A few years ago, when I still harbored a secret fantasy of becoming “that person who writes a best-seller” (it seems like anyone who loves to read has experienced this fantasy at least once?), I crossed paths with what has now become one of my favorite books about writing: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Her book is full of wisdom on developing a writing practice and telling stories. Although I have yet to write my best-seller (!), Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones has nurtured my appreciation for “true stories” – narrative and creative non-fiction, memoirs, biographies, true crime, etc.
WE ALL HAVE A DREAM OF TELLING OUR STORIES – OF REALIZING WHAT WE THINK, FEEL, AND SEE BEFORE WE DIE. WRITING IS A PATH TO MEET OURSELVES AND BECOME INTIMATE.
NATALIE GOLDBERG, WRITING DOWN THE BONES
Although I am often enamored with a good true story, I’ve also struggled to consistently incorporate non-fiction into my day-to-day reading life. As an avid lover of fiction, I realized that I often overlook the amazing breadth and depth of non-fiction work that is pushed out into the world – especially work focused on real people and their lives. In an effort to expand my own reading habits, I decided to create a space to amplify this genre. Welcome to Truth Over Fiction.
WRITERS LIVE TWICE. THEY GO ALONG WITH THEIR REGULAR LIFE, ARE AS FAST AS ANYONE IN THE GROCERY STORE, CROSSING THE STREET, GETTING DRESSED FOR WORK IN THE MORNING. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER PART OF THEM THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TRAINING. THE ONE THAT LIVES EVERYTHING A SECOND TIME. THAT SITS DOWN AND SEES THEIR LIFE AGAIN AND GOES OVER IT. LOOKS AT THE TEXTURE AND THE DETAILS.
NATALIE GOLDBERG, WRITING DOWN THE BONES
Truth Over Fiction aims to connect readers with books and authors who expose the beauty and tragedy of real-life stories. I want to read amazing work by people who, as Natalie Goldberg said, are living their lives a second time through their writing. I want to experience the textures and the details of the world happening around us, through other’s eyes. Because sometimes truth is better than fiction.
Truth Over Fiction 