Writing Memoir that is Stranger Than Fiction? So What?
STRANGER THAN FICTION? I hear this phrase all the time in questions from students about how to write a family truth that is far more bizarre than anyone would believe. I disagree on the not-believing part, though not with the assertion that some domestic dramas are damn hard to write about. What to do? Here is everything you need to know.
This piece by Joe Rhodes ran in The New York Times Magazine last month, and when I tell you that it is set within the making of a Shirley MacLaine and Jack Black movie that is based on the true story of the murder and subsequent discovery of the body of Rhode’s mean-as-Texas-snake aunt, and how her body ended up in her own deep freeze, maybe you’ll believe me that there is something there for you to learn about this gnarly issue of handling strange, plain truth. Read it. Study it. See what you can learn. See if it does not liberate you just enough to get your story on the page. I think it will.
Incredible. What impressed me most about the piece is how the author maintained his personal point of view. He did not attempt to be an omniscient narrator or have the final word on the truth of the matter. He clearly did his research, interviewing those who were willing to be interviewed, reading court transcripts, and acknowledging other points of view (specifically that of his cousin, the deceased’s son) without any disparaging commentary that might border on slander. Thanks for sharing this article!
Hi, Laurie:
Thanks for stopping by. I am so glad you got so much from the piece, as well. A writing education is all around us, isn’t it? Please come back soon for more.
So glad I stopped by today. I loved the line about the killer wanting to feel grass underneath his feet.
I agree Marion, this is a very well-written piece that skillfully illustrates that truth is stranger than fiction. I still wonder what it was that finally caused Bernie snap. I imagine he had a festering wound that she just kept irritating but why did he opt to kill her? Why not just leave? He said it wasn’t premeditated but he put the gun in the garage so it must have been. Joe Rhodes is a skilled writer so maybe he purposely left out this part so we’d see the movie. Thank you for sharing this.
Hello to Stacy and Grace:
Thanks so much for coming by and for reading the piece by Rhodes. The movie is now on demand on TV. I’m tucking in soon to see if it stacks up against this magazine article. Looking forward to reading you both here again soon.