Today’s post is by author Penny Haw.
Readers are intrigued by what is or might be true in literature. Even when authors vow that our fiction is just that—fiction!—readers interrogate us, and dissect characters, behavior, plot, and themes to find hidden elements of autobiography. There’s a sense that truth adds value to books. And, when the opposite occurs and facts are exposed as fiction—as was recently alleged in an Observer article about Raynor Winn’s memoir, The Salt Path—the weight of the work diminishes significantly.
During an event at this year’s Kingsmead Book Fair in Johannesburg, two authors were interviewed about their new fiction. Paige Nick’s novel, Book People, tells a rollicking story about the (largely but not entirely) imagined shenanigans of a Facebook book club with more than 23,000 members, which, in reality, the author founded and administers. Nick freely admits that some of the characters in the book are modeled on actual members and that, with the relevant members’ permission, she lifted several posts and comments directly from the site for her novel.
“Clearly the saying is true, you could not make this shit up…your words are better than anything I could have come up with,” writes the author in her acknowledgments in Book People.
The other author was Bonnie Espie, whose debut cozy mystery, Making a Killing, is set in a South African village very much like the one in which the author resides. Although she insists her book is fiction, Espie concedes some of her characters were inspired by real people from her village.
I was struck, during the interview and by the audience’s questions, by how utterly fascinated people were about who and what in Nick’s and Espie’s books were based on truth. Everyone wanted to know how fact and real people shaped the stories. Those members of the audience who belong to the Facebook book club asked—with what appeared to be a mix of dread and hope—if they themselves had inspired characters and events in Book People. The audience also wanted the lowdown on who among Espie’s neighbors appear in Making a Killing and seemed hungry for gossip about how they’d shaped the story.
“Who, among your characters, are real? Did you have to disguise them?”
“What, exactly, was your inspiration for the story? Who misbehaved?”
“Have people recognized themselves in your book? If so, how did they react?”
Books might be marketed as fiction, but it’s the truth and possibility thereof that intrigues people. I see this with my historical fiction. Inspired by the lives of Britain and Ireland’s first female veterinary surgeon, Aleen Cust; the wife and business partner of the inventor of the automobile Carl Benz, Bertha Benz; distinguished paleoanthropologist, Mary Leakey; and early female astronomer, Caroline Herschel, the books are fictionalized versions of real stories. The disclaimer, “A Novel” is prominent on their covers.
In my author’s notes in each book, I describe what is biographical and where I’ve added to or imagined incidents, characters, thoughts and dialogue. Still, readers inevitably ask me to confirm these claims. They want me to elaborate on the detail, particularly where this involves the challenges, misogyny, and prejudice that the women faced in reality.
“Was Aleen really disowned by her family?”
“Did Bertha’s father actually write ‘Unfortunately, only a girl again’ alongside her name in the family Bible?”
“Did Mary Leakey truly receive only two years of formal schooling?”
When I answer “yes” and reiterate and expand on what I wrote, their eyes light up and they nod. Readers are thrilled by the truth; the more inconceivable, the better. That seems certain. Why it is so, is more complicated, but there are theories.
Stories help us understand
It doesn’t matter who we are, we all want stories. They help us make sense of our experiences and a complicated world. Because we’re inquisitive, social animals, stories help us understand and connect with one another. When we recognize and relate to characters and events in stories—particularly those we believe to be true—it strengthens our social bonds and confirms we belong. There’s a kinship that inspires, informs and comforts us and, though we might not always be conscious of it or understand why, we’re all searching for truths in the world.
Stories also evoke emotions and help us understand what it might be like to be different. We want to see the truth in those stories to help us understand people who are different and have different experiences of life.
We want to be inspired
People love heroes, particularly real ones. We want to read and hear stories about how others experience life, overcome challenges and tragedy, and prevail regardless of the obstacles they face. We rejoice with them. Even where the subjects’ ambitions and experiences are nothing like our own, we want to know it’s possible to survive and succeed. If the stories are declared fiction, we want to believe they could be true because it elevates the emotion we experience. It gives us reason to celebrate.
