Comments on: The Power of Your Personal Story http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story the blog about writing stories and being a better writer Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:55:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: be the story » The Uselessness of Genres http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-75 be the story » The Uselessness of Genres Fri, 17 Feb 2006 05:51:26 +0000 http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-75 [...] In the latest episode of his podcast, Tee Morris tells a story about how he got into an argument over which genre one of Tom Clancy’s books “is.” The main feature of the podcast is a half-hour rant on James Frey. I’ve already commented on Frey. Tee, however, goes on as though Frey is the first jerk ever to pull this stunt. Off the top of my head, Mike Warnke some years ago was found out to have constructed his so-called true story out of whole cloth, after selling 3 million copies of the book and 1 million copies of his album. This truly is off the top of my head. I’m sure others have done it as well. How can I be so sure? Because human nature is human nature. The publishing industry didn’t implode from the scandal then, and it won’t now. Get over it. Move on. [...] […] In the latest episode of his podcast, Tee Morris tells a story about how he got into an argument over which genre one of Tom Clancy’s books “is.” The main feature of the podcast is a half-hour rant on James Frey. I’ve already commented on Frey. Tee, however, goes on as though Frey is the first jerk ever to pull this stunt. Off the top of my head, Mike Warnke some years ago was found out to have constructed his so-called true story out of whole cloth, after selling 3 million copies of the book and 1 million copies of his album. This truly is off the top of my head. I’m sure others have done it as well. How can I be so sure? Because human nature is human nature. The publishing industry didn’t implode from the scandal then, and it won’t now. Get over it. Move on. […]

]]> By: be the story » An Example of Real-Story Power http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-56 be the story » An Example of Real-Story Power Fri, 03 Feb 2006 16:35:29 +0000 http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-56 [...] A quick follow-up to The Power of Your Personal Story: Steve Pavlina last night posted on his polyphasic sleep experience. Some say it can’t be done. Surely, Steve has unique expiences and perspectives on the subject. Still, I get a kick when he talks about people who “tell me that what I’ve already done is physiologically impossible.” [...] […] A quick follow-up to The Power of Your Personal Story: Steve Pavlina last night posted on his polyphasic sleep experience. Some say it can’t be done. Surely, Steve has unique expiences and perspectives on the subject. Still, I get a kick when he talks about people who “tell me that what I’ve already done is physiologically impossible.” […]

]]> By: TimK http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-29 TimK Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:19:44 +0000 http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-29 Ha! Okay, I guess they might. I didn't even think of that. That's a very good point. But to get serious for a moment, the James Frey scandal actually drives the point home. This occasionally does happen. Someone writes a memoir. Sometimes it's on the market for years, selling copy after copy. Then it's exposed as a fake. And what's the inevitable result? People feel betrayed. We feel betrayed by James Frey. Why? I don't know James Frey. I don't know any of the people in his book. Whether or not he was lying isn't going to affect my life one bit. That's the way it is for most of us, yet most of us still feel betrayed. Somehow, the idea that this was a true story gave it life and power. Fiction we can discount, as sensational, as speculative, as unrealistic. But a personal story hits us full-force, and there's little we can do to fend it off. -TimK Ha! Okay, I guess they might. I didn’t even think of that. That’s a very good point.

But to get serious for a moment, the James Frey scandal actually drives the point home. This occasionally does happen. Someone writes a memoir. Sometimes it’s on the market for years, selling copy after copy. Then it’s exposed as a fake. And what’s the inevitable result? People feel betrayed.

We feel betrayed by James Frey. Why? I don’t know James Frey. I don’t know any of the people in his book. Whether or not he was lying isn’t going to affect my life one bit. That’s the way it is for most of us, yet most of us still feel betrayed.

Somehow, the idea that this was a true story gave it life and power. Fiction we can discount, as sensational, as speculative, as unrealistic. But a personal story hits us full-force, and there’s little we can do to fend it off.

-TimK

]]> By: Paula Berinstein http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-28 Paula Berinstein Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:57:32 +0000 http://bethestory.com/2006/01/24/the-power-of-your-personal-story#comment-28 Hee hee. If you're James Frey they might say it didn't happen to you. Hee hee. If you’re James Frey they might say it didn’t happen to you.

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