Non-fiction novel
Asked by Wang Zhang on September 19, 2023
Is non-fiction novel a genre?
I would like to write a novel that's based on true stories and woven together with fictitious conversations. Can I say: This is a novel based on true stories? I would like to use the novel structure to write it, like the 3 disasters/acts structure, just to vividly present my story. But my theme is very serious theological topic. That's why I said, it's non-fiction. I heard you mentioned a book called "In cold blood", it's also a non-fiction story, right? That's my favorite approach. Coz my true stories are extremely valuable. If I write in non-fiction, it would be a little boring, compared to a novel structure, adding some interesting characters and made up conversations which support the core value or the theme of the story. What do you think?
Jerry's Answer
Yes, Wang, many novels are based on true stories, but that's not what In Cold Blood is. That's a wholly nonfiction book written with fiction-writing techniques and valuable for you to read. Nowhere on it or in it will it say it's fiction or based on a true story. It simply is a true story.
The downside of a novel based on a true story--and labeled as such--is that the reader will wonder what parts are true and which are not. And they will likely be wrong, because truth is often stranger than fiction.
I would urge you to write one or the other: a true story written as compellingly as a novel (like In Cold Blood), or a novel.