Memory VS. History
I found an interesting blog today where the author argues that when writing memoir or creative non-fiction, facts may actually be less true that perception. The premise is that if I'm writing about my experience- what I remember, and how I feel about it- the account may not line up with the reality of what actually happened.
He gave an example of writing a memoir about finding out he had cancer. He remembers being speechless. His mother on the other hand, remembers the situation differently. She can clearly recall him bursting out of the doctor's office and yelling at the top of his lungs in anger. Contrary histories- but which is "truth" for the author.
The truth in reality is that this guy's mom was probably right. He probably DID burst out of the office yelling. But it's not true to how he remembers it. And in memoir it's actually closer to the truth to relate events as we remember them rather than as they actually happened. We're not creating a news report but rather a collective memory of our experience. And in creative non-fiction, we want more than an accurate depiction of the events in question. We want readers to experience our memory and the way we feel about our memory now. We want those who read our work to live within our mind for a moment and feel the experience with us. In fact, creative non-fiction is less about what happened in the past that we're recounting and more about what was happening in our mind as we were remembering and reliving the experience. It's about communicating how we're feeling when we sit down to write it out rather than how we felt when the event in question happened to us.
This whole thing is a clear example of the meme "perception=reality."
Now, this may seem like a step away from moral relativism, but it's not. This is only applicable in this particular genre. It's not a blanket allowance to twist facts anytime we please. Newspapers can't and shouldn't do this when they report an event. Neither should science journals.
In the realm of creative writing, however, it's not only a nice idea- it's mandatory. If a reader experiences the facts of a situation rather than the reality that the author experienced- the work is actually fiction. At least fiction in regard to what the author was trying to communicate. To put it another way, creative non-fiction writers should use the following mantra whenever they are questioned about the reality of what happened: "Yes, that's what happened, but this is how I experienced it."
He gave an example of writing a memoir about finding out he had cancer. He remembers being speechless. His mother on the other hand, remembers the situation differently. She can clearly recall him bursting out of the doctor's office and yelling at the top of his lungs in anger. Contrary histories- but which is "truth" for the author.
The truth in reality is that this guy's mom was probably right. He probably DID burst out of the office yelling. But it's not true to how he remembers it. And in memoir it's actually closer to the truth to relate events as we remember them rather than as they actually happened. We're not creating a news report but rather a collective memory of our experience. And in creative non-fiction, we want more than an accurate depiction of the events in question. We want readers to experience our memory and the way we feel about our memory now. We want those who read our work to live within our mind for a moment and feel the experience with us. In fact, creative non-fiction is less about what happened in the past that we're recounting and more about what was happening in our mind as we were remembering and reliving the experience. It's about communicating how we're feeling when we sit down to write it out rather than how we felt when the event in question happened to us.
This whole thing is a clear example of the meme "perception=reality."
Now, this may seem like a step away from moral relativism, but it's not. This is only applicable in this particular genre. It's not a blanket allowance to twist facts anytime we please. Newspapers can't and shouldn't do this when they report an event. Neither should science journals.
In the realm of creative writing, however, it's not only a nice idea- it's mandatory. If a reader experiences the facts of a situation rather than the reality that the author experienced- the work is actually fiction. At least fiction in regard to what the author was trying to communicate. To put it another way, creative non-fiction writers should use the following mantra whenever they are questioned about the reality of what happened: "Yes, that's what happened, but this is how I experienced it."