Turning Life into Fiction

by Robin Hemley

A highly entertaining and indispensable manual on how to write good fiction If you want to write at all, whether from real life or not, you must be willing and able to use your imagination. That means you must be willing to take risks and sometimes look the fool. You must be willing to transform experience, not simply record it. If you were a good liar, daydreamer, or troublemaker as a child, you'll probably make a good fiction writer. Daydreams, lies, and trouble. That's the stuff of fiction.

In Turning Life into Fiction , Robin Hemley offers a highly entertaining and in-depth manual―with writing exercises on how to convert real life into good storytelling. He covers a wide range of subjects, including how to record and generate ideas from daily life and how to write effectively using true anecdotes, real places, and real people. A self-proclaimed liar and thief, Hemley also addresses the legal and ethical concerns of "borrowing" experience from the lives of strangers and loved ones. Lively, informative, and inspirational, Turning Life into Fiction is an invaluable text for any fiction writer. First published in 1994, this new edition is updated and expanded to include nearly a dozen short stories that Hemley refers to throughout
the book.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Memoir

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Robin Hemley has published seven books of nonfiction and fiction. His latest book, Invented Eden, The Elusive, Disputed History of the Tasaday deals with a purported anthropological hoax in the Philippines. James Hamilton Paterson, writing in the London Review of Books, call Invented Eden, "brave and wholly convincing." John Leonard writes in Harpers, "Besides a terrific story, Invented Eden is a savvy caution." Invented Eden was an American Library Association's Editor's Choice book for 2003.

Robin Hemley co-edited the anthology Extreme Fiction:Fabulists and formalists with Michael Martone, and is the author of the memoir, Nola: A Memoir Of Faith, Art And Madness, which won an Independent Press Book Award for Nonfiction. His popular craft book Turning Life Into Fiction, which was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection as well as a Quality Paperback Book Club Selection has sold over 40,000 copies and will soon be reissued by Graywolf Press. He is also the author of the novel, The Last Studebaker and the story collections, The Big Ear and All You Can Eat.

His awards for his fiction include, The Nelson Algren Award from The Chicago Tribune, The George Garrett Award for Fiction from Willow Springs, the Hugh J. Luke Award from Prairie Schooner, two Pushcart Prizes, and many others. He has published his work in many of the best literary magazines in the country, including Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Willow Springs, Boulevard, Witness, ACM, North American Review, and many others. His fiction has been widely anthologized, translated, and heard on NPR's "Selected Shorts" and others. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and has taught at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Western Washington Univeristy, St. Lawrence University, Vermont College, and the University of Utah, and in many Summer writing conferences. He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Bellingham Review for five years.

Reviews

[Grace Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are writing a memoir, stop! Instead turn your life story into an interesting
book of fiction.
Robin's book has tips on how to make your boring life into a fun read.

[April Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

What ages would I recommend it too? Eighteen and up.

Length? A couple of days read.

Characters? No.

Setting? Real world writing issues.

Written approximately? 1994.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? I'd like to read the updated version with internet research covered.

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. Internet research, tone back the repetitiveness, and clarify this mostly aimed at short story writers, not novelists.

Short storyline: A discussion, with practice opportunities, to study short story writing.

Notes for the reader: A few sections mention that there is a difference for novelists over short story writers. Some aspects are less clear which are being spoken too.

[Julene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turning Life into Fiction, by Robin Hemley is about writing fiction, and he touches on memoir. "A memoir proceeds perhaps more as memory does, in brief episodic flashes illuminated by an overall picture of a central consciousness."

What I liked in this book is his distinctions between an anecdote and a story. "An anecdote generally ends with a kind of punch line, the recognition by the reader or listener that something remarkable or laughable has happened. Contemporary stories demand a little more character development and sophistication than your average anecdote." "Character development, in fact, is the centerpiece of most short stories and plot is secondary." The anecdote, "...relies too much on coincidence, on the punch line, to make it something more than a funny happening, something to relate at a party or to put in a newspaper column." "In an anecdote, what happens usually takes precedence over any serious character development."

A good basic book for writers, but in particular for fiction writers.

Plus at the end of each chapter are exercises.

[Brentman99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in a straight forward, easy to understand manner that appealed to me.

There were many good points and information that I see being helpful on my journey to become a published author.

