Quote by Wallace Stegner

The flimsy little protestations that mark the front gate of every novel, the solemn statements that any resemblance to real persons living or dead is entirely coincidental, are fraudulent every time. A writer has no other material to make his people from than the people of his experience ... The only thing the writer can do is to recombine parts, suppress some characterisitics and emphasize others, put two or three people into one fictional character, and pray the real-life prototypes won't sue.

The flimsy little protestations that mark the front gate of

Summary

This quote highlights the idea that the disclaimer often found in novels, asserting that any resemblance to real people is coincidental, is misleading. The writer's only source material for crafting characters is the people from their own experience. They may mix characteristics, merge multiple individuals into one fictional character, and hope that the real-life inspirations won't take legal action. Therefore, the disclaimer is fraudulent because characters are inevitably influenced by real people, even when aspects are modified or concealed.

Topics

Truth Fiction Writing Characters Creative Process Realism

By Wallace Stegner

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