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” You’ve probably also heard it attributed to the humourist Mark Twain – although, ironically enough, that attribution is doubtful at best.  

But have you ever considered it as a piece of writing advice? It’s actually a tremendously helpful way of thinking about creative non-fiction and the way you have to wrestle reality onto the page. 

Here are five useful lessons (perhaps we could even call them truisms!) that the famous phrase suggests: 

1. Tell the truth 

The truth isn’t the only thing that matters – and shortly, we’ll look more closely at why that’s the case. However, it’s still vitally important in non-fiction.  

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’t feel trustworthy. 

2. Remember: you are telling a story 

Telling the truth doesn’t necessarily mean telling the whole truth. Your duty is to your reader – not to every single thing that happened.  

Just because something has lodged in your memory, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s important. Always be thinking about what moves your writing forwards. What does your reader need to know to understand your narrative? What is less important?  

Also, what’s interesting? Remember, stories are meant to be fun to read. 

3. Remember that good dialogue on the page is not the same as real speech 

Think about how journalists write up quotations. They don’t give us all the ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’, the hesitations and repetitions of natural speech – but we don’t (usually!) think that this is a deception.  

It’s okay to make speech run more fluently and fluidly – as long as you stick to the essential meaning and import. 

4. Real people have real feelings 

These feelings can be hard to predict and easy to hurt. If you’re writing about real people, you have to be careful – both from the point of view of not getting sued, and in line with the demands of basic humanity.  

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’s identity? 

5. The truth matters 

I know I’ve already (kind of) said this, but it’s worth repeating. It’s 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.  

The truth counts. Today, yesterday, forever.  

Setting it down on the page might just be the most important thing you do. 

At Jericho Writers, Sam is a tutor on both the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme and the Novel Writing Course, and also offers one-to-one mentoring and editorial support. You may also like to check out the Introduction to Memoir and Creative Non-Fiction course.