Search the site...

DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
  • Publication
  • Services
    • Ghostwriting
    • Content Marketing
    • Digital Strategy
  • About
  • Publication
  • Services
    • Ghostwriting
    • Content Marketing
    • Digital Strategy
  • About

How Reliable Is Your Imagination as an Author?

3/30/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Will Viharo

In this era of  “fake news” and “alternative facts,” generating debate about the fate and future of Truth, fiction writers may feel obligated to invent stories based in reality, rather than fantasy.
 
Of course, that distinction is constantly being challenged, as the natures of both are being called into question by mainstream media pundits, politicians, philosophers and artists alike.
 
The goal should still be to write stories that stand the test of credibility, even if you’re totally making them up to suit a personal agenda.




​As a people we once took reality for granted. Now that things like “truth” and “facts” and even “history” are being subjectively subverted in the endless maze and malaise of social media, creating fiction for its own sake may seem not only obsolete, but counterproductive.
 
Why do readers need to “escape” into “fantasy” when they’re not even sure they can believe what they read in allegedly “non-fiction” periodicals? That line is so blurry you can’t even trip over it anymore. You just walk right through it, unaware you’ve even crossed from one side to the next.
 
“Fake news” stories still run rampant on the Internet, many concocted by people with an underlying agenda. The separation of satire from propaganda has become a nearly impossible task.
 
Most fiction has no purpose other than to entertain. Most non-fiction has no other purpose than to inform.
 
But if both are mining one’s imagination, what exactly is the difference? Does it even matter anymore?
 
Eyes and Ears of the Beholder
 
Christians maintain The Bible is a true story meant to enlighten our species, even save it. Non-believers question its validity and dismiss it as an epic fable, or even a parable, but not “gospel truth.”
 
If there is only one reality, which one trumps the other?
 
It’s all a matter of individual perspective. Basically, if you’re relating a tale with enough conviction, it comes alive in the minds of the audience – but only if they’re receptive to its message and content.
 
The same is true of fiction, meaning creative fiction – i.e. short stories, novels, plays, etc. These days, you need to actually explain the context, or so it seems.
 
Whether your story is set in ancient Greece or futuristic Mars, you as the author need to believe in your own story. You need to tell it as if it’s actually happening, or did happen, or will happen. In other words, you need to be a really, really, really convincing liar. And your readers will adore you for it.
 
However, if your story is so outlandish that it defies credibility, even within a boundless context, your readers will turn on you. Whatever version of reality you’re creating, you need to make it come off as if it’s the only reality that matters in the moment. Or even that it’s quite possibly an alternative reality, taking place in a different dimension, but no less tangible than our own, at least to its participants and voyeurs.
 
Remember, as a fiction writer, you don’t need to adhere to the same game rules as a press agent, even if it does sometimes seem they seem to be borrowing yours…
 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

      Sign up for the Latest Ghostwriting insight here!

      By clicking on the Submit button below, you consent that your inquiry, including your personal data, will be transferred to Digital Media Ghost.
    Subscribe
    Picture
    EDITORIAL CALENDAR
    Picture
    BECOME A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
    Picture
    PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS
    Picture
    LET THE WORLD KNOW YOU WRITE
    Picture
    TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Agency Spotlight
    Business
    Digital Marketing
    Ghost In A Flash
    Ghostwriting
    Media Relations
    Privacy Concerns
    Privacy-concerns
    Social Sabotage
    Technology
    Writer Spotlight
    Writing

    Advertising Disclaimer

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Find your domain and create your site at Weebly.com!
Digital Media Strategy
Content Marketing
Law Firm Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
eBooks
Writing
Becoming a Ghostwriter
Blogging
Content Marketing
Ghostwriting Services
Guest Post Guidelines
Media Relations
Online Crisis Management
Personal Brand
Public Relations
Reputation Management
About
Our Team
Our Results
Testimonials
Contact Us
Locations:
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

DMG University
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Policy
Digital Media Ghost  @2020