tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18926017.post4036227650812776604..comments2024-01-30T10:45:45.922-05:00Comments on Fiction Writing and Other Oddities: Truth is Too Far-fetched for FictionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18926017.post-31963485955304480442011-12-12T16:12:34.298-05:002011-12-12T16:12:34.298-05:00Susan:
I'm so glad you left a comment with tha...Susan:<br />I'm so glad you left a comment with that information. My reaction was, "See?"<br /><br />I wince whenever I see a writer getting that kind of a response. And I'm relieved you didn't listen to folks.<br /><br />Personally, I love stories like that. I think it's mostly because I'm a contrary little cuss and dont like to be told what to do--so I'd probably have been one of those women who said, "To heck with this." and donned a man's clothing so I could do what I wanted to do.<br /><br />An interesting point about Catherine's story that I left out was that her employers all said she was "honest and hard working." And yet in order to be hard working, she had to hide who she really was, essentially being dishonest in order to enjoy an honest day's work as an independent person rather than a dependent.<br /><br />It's all so ironic...Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122506895024303225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18926017.post-38137952340010867182011-12-12T16:05:03.097-05:002011-12-12T16:05:03.097-05:00I have to agree! My novel Confederate Rose is base...I have to agree! My novel Confederate Rose is based on true stories of women who donned male attire and joined the armies on both sides during the American Civil War without most of the men being aware. While my heroine is based on real women, I remember when I was first writing and entering the unpubbed story in contests, a judge told me a woman dressed as a man was a cliche in romance. I obviously didn't listen to her and now have a published award winning romance to show for it.<br /><br />Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.Susan Macateehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07476340887041053638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18926017.post-22640796398306173402011-12-12T10:29:00.230-05:002011-12-12T10:29:00.230-05:00Are you serious?
I'm foggy on the details (and...Are you serious?<br />I'm foggy on the details (and may be wrong) but what about Mrs. Simpson?<br /><br />It's amazing how often folks say, "But that could never happen!" when indeed, it happens quite frequently.<br /><br />I'm embarassed to admit, I've even done it to a writer. Someone sent me a crime story where the cops took the entire front door with them to dust it for prints in their lab. I said, "What the heck, who would take a victim's front door, leaving the house wide open?" I just couldn't see the cops being that insane. But it happened. I should never have said it was unbelievable.<br /><br />People do the darndest things!<br />Look at the Darwin Awards!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122506895024303225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18926017.post-68747110660620055522011-12-12T10:22:14.561-05:002011-12-12T10:22:14.561-05:00Back in the late 70s when I was living in the UK d...Back in the late 70s when I was living in the UK doing a degree I wrote my first novel about a (contemporary) heir to the throne who falls in love with a commoner. Too unbelievable, said the agents. Uh, duh? Great story by the way!Andrea Downinghttp://andidowning.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18926017.post-19499821507495039052011-12-12T09:52:11.744-05:002011-12-12T09:52:11.744-05:00I know--isn't that just the WORST thing?
I ca...I know--isn't that just the WORST thing?<br /><br />I can't tell you how many times I've stuck in some piece of reality that I know happens (and often happens a lot) and yet editors/readers complain that it just doesn't sound believable.<br /><br />You're right, the key is to work in all the motivation and setup. Sigh.<br /><br />Writing fiction is hard.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122506895024303225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18926017.post-37992642763607629872011-12-12T09:48:44.513-05:002011-12-12T09:48:44.513-05:00Great post! This is something I always find frustr...Great post! This is something I always find frustrating-- when I put in little slices of truth I've discovered in my research and beta readers will say "this doesn't sound believable" or "they wouldn't have done that back then" - I find that sometimes it's because I haven't properly setup motivation (because I know it's true I forget to do this), and that seems to help, but I find that I have to work extra hard to layer in slices of historical truth to make it believable...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com