{"id":1889,"date":"2015-02-06T09:35:26","date_gmt":"2015-02-06T17:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=1889"},"modified":"2015-08-18T08:09:17","modified_gmt":"2015-08-18T15:09:17","slug":"the-hard-truth-in-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2015\/writing\/the-hard-truth-in-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hard Truth In Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I read a novel, I want to escape and get into someone else\u2019s world for awhile. I want my imagination to run wild. I want to cheer for the protagonist when she fights for what she believes; I want to fear for her life when she\u2019s in jeopardy; and when she falls in love, I want to feel her excitement and revel in that wonderful emotion. Do I want to be reminded of the ills of the world? Of course not. For that, I follow the news or read the odd non-fiction book.<\/p>\n

But even though much of fiction is an escape from boredom and other trials of life, there are countless tales that have a veiled message about social issues of the highest magnitude\u2014race, religion, politics, war, etc. Or a story could refer to one that hits home regardless of the bigger issues that divide, like divorce, illness or death. There is hard truth in fiction.<\/p>\n

If an author truly cares about a subject, it\u2019s hard to keep those cares from seeping into the writing. Whatever bothers the author in life often bothers the protagonist in a story. Those seeds of discontent find their way onto the pages, whether it\u2019s conscious or unconscious. The trick is maintaining a balance, so that the writer isn\u2019t preaching through the mouths of his characters, unless, wink-wink<\/em>, the character is a preacher.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>My argument is that as long as the author isn\u2019t beating the reader over his or her lovely head with an unending lecture delivered by one of the characters in his story, then there is a place for social issues in fiction. Often fiction presents these dilemmas in a subtle enough way that the truth is easier to digest than if it was expounded upon in a book of non-fiction.<\/p>\n

Jodi Picoult has made a name for herself writing stories about families dealing with health concerns as well as others. In\u00a0My Si<\/strong><\/em>ster’s Keeper<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0, she shows how leukemia impacts a family and puts pressure on one daughter to help her sister, who is suffering from the disease.<\/p>\n

In the books The Help<\/a><\/strong> <\/em>by Kathryn Stockett, Book of Negroes<\/strong> <\/em>by Lawrence Hill, and To Kill A Mockingbird<\/strong><\/em> by Harper Lee, racial prejudice is illustrated in all its ugly colours.<\/p>\n

Anita Shreve in\u00a0All He Ever Wanted <\/strong><\/em>wove in the horror of anti-semitism. It came out of the blue in a story about a professor who was obsessed with a woman who \"All<\/a>coudn\u2019t return his love. I hesitate to say more, as I don\u2019t want to divulge any more surprises.<\/p>\n

In Televenge<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Pamela Cable\u2019s<\/span><\/span> mammoth work about the vagaries of televangelism, a charismatic preacher preys on the vulnerable. Yes, it\u2019s about\u00a0 a woman dealing with a cheating husband, but it\u2019s set against the backdrop of a much larger social issue.<\/p>\n

In my debut novel, A Cry From The Deep<\/a><\/em>,<\/strong> Catherine Fitzgerald, an underwater photographer, is passionate about the environment. The fact that\u00a0oceans are being polluted and that salvagers are\u00a0raping the sea bottom in pursuit of treasure galls her no end. And because the environment is something I\u00a0deeply care about, the threat to our oceans\u00a0crept into my story and into my character\u2019s thoughts and words. It wasn\u2019t planned. It just happened as I began writing.<\/p>\n

In fiction that tackles serious matters and gives us the hard truth, the reader not only escapes for awhile but is hopefully enlightened at the end of the book as well.<\/p>\n

