Writing should, at its heart, be about truth and honesty, but always be careful when you decide to name names. Every one of us has his or her own story. I once taught a class on non-fiction writing. People were there to write biographies, family histories, travel articles and more. Every story has its own characters. In fiction writing, you can pick and choose your characters. In real life, not so much. The most we can do in non-fiction writing is change the names to protect the innocent or to prevent drama and even lawsuits. To stay true to a true story, the real people must remain, whatever their names. In my teaching, I use examples of what to do and what not to do based on my own experiences. However, when I write about communications with a particularly vile person, I am not going to use her real name. I can stay true to the story without provoking her flying monkeys.
We’ve all seen the disclaimer about supposedly fictional characters: “Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.”
Most people I know say they are good judges of character. Well, not me. In fact, I have failed at either end of the first-impression courtroom–judge or the judged. But that’s ok. I like to let people’s stories unfold. Some suspense and mystery add to every story, even comedies and fairy tales and, best of all, true stories. Life is full of surprises. All writing starts from a place of truth whether we acknowledge it or even recognize it. Whatever your form of storytelling, the characters are essential. What you call them is your business.
