”Biographies bore me. I don’t care how insightful a biographer is, no one knows what’s going on inside someone else’s head. Autobiographies bore me, too, because we lie to ourselves even more than a biographer does. Here’s what I think the bottom line is: if you’re looking for truth, try fiction…. I’ve always believed that the lies we use to make our fictions reveal the truth with far more honesty than any history or herstory or life story. ”
— Charles deLint
Tell me a story.
What kind of story?
How about one where we can believe that heroism exists and that love survives and thrives. How about a story about life in a kingdom who’s rulers are just and care about the land and the people. One where in the end people grow and change and noone goes to bed hungry and alone and no one has to worry that their neighbours will hurt them because they can and they take everything. How about a story where happiness exists and can be realized, recognized and honoured?
Oh I see. You want fiction, a fairy tale
No I want a real story about the life that I live in my heart…
Blessings, G
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Opal Infinitude by G A Rosenberg/h5>
I want to live in that story – I love the quote also —
Wow, powerful question for everyone I believe. What story do we wish to live in?
I relaly loved this and I quoted you on my Facebook page, I hope you don’t mind! Peace Jaz
Thank you, I am glad you found meaning in it.. Quote me or use the quotes I found anytime
Thank you!…Peace, Jaz
Reblogged this on jazfagan and commented:
Very Kewl!!!!!!
Finally, someone finally got that !
I like a story too. But how about Henry Miller’s “autobiography”?
I havent read it yet but I would still question its honesty — most of us have rather fallible memories and think of ourselves as better AND worse than we are
I thought of Henry Miller because he explicitly states “the novel is dead” and proposes that autobiography is sufficient at least in his case. He wrote three trilogies about himself starting with Tropic of Cancer, then Capricorn, and Black Spring and then the Sexus, Nexus novels. He’s a great writer. Whether it’s exactly true is doubtful, but it doesn’t really matter in the end. It may be a little rough and perhaps heavy for you, but I found him inspiring when I first read him.
But then there is amazing truth in fiction and something doesnt have to have really happened for it to be true
That’s right.
The quote feels narrow. Isn’t there room for it all? Isn’t pushing one out, saying one is more true or meaningful than the other the WORLDS problem?
Very often I agree, still Charles deLint or more likely his characters point of view is that fiction gives us the full removal to be honest…. As I said your writing is an exception, so honest and so well done
As a memoirist I was trying to decide if I should change the names and write the truth in fiction. When I took this question to a few writers, both fiction and non fiction writers, also a few poets I admired, many said, “It depends of how much courage you have.” Can you stand naked and not shrink. If not, write fiction.
I like that tho I believe that poetry allows for more honesty than prose autobiography…Tho your writing has always struck me as extremely refreshingly honest
Thanks