The Truth of the Lie

The truth can get in the way so that's when
it's appropriate to get an axe.

So over the last three posts I've been exploring the little stories that people tell in the real world. Stories of pranks, rumors, and lies. It's interesting to see how the three fit together because certainly one can lie about having pulled a prank, or being the victim of one. Rumors are almost certainly lies in the beginning, inventions of the creators, though they can easily be leaks from sources wanting to generate interest in whatever. Outright lies are just meant to hurt their victims or, at the minimum, cast the teller of the lie in the best possible light.

And so characters have to use these little stories in a writer's larger stories. It's easy to believe that a character (narrator or otherwise) is always truthful. And as a writer I'm intrigued with writing a book that contains a cast of liars. Not just points of view shifts but actual lies, rumors, anecdotes, stories, that lead the reader to wonder just who, if anyone, is telling the truth.

I don't know if I'll write this book and I'm sure it's been written a dozen times before but I have a take that I want to use in pursuit of that. Something about exploring the nature of truth. Truth, I guess. What is true and does the truth really hurt as badly as a lie? Sometimes our feelings are spared in service of The Greater Good. But is The Greater Good, itself, a lie?

Sometimes.

This is why I like being a storyteller. Being able to poke around and see what intrigues me, then go exploring with care and dedication to the story itself. The possibilities are truly endless. The open road beckons.

That's all I'll say about the possibility of writing this story. It's in a file on my desk and I'll let it simmer, add some bits and pieces here and there until it marinates enough. This one's big, though. It may never happen. I may not be the writer I want to be in order to write it.

Then again, given some time and some confidence I may be the guy to write this story. I've already been thinking about it for several months. That's why we've been thinking about lies and rumors and stuff.

Or maybe I'm pulling your leg with all of this. We'll have to wait and see, I suppose.

The truth will out.