I'm wicked truthful, and in my writing, I want to tell the truth. In my writing, I tell stories that are quite true to my own life, based on real events and real people.
When I wrote my novel, the Pink Cage, the characters were quite strongly based on people I knew. But almost no-one spotted the people behind the characters. They were fictional characters, so the link was less obvious.
But my play, People Wipe Me, is autobiographical, so this time people could spot some of the real characters. The teacher who appears at the start of the play. The woman with the enemy dog.
Writing On A Knife Edge
This presented a challenge for me: how to be truthful without being hurtful. How to be true to the story I want to tell, without causing unnecessary pain to people I care about. I was balancing on a knife edge.
Yes, it's true my play is about the joy of speaking freely and being contrary. But I don't that gives me licence to trample on people's feelings. I didn't put these people into my play to jibe at them. I put them in because they were part of the story I wanted to tell.
Softening the Truth
To stay on the right side of that knife edge, I subtly changed my script for each performance. When I heard the woman with the enemy dog laugh heartily in the audience, I dropped my killer line about her.
Photo Description: Here I am on stage during the performance when I dropped my line about the woman with the enemy dog. I'm wearing my People Wipe Me costume of a tie-dye T-shirt and leggings with a red jumper.
The Truth Will Out
But sometimes the truth leaked out. In rehearsals for one of my performances, I carefully disguised the details of an organisation I mentioned in the play. But in the heat of performance, I let the name of the organisation slip – in the town where it was based.
There was nothing to do but throw myself on my sword. "The cat's out of the bag," I said. "If you want to call your lawyers in the morning, go right ahead." Luckily the audience saw the funny side and laughed heartily.
You can get into a lot of trouble for writing or saying things about real people. The words libel and slander are never far away. But I still think telling the truth is worth the risk. Because you are being true to yourself, to your own story.
And when you tell the truth, people see their lives reflected in your story, which can bring them comfort. So, I will rest on the knife edge, but I'll soften the blade.
How do you handle the telling of true events in your stories? Answers on a postcard, please… well, an email. You can email derbhile@writewordseditorial.ie or call 0876959799.