When Reality Becomes Fiction

 By Mark W. Danielson

Writing non-fiction can be a lot of fun, but it also requires tremendous scrutiny.  While I prefer accuracy in fictional details, there is no room for error in non-fiction.  In fact, the only thing worse than errors in non-fiction is stealing someone else’s work.  Case in point, reflect on how plagiarism tarnished author Stephen Ambrose’s credibility.

I am currently involved in co-writing a biography, and it has been one of my most challenging works because my collaboration does not involve direct research.  Instead, my job is to turn the presented material into a publishable document. 

The story is one of an immigrant who enlisted in the Marine Corps and becomes a fighter pilot.  A genius that invented air-to-air radar missiles and shot down two MIG 15s on a dark Korean night.  A man so brilliant that President Kennedy asked him to get out of the Marine Corps and go into the private sector.  A man that eventually took us to the moon as NASA’s Chief Engineer for NASA’s Apollo space program.  Sound interesting?  I thought so. 

In the eyes of the co-author, I was the perfect choice to help write this story.  After all, I flew fighters from the same Korean air base a generation later, am a US Navy TOPGUN graduate and air-to-air combat instructor, have published over one hundred non-fiction articles and four novels, and I believe in this story.  But progress has been slow because my understanding of non-fiction is different from my co-author.  While I believe that facts are facts, he thought we could re-write history to give the story more flair.  Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way.  I will never put my name on anything that isn’t true, even under a pseudo name.   

During our last meeting we agreed that he would organize every one of his documents by date, create an accurate timeline, and start over.  Many moons will pass before I become involved in this project again.  However, taking a break is good because whatever material he presents will then be fresh. 

My reason for mentioning this is because any inaccuracy in a non-fiction work will forever cost an author his or her credibility, and without credibility there is no chance of publishing non-fiction again.  Stephen Ambrose’s infractions still haunt his grave.   

To protect yourself, never rely on Internet research, question every source, and consider that every picture relevant to your topic could be Photoshopped.  Most importantly, have an independent source that is familiar with the topic review your work before ever sending it on.    

Playing God

By Mark W. Danielson

Mystery writers all play god. A non-denominational god, mind you. Throughout our stories, we decide who lives and who dies. That’s what makes writing them fun. If we don’t like a character, we can bump ’em off with no repercussions. What other job gives you that kind of fulfillment?

Over the years, I’ve gained a great deal of therapy from my writing. In fact, many of my stories have been conceived out of frustration. Give me a disturbing event and I can wrap a tale around it in no time. The more personal the story, the more emotional my characters become. But while it’s easy killing off evil characters, sometimes the good must also die. Those are the most difficult deaths to write about, but their demise replicates the real world. Suicides excepted, none of us can chose our fate. The same rules apply to our characters.

I once wrote a story about vigilante justice. Since I’ll never publish it, I’ll introduce it, but first a little background. Many years ago, the US Navy was developing a stealth bomber called the A-12. Even though it never got past the mockup stage, millions of dollars still poured into it. I decided to capitalize on this by creating a story that skimmed funds from the A-12 money pit to finance a government sponsored vigilante group that erased undesirables. I’m not talking about assassinating potential terrorists – I’m referring to ridding the corrupt politicians who rape this country. (Remember, this is fiction.) I was pretty happy with my story until a movie called Swordfish came along. Believing my plot similarities were too great, I decided not to pursue publication. In spite of my disappointment, it was rewarding to know I wasn’t alone in my feelings over the bribes and double-dealings in Washington DC. My story was called The Patriot. How ironic that Mel Gibson later chose that title for one of his movies.

What made my version of The Patriot even more interesting concerns an Air Force general that I bumped off in the story. Made to look like a suicide, his vigilante murder was successfully covered up. By coincidence, two weeks after I wrote that chapter, Admiral Jeremy Boorda, the Chief of Naval Operations, actually did commit suicide. His death was a blow to the Navy because he was the first enlisted sailor to ever reach the rank of admiral. I remember him well because I had retired from the Navy the previous year. Unlike in my story, no foul play was involved, and out of respect for him, I won’t discuss the circumstances that lead to his fateful decision. However, his death did prove that my fictitious general’s “suicide” was indeed plausible.

By trade, murder mystery writers are killers, but that doesn’t mean we’re bad people. We just identify misdealings and try to set things right. If you’re an author and have ever disliked someone or are upset with someone’s actions, don’t get mad, get even. Base your characters on them and then send them straight to Hell. Bumping off bad guys is fun, and it always makes for happier endings.

Stumbling Along

By Mark W. Danielson

Last week, Beth wrote about authors’ humble beginnings. My story is I stumbled into writing. In fact, I’m probably the most unlikely author in our blog group because my initial passions were painting, flying, and downhill skiing. As a student, I read only what was required, and having had zero interest in English or journalism, the fact that I’m even writing is nothing short of a miracle. But what made me an author is somewhere along the way I discovered that I possessed an essential writing trait – a willingness to share my thoughts on paper. And so began my love affair with the written word.

College was easy, so long as my assignments involved essays. Even so, I never imagined that one day I’d be writing novels. Sure, I cranked out some articles for the college paper, and later, some non-fiction articles for magazines, but I never thought much of it. I suppose that seeing them published encouraged me to write more, but it wasn’t until the United States Navy forced me to become computer literate that I truly became interested. Had they not sent me to computer school, I’d probably still be using my typewriter. There is no way that I’d draft a novel in hard-copy, but I salute those who have.

The Personal Computer definitely piqued my interest in writing. Suddenly, my thoughts appeared on screen as fast as I could think. Even better, my flying fingers impressed my superior officers with how hard I was working. Thankfully, they never looked over my shoulder to see I was writing novels on company time. (Oh, please – like I’m the first author to do that! For the record, I conducted plenty of Navy business, too.)

The great thing about writing is there are no age requirements, and it requires minimal mobility. So long as you can prop your head up and reach a keyboard, you can write. While it’s true that some people are born to write, it’s great that people like me can stumble into it later in life. And with all this texting and blogging, it’s a wonder there aren’t more young authors. By adding a few more keystrokes, they could be writing short stories. Building on them would make them novels.

Some of our best writing comes from subconscious thoughts. They key is writing them down before they’re lost. Allowing your thoughts to flow, just as you do in conversation or texting, will make you a creative writer. All it takes is perseverance and a lot of editing. Good luck, and have fun with it.