Please leave a comment, don\u2019t be shy<\/strong>. Also, if you know of any books of fiction that have highlighted some social issue and yet managed to entertain you, I\u2019d love to hear about them.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I read a novel, I want to escape and get into someone else\u2019s world for awhile. I want my imagination to run wild. I want to cheer for the… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[609,682,25,681,78,19,680,677,229,678,9,626,630,131,679,5],"class_list":["post-1889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","tag-a-cry-from-the-deep","tag-anita-shreve","tag-author","tag-book-of-negroes","tag-diana-stevan","tag-fiction","tag-harper-lee","tag-jodi-picoult","tag-kathryn-stockett","tag-lawrence-hill","tag-novel","tag-pamela-cable","tag-televenge","tag-the-help","tag-to-kill-a-mockingbird","tag-writing-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/my-sisters-keeper-lg.jpg?fit=430%2C670&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-ut","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5374,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2021\/writing\/virtual-book-launch-of-lilacs-in-the-dust-bowl\/","url_meta":{"origin":1889,"position":0},"title":"Virtual Book Launch of LILACS in the DUST BOWL","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"30 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm very excited about my upcoming book launch of LILACS in the DUST BOWL, biographical fiction and family saga, set on the Manitoba prairies during the Great Depression. The Vancouver Island Regional Library will be hosting my virtual book launch on May 13 at 2 pm. There will be an\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lilacs in the Dust Bowl","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Virtual-Book-Launch-VIRL.jpg?fit=573%2C764&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Virtual-Book-Launch-VIRL.jpg?fit=573%2C764&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Virtual-Book-Launch-VIRL.jpg?fit=573%2C764&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":140,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2011\/writing\/more-on-the-novel\/","url_meta":{"origin":1889,"position":1},"title":"More on the The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"25 \u041b\u044e\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"In\u00a0 discussing the Stieg Larsson's novel, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, with a friend yesterday, I was reminded about why I like reading this book so much. She mentioned the author's mingling of social commentary with his story. I've always regarded Sweden as this sexually liberal country that was\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4206,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2019\/writing\/amazons-surprise-discount-psychological-fiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":1889,"position":2},"title":"Amazon’s Surprise Discount","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"9 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I checked the book categories of The Rubber Fence on Amazon and discovered that Amazon had given my novel a surprise discount. It was listed as $14.95 but was now on sale for $6.91. Confused, I phoned to enquire why. The agent told me that Amazon selects certain\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Quote-from-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Quote-from-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Quote-from-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Quote-from-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1783,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/setting-the-stage-in-fiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":1889,"position":3},"title":"Setting the Stage in Fiction","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"9 \u0412\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0441\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"How do you write the scenes in fiction? I spent quite a few years honing the craft of writing screenplays, which is useful in setting the stage in fiction. It\u2019s natural for me to think visually when I write. I see the scenes\u2014the rooms or outdoor spaces with people and\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Writing the setting","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Killybegs.jpg?fit=500%2C376&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4546,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2019\/writing\/surprises-at-whistler-writers-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":1889,"position":4},"title":"Surprises at Whistler Writers Festival","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"4 \u041b\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0434\u0430, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A number of surprises greeted me at this year's Whistler Writers Festival. I was invited because I was a Finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Awards in fiction for my novel, Sunflowers Under Fire. These awards are sponsored by the Writers Union of Canada. On a trail in Whistler,\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Whistler Writers Festival","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Whistler-gold-chair-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Whistler-gold-chair-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Whistler-gold-chair-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Whistler-gold-chair-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Whistler-gold-chair-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4129,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2019\/uncategorized\/mystical-surprises-on-the-writing-road\/","url_meta":{"origin":1889,"position":5},"title":"Mystical Surprises on the Writing Road","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"13 \u0411\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0437\u043d\u044f, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever been surprised by some wonderful phrase or sentence that you've written on your writing road? Have you ever wondered how it ended up on the page? Organicity Whenever I've looked at something I've written that seems magical, inspired, or downright surprising, I attribute it to the art\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 \"A Cry From The Deep\"","block_context":{"text":"A Cry From The Deep","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/tag\/a-cry-from-the-deep\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"sunflowers under fire","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/sunflower-front-ebook-very-small-size.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}