Writing Who You Know…
Song stuck in my head at the moment… “Here It Goes Again” by OK Go
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I’m sitting here editing while snarfing down a tuna melt, and I came across a funny note in the manuscript that I left for myself. I’m describing Alex’s mother, an earthy, salt-and-pepper woman in her 50’s, introduced with Cora’s first visit with the family.
The note says: “Hey Ed… Who’s this in real life? Tee hee!”
First off, no, I am not ashamed to “tee hee”. It’s the most natural thing in the world. Despite the rumors of my curmudgeonlyness, I tee-hee often. Get off my case.
The thought I had was this: It is often the case with fiction writing that the real world slips in and makes a home in the lines of your work. While some writers will try to wheedle out of this practice, I’ve found it’s easier to embrace it. People from my life always show up in my work. The woman described above? Eddie’s co-worker, who’s just the happiest, huggiest, most joyful person you could want to meet. When I think of Alex’s mum, how she would be, that’s who she is.
Even better, my favorite cameo in the book: The happy old woman on the boat in the flashback in Chapter 4? That’s Eddie’s Nonna, possibly the sweetest little lady who ever lived. She used to take my face in her hands and say “Thank you for making my grandson so happy” in this tiny little voice that sounded like it was full of a life well lived. When I thought of what a wonderful little old lady would sound like, it’s Nonna all the way.
The good news is this: It can be your little literary secret. Everyone has someone that fills that archetype in their head. I always use Hemingway as an example. One of his good friends was a bullfighter. Knowing that, read “The Sun Also Rises”. See what I mean?
If you write them well, you can enjoy seeing your own cast while you’re writing, and your fans will enjoy their own cast when they’re reading, and your work will be the better for it on all fronts. It’s a glorious little win-win.
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On another note.. I would be remiss if I didn’t say a word on the passing of John Updike. Very rarely does an author come along who writes so much, earns so many accolades, wins not one but TWO Pulitzers, and passes off a Nobel Prize to a fictional character. The man has moved on, but the books remain…
2 Responses to “Writing Who You Know…”
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I like your blog entry. I’ve been wondering the same thing about using actual people in my writing. I’m writing a memoir…how can I NOT use real people? Should I plan to rearrange their details to make them unrecognizable? They may not wish to be in my memoir. What would you do?
sandy
That’s a great question! I often use people as a guidepost for my writing, but never their names. Only a select few people in my personal circle would say “Hey, is that so-and-so?” with the rest of the reading public making up their own “so-and-so”s and “whats-her-name”s. With a Memoir, as it falls into the realm of non-fiction, I believe the legal aspect of depicting real people comes into play.
A lot of times, a writer will use fictionalized names in a non-fiction work, for a variety of reasons. A good example of this is “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She fictionalized almost all of the names and some of the towns in her memoir of travel through Italy, India and Indonesia. By her own admission, this was in part to protect her Guru and Ashram in India from an undue amount of attention, but of course the practical purpose of fictionalizing is getting around some of those consent issues. Depending on the content of your memoir, fictionalizing might be right for you.
I am nowhere close to being a lawyer, and this is not my area of expertise, but I can tell you what my gut feeling tells me: In the event that you use real names, the written consent of the individual to use their name and likeness would be the wisest course of action, especially if the subject of the memoir is sensitive, or would give the individual any cause for concern (real or imagined). If you are going through a publisher, a host of legal policy and review will be in place to protect the interests in all (If nothing else, to guard against Oprah incidents like “A Million Little Pieces” and “Angel at the Fence”). If you are self-publishing, it might be prudent to consult a lawyer who specializes in entertainment law, just to check the crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s. There may be no such thing as bad publicity, but headaches come in all shapes and sizes, and you should be enjoying your success, not chewing on asprin!
Best of luck with your memoir! I hope to see it adorning many bookshelves and best-seller lists in the future!