I have no answers but many of the same concerns and I appreciate hearing an author muse while she is *in the middle* of these questions, without certain answers or a fixed conclusion. A great conversation!
This is so so interesting. I feel like it’s just the beginning of the conversation. It’s scary to bring these things up because if you are on bookstagram or booktok, you know the community can be extremely self righteous to the point it shuts down discussion.
I see this forming into two bits - one about profiting off someone else’s story, and two about the manipulation of truth into fiction. Obviously they go hand and hand but they could be seen as two distinct crimes against subjects. It makes me think of all the insanely obvious Law and Order episodes that are so clearly based on real life cases. We all knew. To me it was removed enough it still felt like fiction, but I could absolutely understand the pain of someone who sees their own distorted truth in the image.
What do we owe public figures? What do we owe to our readers?
I don’t really know where to go with this but it’s got me thinking for sure!
I hit publish then turned off the light and tossed and turned for hours continuing to think about it! You make a good point, breaking down the issue into multiple issues (which really helps to tackle it). And yet both questions come back to: what do we owe others? Someone needs to do an Author Ethics & Philosophy 101 Class !!!
This is so coincidental….this week I wrote a book review about YELLOWFACE by R. F. Kuang where I also brought up these very questions about who owns a story. I merely asked. I didn’t come to any conclusions. Literary life sure is complicated. https://shelleyburbank.com/book-review-yellowface-by-k-l-kuang-part-i/
I just read (and loved) your piece about Yellowface, which I still haven't read. I see this as a very related yet sometimes different conversation (who gets to write about a certain experience, especially one that is marked by a certain racial or ethnic experience, and especially when the writer comes from a place of privilege)--another thorny issue for writers, publishers, and readers to mull. But it also sounds like Yellowface involves the theft of a specific person's experience, repackaged by another author, which is right on point for this topic of authors fictionalizing the real-life experience of a crime victim. Lots of questions being asked by at least some, hopefully lots, of us! I'm looking forward to your part-two on Yellowface.
I also just watched a film with Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman called May December. It deals with crime and who gets to tell the story and how that works sometimes. It also seemed rather "ripped from some headline" I can't really put my finger on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_December
Caitlin, I've been hanging on to read this for when I have the time to truly sit and read it calmly, to digest it, and I think it's so thoughtful, thought-provoking, nuanced and careful. I've thought about this topic so much, and what you relay about Amanda Knox is incredibly heartbreaking. Have you seen this article at NYTimes? (You can listen to it too): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/magazine/murder-podcast-debbie-williamson.html?searchResultPosition=6
I am embarrassed to finally admit that, after trying a couple times, I still haven't read or listened to that article because of the paywall HAHA I am a terrible supporter of journalism!!!
I am asking these same questions right now!! And also don't have answers, and am trying to just write a draft and let it be what it's going to be before I start to really address these concerns. But this is so helpful in thinking about it, and I hope you continue to talk about this! Thank you!
I think letting the question mull in your head as you press forward and work on a draft only you will see is a perfectly legitimate starting place! (Said by someone who is doing precisely that.)
I have no answers but many of the same concerns and I appreciate hearing an author muse while she is *in the middle* of these questions, without certain answers or a fixed conclusion. A great conversation!
Stand by for some voice notes where I continue the conversation in our WhatsApp!!
This is so so interesting. I feel like it’s just the beginning of the conversation. It’s scary to bring these things up because if you are on bookstagram or booktok, you know the community can be extremely self righteous to the point it shuts down discussion.
I see this forming into two bits - one about profiting off someone else’s story, and two about the manipulation of truth into fiction. Obviously they go hand and hand but they could be seen as two distinct crimes against subjects. It makes me think of all the insanely obvious Law and Order episodes that are so clearly based on real life cases. We all knew. To me it was removed enough it still felt like fiction, but I could absolutely understand the pain of someone who sees their own distorted truth in the image.
What do we owe public figures? What do we owe to our readers?
I don’t really know where to go with this but it’s got me thinking for sure!
I hit publish then turned off the light and tossed and turned for hours continuing to think about it! You make a good point, breaking down the issue into multiple issues (which really helps to tackle it). And yet both questions come back to: what do we owe others? Someone needs to do an Author Ethics & Philosophy 101 Class !!!
This is so coincidental….this week I wrote a book review about YELLOWFACE by R. F. Kuang where I also brought up these very questions about who owns a story. I merely asked. I didn’t come to any conclusions. Literary life sure is complicated. https://shelleyburbank.com/book-review-yellowface-by-k-l-kuang-part-i/
I just read (and loved) your piece about Yellowface, which I still haven't read. I see this as a very related yet sometimes different conversation (who gets to write about a certain experience, especially one that is marked by a certain racial or ethnic experience, and especially when the writer comes from a place of privilege)--another thorny issue for writers, publishers, and readers to mull. But it also sounds like Yellowface involves the theft of a specific person's experience, repackaged by another author, which is right on point for this topic of authors fictionalizing the real-life experience of a crime victim. Lots of questions being asked by at least some, hopefully lots, of us! I'm looking forward to your part-two on Yellowface.
I also just watched a film with Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman called May December. It deals with crime and who gets to tell the story and how that works sometimes. It also seemed rather "ripped from some headline" I can't really put my finger on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_December
I had no idea what this film was about--this definitely piques my interest.
The book has ALL of that. You have to read it! I'd love to discuss it further with other writers.
Okay I'm going to make it happen!!
Caitlin, I've been hanging on to read this for when I have the time to truly sit and read it calmly, to digest it, and I think it's so thoughtful, thought-provoking, nuanced and careful. I've thought about this topic so much, and what you relay about Amanda Knox is incredibly heartbreaking. Have you seen this article at NYTimes? (You can listen to it too): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/magazine/murder-podcast-debbie-williamson.html?searchResultPosition=6
Love, love, love all of these articles!
I am embarrassed to finally admit that, after trying a couple times, I still haven't read or listened to that article because of the paywall HAHA I am a terrible supporter of journalism!!!
I am asking these same questions right now!! And also don't have answers, and am trying to just write a draft and let it be what it's going to be before I start to really address these concerns. But this is so helpful in thinking about it, and I hope you continue to talk about this! Thank you!
I think letting the question mull in your head as you press forward and work on a draft only you will see is a perfectly legitimate starting place! (Said by someone who is doing precisely that.)