Based on Real Facts

“This movie is based on real events.”

We find this caption at the beginning or at the end of many movies. When I see that caption, I assume that the facts have been  doctored to make the story more interesting and palatable for viewers.

While my stories are sometimes “based on facts”, I must admit that they are not a video capture of events. I am a storyteller, and storytellers, even when writing about “real events”, will filter them through their own impressions of what happened, their biases, their outlook on life. You can add to that gaping holes in memories and a desire to entertain. That in no way diminishes the value of my stories. They are a much better rendering of the impact the events had on my life than an impeccably accurate one would be.

I don’t think I will ever use another caption also often found after the opening credits of movies: “The events and the characters depicted in this movie are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.” However, I do reserve the right to be a tad creative in how I tell the story! That is in no way telling tall-tales. It is simply letting years of experience and reflection infuse the events with a depth of meaning that the "true story" may not have originally contained.