If you have characters and incidents based on true events in your story, how do you adapt that for fiction publishing? You risk angering friends and family IF and when it does get published and also all fiction works have a disclaimer that the characters and incidents are imaginary. Somehow, I can't believe that is true, as many must write about what they know (part from fantasy and horror and such genres). So how do you adapt non-fiction incidents and characters for fiction? Please advise as I am finishing the edits to my Fiction which is 'based on true events'.
Megan, thanks. I am tweaking my characters and have changed names. It is easier with time, as the non-fiction part is already written and then comes the time to edit and add more imaginary parts. To consolidate characters down to a few main ones and focus on what their role is in the story.
No matter what, if (and can I say when) the book is published, I am sure it will rub some people the word way. So be it!
I think most writers gain inspiration, to some degree, from people they know personally, or experiences, etc. Do they admit it? No. It's like the writing in the beginning of a book, 'characters are purely fictitious and any resemblance to a person living or dead is purely coincidental...' blah, blah, blah. Change, names and dates, and alter things slightly, if ever asked 'did you base your characters on people you know?' say, 'No, of course not!' :L
I know what you mean. I have tried to avoid names of people I know, although at times I have based events on things I've done and other people have done, purely because I write about what I know and life is where I draw my inspiration.
What i have tried to do to get around this is to use the more real life things as positives in the book and tried to get my bad ideas from total fantasy. As long as you don't use real names, or maybe even dates, I would think it should be fine to use them, also because if we didn't use these people and events then where would our ideas of life come from.