Once upon a time there was a fiction story written. It was taken from true facts, stories and the many experiences of the author on the topic. The readers rejoiced to see the story come to life and feel as though they experienced it.

But the naysayers came up to say, “Is it a true story? If it is fiction we cannot have it. We need to read true stories.”

The fact of the matter is, most truth is stranger than fiction. If you have read a fiction novel and it made you look up the facts, it has done its job. The author likely created the story with facts, and made up a story around it. Other times a fiction story is written with true facts that cannot be revealed as the truth.

I wrote a fiction novel that will never be published, based off of life experiences I had. At one point, I shared a portion of it with someone and some of the comments were laughable. The points they called out as unrealistic and too much fiction, were facts and experiences that had happened to me. I realized then that I could never publish a non fiction book of my life or people would do this even more so.

Yes, I have had an odd life. It is not one you would read everyday, as even to myself when I start to repeat what I have experienced, I stop and think, “How on earth?”

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When you read a fiction novel, instead of thinking, “Is this a true story?” look at the facts that it is based on and what you can learn from it. If you find yourself irritated by fiction, take some time to look at your life and why that is.

Fiction at times, can be the most truth telling about a life. It is often protecting those that cannot share their stories in the most pure form.

When you critique a book, realize to look at it in a critical format, without partiality.

  1. When was the setting of the book?
  2. Were times different then than now?
  3. Why am I assuming that I know more than the author that spent many, many years of research before writing this book, without looking it up? (Always look it up before you critique, I learned that the hard way).
  4. Distinguish that fiction allows liberties and not everything has to be factual, but you want to figure out the difference, usually by reading the authors notes.

These are helpful when you post a book review or critically offer suggestions. Fiction is valuable. Let’s stop putting it in a secondary place value.

martyomenko@yahoo.com

Martha Artyomenko is an unpublished fiction author who has published some nonfiction magazine articles and reviews over the years. An avid reader and mother of four sons, she brings her many years of expertise to play when writing realistic fiction about topics of mothering, domestic violence, and childbirth. In her free time, if she is not reading, you will find her walking while musing about her next story to write or traveling to learn history for another story. Martha Artyomenko supports authors by running an active social media group (Avid Readers of Christian Fiction) and newsletter promoting niche fiction authors that would otherwise be unknown. Join me by leaving a comment or signing up for the newsletter.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. smuckerstuff

    i love fiction and have decided to let the strange things people come up with slide off my back. If they don’t want to read fiction, that’s their loss.

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