I flipped between rating the book at three or four stars, landing on three for two reasons: chapter 5 was about 47 pages, which seemed way too long and may have been better if it was shorter. Also, the book had a very abrupt ending that didn’t really do an effective job of summing up what was learned, or encourage writers going forward.

Overall, I think that the book was worth reading and will put it on my writing reference shelf of m6 writing bookcase.

[David Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this off an on over the past two months as I worked on routinizing my own writing to include at least an hour of writing per weekday. I have the 1994 version of this book, gifted to me by my spouse in Christmas 1994 and including a lovely note as part of the gift. The book was good with basics and gave lots of examples. A worthwhile addition to any writer’s library. He has since revised, expanded, and updated his book

[Nicole Woolaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot of great advice in this book. I've used some of my life experiences in my writing before, but there are some elements mentioned in this book that I never considered trying. I especially like the idea of using several people in your life to create one solid character. Exercises are included at the end of each chapter, which were very helpful.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't know what I was expecting to get out of, this but it didn't do much for me. The inclusion of short stories at the end was also hit or miss, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the two about Risk and interior design. For that alone, I'm satisfied with reading it.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did give me some clarity on how I would go about writing and showed me some of the considerations to make, but it was a bit long winded and gave a few too many examples for what it was saying (for me).

[Sarah Olson Michel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, interesting, honest and engaging. Well-worth the time of any aspiring author.

[Will Stevenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little basic and long winded.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written and makes it easy to come away with some good nuggets of practical advice. Overall, I feel really encouraged and better equipped to move forward with my writing.

[Naomi North · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful info for beginners, but very much of the era in which it was written.

[Theryn Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of very practical advice for beginning writers. For example, Hemley advises against surprise! endings and "as you know, Bob" dialogue, encourages writers to think about their audience, and avoid "so what?" stories (ones with no point). There's really nothing to disagree with here. I think he tends to get a little wordy/repetitive at times, but it's all good advice. There are also writing exercises at the end of each chapter. This edition was published in 1994 (noticeable due to the complete lack of references to the internet!), but there was a new edition published in 2006.

[Kandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned alot from this. It talks not only about how to sufficiently change what has happened in your life in order to fit a book, but it also explains about how individuals can see them in your book when the characters were completely made up. There are a lot of lessons I will take from reading this, and recommend it to all writers. I write science fiction/ fantasy and never thought this would pertain to me. Any writer will benefit from reading this.

[Ceil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was great for anyone who wants to write. The tendency to pick events out of our real life to write about is explored. What I learned is that I have a lot of anecdotes to relate-which are NOT stories. They may be used in stories, but they are not stories in and of themselves. Very thought provoking for any fledgling fiction writers.

[Karla Huebner]

This was quite the fun read. While it's intended for fiction writers, I recommend it to all who know them, as Hemley makes clear how and why we transform ourselves, the people we know, and the people we overhear on the bus into fictional characters. So go read it and don't complain if you imagine one of my characters is based on you. It might really be based on someone else. Or on me.

[Rochelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for a university level, Senior Fiction Writing seminar. Overall, I now have a better grasp on the technical concept of turning life events into fiction, however, the author in no way inspired me to do so. I came into this text with a project idea already brewing and close the cover far less interested in pursuing it. Is that a positive outcome? This reader says no.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a craft book for fiction writers. I'm killing two birds with one stone: preparing to teach a writing workshop--"Writing from Life: for Fiction and CNF writers"--in January, and doing my homework for an interview with the author (also in January) for upstreet.

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this in my fiction workshop in college. Great writing exercises.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

bought as a sourcebook to use when teaching creative and fiction writing...wasn't necessary.

[Robin Yaklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm learning so much and feeling much better about questions that I have been wrestling with. Encouraged at keep a writer's kinda journal.

[Robert Vaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great self-help for writers. Reminders with nice re-caps at the end of chapters and writing exercises to expand one's arsenal.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hemley guides us in using our own family history to enlighten our short stories. Inspirational reader for all writers or teachers of writing.

[Susan Stans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book gave me a lot of ideas and was very amusing with his examples. Every aspiring author should read this book; gave me lots to think about.

[Sheri Hathaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great resource for the writer but found the chapters too long with the topic wandering sometimes. When I have the time to read it, though, its got some good discussion on writing concerns.