post 5: the truth in a memior

Nonfiction is defined as a piece of work or literature that is based on facts and real events, sometimes composed into a story. In order for an author to write a nonfiction piece, it must be all facts, all real or else it is not considered truly nonfiction. If events, characters, settings, or anything are changed or altered then the book is not TRULY nonfiction. If an author claims a book is nonfiction but bits and pieces are changed to make the story “more interesting” then the book should be considered realistic fiction. In that situation, the author could also say that their novel is based on a true story but it cannot be considered nonfiction.

It is understandable when dialogue is altered a little bit when the exact conversation can’t be remembered. But any other changes that would change the plot line of the story wouldn’t be considered completely true or nonfiction. When authors write memoirs, their stories and events should be 100% true. If someone finds out that what they wrote about themselves is a lie or actually didn’t happen, then their credibility will go down the drain and probably ruin their career (depending on how bad it was). If the author really feels that they have to change their own life around to make their story interesting then maybe they shouldn’t be writing about themselves in the first place. People need to be able to trust the author and if what the author wrote is a lie then the trust between the author and their reader is broken.