The classic, cliche question when someone meets a psychologist is, “Are you analyzing me?” It comes up in the tired scripts of a million films, and perhaps people actually say it in real life (though growing up, practically all of my friends’ parents were psychologists, and I can’t say I ever saw this happen once).
As a writer, I’ve started thinking that the real question people should be asking is, “Are you writing about me?” While there are small portions of my novel that are based in fact, my characters are completely fabricated. But as I’ve started to try my hand in shorter pieces, I’m realizing that fiction and fact are closer than ever. Every time I observe someone doing something on the train that strikes a chord with me, I write it down. When a friend says something eccentric or perfect, I write it down. Once I deconstruct that fact and place it into a different situation, am I writing about them specifically? I’m not sure.
How out of context must a truth be to be considered fiction?
M
