In my free time I do a lot of stuff. Sometimes I watch interviews with famous writers. It’s always fascinating to see another human being working in such a similar manner.
I chose this short video with Salman Rushdie explaining how fiction works because I feel that a lot of writers are struggling with what’s true and what’s not. You know, they can’t find the boundary between fiction and life.
And this, in my opinion, is crucial.
Also, I like his definition of human truth. That’s something I’ve discussed about with my writer friends. That our characters borrow characteristics from people we’ve met, that we write about our experiences and emotions and so on.
Even when you write about the things you don’t know, you only do so not because of your incredible power of imagination, but because you draw inspiration from a similar experience. We can imagine a planet with two suns (I really use this example a lot) simply because we’ve all experienced very hot days (well, most of us, anyway.)
I think that the writer’s job is to make the impossible seem plausible.
P.S. I’m still waiting for The Writer to show up on Amazon. It might take a couple more hours. I’ll keep you posted.
Reblogged this on wincharles.
"people you can believe in, behaving in ways you can recognize" It doesn't get any more true than that. Nice observation, Cristian and so great that you shared it.
I like the two suns example very much. One I use, I think it was a Roland Barthes essay, is the unicorn. Made up of a horse and a horn which were never seen together – and yet we have as a species somehow magicked the combination out of thin air. That's the really synthesising brilliance of the human mind – we can add to the world something entirely new by pushing together disparate but existing elements.
Perhaps the job of the writer goes even further than you suggest, though. Maybe our power is greater than we sometimes dare to think: not just making the implausible seem possible – but making the impossible real?
:-)
It is ironic that you posted this interview. I just watched him on a HBO show Friday evening.
I agree with the human touch and definitely making people feel that the impossible is plausible.
This is so true, and very relevant and I embark on NaNoWriMo. Granted, this is a novel writing challenge that happens in one month, however he is making me think about how I want to develop my story. How to make the characters in my fiction novel real. Thank you for sharing this.
The flying carpet reference was super helpful. Like "ah, that's how you make the fantastic seem real." Thanks for sharing this Cristian.
I saw him on Jon Stewart last week. Seemed like a nice guy.
I have an ex who is a famous writer now. We were in the same fiction writing classes in college. He published a short story and a "friend" mentioned to me the he thought this character was based loosely upon me. When I read it, my ex had taken everything that I was insecure about and magnified it 1000 tines to create the character…I'm still recovering from it. I probably should block him from my Facebook page. It was a good story though. I hope next time he paints me in a better light. Moral of this comment…don't date good writers.
Real Time? :) (I'm HBO-less and jealous)
Yes, Real Time!
Please don't worry about not having HBO. To be honest besides a movie once in awhile, I only have it for a few series, documentaries, and demand. And my favorite series is only during the summer months. And you can find all these in other venues.
Thank you for the reply!
Sincerely,
judy
Thanks for sharing this. I probably wouldn't have found this otherwise.
Fantastic interview! Thank you so much for sharing it. I love the phrase "human truth".
Thanks for sharing the video. Good advice from a great writer. I have only read one of his works, but found that he made unreal things very believable. I really liked his flying carpet analogy. If you are going to write about something unreal, you must make sure you know all about it, just as when you write about something that is real.
Thanks for sharing Rushdie's wisdom! Hmmm. would that flying carpet be rigid or would it undulate?!!!! Z
I saw him on the Daily Show as well, recently. He's a very interesting and thoughtful writer.
Thank you Cristian! I absolutely loved this, really inspiring. As always, looking forward to reading more.
Interesting. I don't think it is a satire.
Hi,
Thank you for this inspiring video from Rushdie on what is truth.
Ciao,
Patricia
He seems to be everywhere at the moment which is great because he is an incredible writer! thanks for posting!
[...] I write instead of doing the dishes and spend too much time reading other blogs. I watched a Big Think video posted by another Indie Author in which Salman Rushdie discusses fiction writing. Specifically, [...]
Thanks for posting…
SR was appearing at a local bookstore; we just weren't able to go, but wish we could have!
This is a great video. Thanks so much for showing it! It applies a lot to the conversation with my friends about what it means for the Bible to be "true." Can you run your life according to a book that we can't verify to be "true"? Does that make it false, or true in a different sense?
There's an interesting and topical article by SR in the New Yorker… Written in the third person :/
Thank you Cristian! I not only watched Rushdie, but also watched a few of the other advice from authors. What and inspiration. And best wishes for your 'Writer'!
And now of course, you planted a seed of curiosity about how closely I have based any of my characters off of people in my own life. It is entirely possible that perhaps "famous writer" made this character similar to you entirely subconsciously. I know this is the case when people draw parallels between characters or events in my fiction and my real life.
Well, this character had the same (unusual) job as I, knew tons of fairytales, which being from England I do too and he knew it. She had a sister that she was close with, she could never find a man who could be as sweet to her as her father was and she "dreamed of a passive husband". Which he was just mad that I dumped him for being controlling but…ouch. So I think that if you do that, then your friends from the past will recognize themselves in your work. Otherwise…you are probably in the clear.
But then on the other hand, I write what I know, which translates to my characters. But just because someone watches Fox Soccer, that certainly doesn't mean the character has the same personality as my friend who watches Fox Soccer. So perhaps it is double standards. I can write about people I know and expect them to not be offended…but heck, don't create a character who mirrors my flaws…or else. Basically, if you are putting people from your past into your characters, I don't think you can blame it on your subconscious, unless you are drunk while writing. Then perhaps….
Yes, thank you indeed for sharing this … the emotional landscape is a fabulous palate.
Cool. Lovely post.
Thanks for this post! Another writer once told me "no one has to know it's you" as a way of encouraging me to use personal experiences as a basis for my writing. How true it is that reality and fiction are entertwined — and how freeing once you understand that!
Salman Rushdie is coming to my town on October 26, 2012!