Fiction Into Fact Poem by David Harris

As a writer of fiction there have been times
when some of my writing has been misinterpreted as fact.
Sadly I am not the only one
other writers have suffered from this curse.
In fact quite a few writers through history
have suffered from the same fate
with pieces of their writing.
Though vigorously maintaining it was fiction,
the population believed it to be fact and
even turned one story into a legend.

As a reader of ghost stories both fact and fiction
I came across the Angels of Mons during the First World War.
Rumours first started after the publication
of The Bowman by Arthur Machen
with its story about St George and the Agincourt Bowmen
covering the retreat of the British in a battle against an enemy,
but it was believed to be the British and French forces
in retreat against the Germans at Mons.

It is not the first time stories of fiction have been believed fact
and I doubt that it will be the last
as readers believe what they want to believe
no matter how the author may deny it.
I know as I have been down
that road myself a couple of times.
It is comforting in some ways
that we can write convincingly,
but uncomfortable when we know
it is just fiction and never happened.

29 December 2013