I never thought I’d elicit passionate pleas to have yea and nay edify such vociferous effect when asking a simple question. “There is a thin line between fiction based stories and factual information. It’s all about dramatic effect and how one spreads it among the pages of a great book. Literally speaking, any great writer can take a small substance of a story then aim for the stars to create a masterpiece. Realism and imagery is closer than you think.” The aforementioned was given when I asked the question, “How close is fiction to fact?” I suspect that I would generally get a myriad of answers to illustrate different points of contention -- and I was right. Personally, I liken the two to be dependent on how mindsets are positioned to illustrate whatever is relevant psychologically to accept what’s real or imagined.

I have been writing for years and have always marveled at how I arrive at subjective titles worthy of my penmanship. Who can deny sharp with at the expense of a fluid pen? Not I, and certainly not others who profess to be connoisseurs of linguistic fortitude. With this in mind, I consider myself a laborer of the mind…one who theorizes about the world and writes essays to share those thoughts. More particularly, I had become this way because fact and fiction is synonymous with how I’m able to project myself intrinsically within my literary muse. In the past, and even now, nothing intrigues me more than to write from an opinionated view, and with a conviction! I admire my ancestors – those of sharp wit and mind who have endeavored to give me flavor to savor and substance to build on. As a Black intellect, I want to be a laborer of the mind…to write among, and about my people sharing the odes and stories of how we survived, and how we continue to create laughter in the eye of storms.

I want my words to incite joy, evoke tears, and initiate change. Don’t castigate me because you may not be where you should be to understand where I’m coming from. Don’t belittle me because you feel I’m pedantic, dictionaries are still useful. Endeavor yet, to learn at your own pace, and respect those that have heeded the sane advice. I want to share my penchant for writing and put in position students to appreciate the importance of reading. I want this to get on the inside of them to help fix the fallacy of Johnnie not reading at all. My dream is that one day, one of my poems, essays, short stories, or that eminent novel that is forthcoming, can be instrumental in making them emotional enough to cry, to love and to seek intellectual freedom.

As a freshman in college I realized and gave much attention to realism, and struggled to find ways to fuse it into my world of fantasy. It’s when I mastered the world of literature and truly embraced the Harlem Renaissance did I appreciate how the literati of that age transcended it. I’m a dreamer. I’ve always been one. A man with meager pretension but great aspiration wrote the book that changed my life from an artistic way of thinking. His only goal was to be understood. I speak of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. To this day, I’m in awe of this author who took language and altered my existence without ever knowing me! I wrote an essay about how and why this book is so important to me, but this is a man who wrote beyond limitations where fantasy and reality brought new meaning to identity.

How close is fact to fiction? Another insight to the question was answered in the mode of colorful whim. To wit: “it’s all in whose directing the pen. Many claim the gifts of writing but only a chosen few are worthy of this talent. The manner in which the author tells his/her story determines if they are playing the role of a writer, or if they were born to be a writer. The latter usually is the one with the most satisfaction, but may not always experience the greatest success with his prize possession. I am told that there is a time and a season for everything under the sun, and that applies to writing a great book as well…. As long as your fruit is ripe and the time has come for the masses to indulge in that delicacy, then fact is much greater than fiction. You will not become frustrated or think of writing as a chore if no one validates your work or appreciate your efforts. What distinguishes between a person who writes a good story and an awesome writer is the reason a story must be shared with others in the first place. Thus, a story may begin as fact but once the gift takes over and creativity steps in to add a few chapters with a lot of spice and flavor. Fact is gone and fiction is on her way to the big screen in Hollywood. So, with that being said, fact is only as true as fiction would allow the passion to expression itself, and this is with the aid of a pen without limitations.” Well said, and one that echoes my very sentiments! Realism in the face of imagery is in the mind of the beholder, and can go a long way to project how close fiction really is to fact.