Tapping Fiction to Tell the Truth Truer

“Fiction is the lie that tells the truth truer.” That’s what writer Tom Spanbauer often says about fiction. And it’s true. By fictionalizing something, there is often a sense of freedom or release that blooms, allowing one to write about it in a new way. A scene, situation, or setting that might not be all that compelling or interesting when described exactly as it actually is/was can come to life and impact readers (and the author!) in ways that convey the truth truer. For example, when you add a trait to a character they might not have in real life, things shift, and the plot can thicken. When you move a scene that actually went down in the backwoods of Oregon to a jungle in SE Asia, things shift. In this workshop, we’ll see what sorts of stories we can create by tapping real relationships/events/memories/people, etc. and then applying fictional techniques. Writers of all types are welcome, so if you write mostly poetry or nonfiction, bring those skills and see what happens when you add a dash of fiction. If you’re already a fiction writer, bring something you’ve been wanting to write about but haven’t yet figured out how. We’ll buckle down and see how we can bring some good stories to the world. 

Gregg Kleiner is the author of the novel, Where River Turns to Sky, which was a finalist for the Paterson Fiction Prize and the Oregon Book Award, and was optioned for a feature film by Fox Searchlight. His first book for kids (and their grownups), Please Don’t Paint Our Planet Pink!, asks what might happen if we could see CO2 in the atmosphere as pink? He has worked as a wildlife biologist, journalist, visiting professor, communications professional, dairy goat farmer, and is currently the project coordinator for the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium.