Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire: The Boundaries and Transparency Where Truth and Invention Can Meld to Create Alchemy of Story in Creative Nonfiction
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Authors
Phillips, Loraine (Lori)
Issue Date
2025-05
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Abstract
Nonfiction, by its very name decrees that a piece of writing is not fiction. But memory and firsthand knowledge aren’t always available to the writer. Creative nonfiction benefits from a variety of craft techniques that successfully bridge the narrative gaps, while being faithful to both the factual and the emotional truth of the story. Though definitions of “truth” within a nonfiction work may vary from author to author, the goal of truth is essential in nonfiction. If a piece is less than 100-percent truthful, the writer has an obligation to his reader and other writers in the genre to reveal that elements have been changed. Adjustments to format, admission of flawed memory during the storytelling, pre- or post-story disclaimers, time compression, summaries, and the use of contextually appropriate imaginings, are all techniques that help a nonfiction writer navigate the potholes in the storytelling road. They are by no means the only possible techniques, but I have found them to be especially relevant to my own personal journey and goals as a writer.