Member-only story
Truth in Fiction: an Extraordinary Look at Real Life
The wife was awakened in the middle of the night and rushed to the kitchen. Investigators were waiting and told her that the plane her husband was piloting went missing off the radar. He, along with all the passengers, perished.
Anita Shreve wrote her novel The Pilot’s Wife in 1998, years before the missing airliner Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
Fiction can’t be fake and appeal to a reader. I learned this during a comedy writing class I took with Danny Simon, the late brother to the late great American playwright Neil Simon.
Some element in any genre must relate to the reader, an experience they find in their own lives. Even science fiction. I’ve been writing a detective series since January 2015 with Lon Casler Bixby and it struck me that crime fiction can illustrate truth and even give hope in resolving conflict.
Here are 2 scenarios from our Tom Stone detective stories which are written to entertaintain and not just “teach” a lesson. But in crafting the stories, I found 3 truths that surfaced.
The Importance of Home
This is a scene from Tom Stone Nitty Gritty Christmas. My wife and I have adopted out of foster care and are familiar with group homes. I believe kids want a loving home environment, even if they can’t articulate…
