In a new post, Anne R. Allen examines auto-fiction, writing that blurs the line between autobiography and fiction. The industry still hasn’t quite figured out what to do with this emerging genre. “Guidelines say if there are real people in it and all the incidents really happened, you can call it nonfiction, even if you’ve changed the names of the real people,” Allen says. “But if some events or characters are made up, you’re better off calling it fiction.”
However, writers have more pressing issues than where to shelve their books. Readers already assume that writers use their real life in their fiction, especially if they write in first person. They also expect writers to look or behave like their protagonists. Adding autobiography to your fiction only makes that more difficult.
Worse, your loved ones and acquaintances might recognize themselves in your auto-fiction. While your personal history is fine grist for your writing, your friends might not appreciate reading anecdotes they told you in confidence.
There are benefits to auto-fiction, as well as pitfalls. A novel is easier to sell than a memoir, and often easier to write. Readers of nonfiction get irked when they believe events in a memoir have been fictionalized. “Novelizing stories of your own life can also save you the huge problem of putting real people into a book and worrying you may hurt their feelings or even get sued,” Allen says. “But if you give them different names and a few different characteristics from the original, most people won’t recognize themselves.”
One big pitfall is making yourself too heroic. “If you find yourself fulfilling your own fantasies in a scene, it’s probably time to hit delete,” Allen says. “There’s nothing wrong with personal fantasies. We all have them. But we need to be aware they can make lousy fiction.”
