Understanding Facts, Fictions, Truths and Tomes
To understand the complex dynamics of writing fiction,
journaling current events or becoming a writer, an understanding of words seems
a good start. In any case, understanding
of a few select words is a must for the writer.
First, the word truth is an important part of any writer’s
vocabulary. Truth, simply put, is a set
of circumstances in which events unfold in predictable ways. Truth is most commonly thought to be
universal, and its implications are certainly widely shared, but truth cannot
be reliably consistent within the given context, as it is very much subject to
the perceptions of individuals within this context. For this reason, one often hears the phrase, “to
tell your truth.” Truth can most often
be defined as the specific honest perceptions and reaction of individuals
within a specified context. This is most
often the purview of the fiction writer, as it is only the fiction writer that
can alter the specified context to establish the predictable outcomes of situations
through often differing perspectives of characters.
Fact is yet another vital part of a writer’s tool box. Facts are circumstances that are above reproach
and beyond interpretation. They
establish a baseline against which truths and perceptions, as well as outcomes
can be measured. Fact is also a
perspective, but it is most often a generic and more objective perspective,
which can seldom be negated by individual perspective. Fact is the omniscient third person logical perspective,
most often captured by video, audio or through the amalgamation of individual
truths which are interpreted by finding points of consistency. Fact is most typically and properly in the
dominion of journalists and news reporters.
Journalists who chronicle fact, often find it easy to establish trust
with readers and observers, as facts are rarely able to be dismissed as maters
of perspective, opinion or bias.
While fact
and truth can complement one another, and do often, they can also conflict with
one another as well. A limited
perspective of events may provide a truthful accounting that does not include
all of the facts of a circumstance. Similarly,
a factual accounting of any circumstance may often negate the emotional, spatial
or contextual truth of the same situation.
These ambiguities are relevant in many cases of journalistic reporting
or even fiction development, as in order to establish a story of interest to
readers, one must produce the most complete chronicle of events. If the purpose of a chronicle is merely to
inform, then it is likely that fact will be of greater import. If the purpose of the chronicle is to move or
convince or to elicit, in the case of fiction writing, the voluntary suspension
of disbelief, then it is most beneficiary to have a truthful perspective that
is easily relatable.
While the words fact and truth are often seen by casual observers
as the same, they are not.
A question in today’s journalistic community that is most often
wrestled with is, “What is spin?”
Spin by the most comprehensive and simple definition is the argument
of truth to influence the outward reaction to a set of facts. When done properly, spin should never oppose
facts, and should always be derived from a position of truth.
As an example, if four people are seated at a perfectly
square table, and a glass of water is placed on the table, spin is the art of
reaching a consensus of all those seated that the glass has been placed
truthfully as it is perceived from one person.
If the water is placed in front of one person, that person may perceive the
water as being at the “front” of the table, while the person seated opposite them
might perceive the glass as to the “back” of the table. The person seated to the left, might perceive
the glass as being to his or her right, while the person to the right will likely
perceive the truth of the glass’s position to be to their left. All are correct in their assessment of
truth. In fact, all that might be
logically and objectively observed is that the glass of water has been placed
on the table. If one wished to reach a
consensus that the water was in the position that one perceived it at, instead
of the less specific fact, one would argue or “spin” the truth to convince the
others of such a perspective.
One might
argue that because the water was further from the opposite side, and because
right and left are obviously subjective, that the most logical statement of
position is that the glass is, in fact, right in front of one’s self, and thus
might imply ownership of the glass or its contents. While
said argument is logically based in a truth, and does not contradict the fact,
its implications may not be sound, but cannot be denied if agreed upon.
When a writer creates a fictional world and populates it
with fictional characters and creatures, it is most often observed that these
stories are best received by readers when creatures and characters act and
react in logically predictable ways based upon circumstances that unfold in a
truthful way. In these cases, the facts
of each circumstance are subject to the will of the creative writer who is
creating the environment. The truths
however, must be honest reactions based in the most universal truths of the
readers. The more universal the truths,
the more popular the story can be. Love,
discovery, ambition, and survival for instance are common literary themes that
elicit very predicable sets of behavior and thus are seen as universal in
their appeal. In stark juxtaposition are
themes such as satirical, political or socio-economic commentary. While such intrigues are common place, the
circumstances of each are often rooted in the collective moment, and while each
tale might find popularity, they might find it difficult to remain relevant to
future readers. There are always
exceptions to such, as stories that touch on the base emotional tones, while
unfolding sociological circumstances can become staples of popular imagination,
such as the case of many Charles Dickens stories.
As a writer, the most important thing to retain about these
distinct words is that they are not the same.
That each of these words drives a story in a specific direction and once
that direction is established, a faithful follow through to the inevitable
outcome is essential. If a journalist
relies too heavily upon truth, rather than evidentiary act, then a news story
will provoke emotional and often irrational responses that are either
intentionally or unintentionally the result of bias and perspective. If a fiction writer gets bogged down in the
mire of historical or scientific fact, then inevitably their story might suffer
from a lack of relatable characters or a mundane story-line, which will likely
be detrimental to the tale or to the reader experience. For this reason, it is particularly important
that writers craft their works with a complete and full understanding of these
tools, and their use, as well as an understanding of how they interact and can
best serve the desired outcome of the written work.
Now that we have established some fundamental guidelines, go
forth and tell the truth, be it in fact or fiction, it will set your stories
free!
