Truth in fiction can be a double edged sword. I have tried my hand at fiction writing before this class started, and each time I do the same thing happens. I have a great idea for my story and begin to write, but before the story can progress beyond the barest outline of a plot, I lost interest in the story and I stop writing. I thought about this for a long time and I finally think I know why I can’t keep my story interesting.
My characters are dull. Or, more specifically, they’re based far too much off of me. As Ms Cross pointed out, and as we have seen in “Demonology,” injecting truth or reality into fiction can be a great way to add depth and realism to one’s writing, but only when used skillfully and in moderation. I found that in my attempted stories the characters were dull because instead of developing them as individuals with their own desires, fears, wishes, and characteristics, I was inserting myself into them. Instead of using truth as an aid to deepening the believability of my story, I was using it as a crutch to cover up poor development.
As we read in “Demonology,” truth can make a story much more real and much more important when the characters and plot used are interesting and many-faceted. My problem, then, is not so much that there is too much of myself in my writing but that there is too little thought, care, and development put into my characters. Maybe if I can master the correct usage of truth in my fiction, my writing will become more interesting and more believable.
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