Readers want to understand authors
When some readers ask authors what inspired a book, they want to know how it came to be written. They’re curious about whether the author is writing from experience. It’s not just that they want to believe the story; they also want to get to know and understand the creator. Even if a story is absolute fiction, readers get an understanding of the personal passions and philosophies of the author through their writing. Our stories represent who we are, what’s important to us, and things we want to share with others. That readers want to understand these things is encouraging. In fact, it’s wonderful. It’s important that readers care as much as authors.
Why authors should care
Authors are advised to write as if everything is true. Good fiction must be credible. While readers shouldn’t be duped, they must be convinced the story they’re reading could be true. If fiction is to effectively engage our imaginations and elicit the kinds of emotions that help us understand our world better, it must be possible the stories and characters could be real. Our emotional responses to stories and characters must be genuine.
If readers are moved to quiz you about the truth in your fiction, you’ve done a good job. Ideally, they’ll understand that fiction is an author’s response to reality. However, what really matters is that our stories feel true.
How authors can ensure their fiction rings true
- Know your interests, passions and key philosophies of life.
- Write about these things, the matters you truly care about. Passion shines in stories and is transferred to readers. Also, it brings joy to the writing process.
- Be inspired by real people and events. Observe and reflect upon the world, a place your readers will recognize and relate to.
- Explore and tap into your emotions. Recognize what moves you and how.
- Be brave and personal. Don’t be afraid of your struggles and personality showing up in your writing.
- Be yourself. Don’t pretend to be anyone or anything you aren’t. That way you don’t have to worry about keeping up pretenses.
Penny Haw was a journalist before turning to fiction. She had such fun writing her “gateway novel”—Nicko, an animal story for children—she continued. Her adult novel, The Wilderness Between Us, won the 2022 WFWA Star Award. Since then, she’s published biographical historical with Sourcebooks Landmark, including The Invincible Miss Cust (2022), The Woman at the Wheel (2023), Follow Me to Africa (2025), and The Woman and Her Stars (coming in 2026). Her stories feature remarkable women and illustrate her love for nature and animals. Penny won the 2024 Philida Literary Award. She lives in Hout Bay near Cape Town, South Africa with her husband and three dogs, all of whom are well-walked.
Nice work, Ms Haw!! I enjoyed and learned from your advice!
Thank you, Bob. I enjoyed writing it and it’s rewarding to engage with readers who become so invested in stories that they undertake their own research after they’ve read the books.
I tell people I started my Substack “Author Confessions: The Facts Behind the Fiction” about 18 months ago because I’m nosy and it’s a socially acceptable way to pry into authors’ lives and how they influence their stories haha.
So I love this post—you give much more eloquent reasons why readers care. Thanks for writing it!
Ha! Socially acceptable way to pry! Love it! It’s a win-win situation since most authors appreciate all opportunities to talk about their books and writing. In other words, thanks for being nosy.
I am so pleased to see this post here, because it explains why I much prefer nonfiction to fiction stories. I want to know this ACTUALLY happened to a REAL person. The reasons you give for this desire in me as reader ring true to me. Thank you.
I understand, but like the idea that readers also discover facts through fiction that they might not encounter in non-fiction.
Yes, that’s a good point, Penny. But if that fact is in fiction, how do I know it’s true and not simply made up by the author to suit the story? What is definitely true for me is that good fiction can open my eyes to emotions and emotional truths that I was not previously aware or conscious of. That is certainly valuable to me.
Eye opening and enlightening topic. Excellent points.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This comes in handy! In my most recent mystery (working title The Novel Detective) I turned myself into a character, the detective, and used a real setting, a school-turned-luxury hotel in Cuba. Most of the characters are based in real people. I had so much fun writing it!
I love the idea of an author assuming the role of detective in their novel. It makes sense since we have to work out where our story is going! If you had fun writing it, it’s sure to be a fun read.
Great post Penny! I’ve found it’s becoming more acceptable to include the “I” character in writing, as readers genuinely want to know about the person behind the words, especially if they empathise with the emotions, situations they’re writing about.