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The curious task of fictionalizing the ‘truth’ : a narrative inquiry for historical fiction
conference contribution
posted on 2017-12-06, 00:00 authored by Alison OwensWoolloomooloo is an infamous working-class suburb spread along the docks between Kings Cross and Sydney city and has been largely overlooked as a setting for historical fiction. When you read in a 1939 edition of a major newspaper that a family member was found shot in the head on the precipitous steps from Woolloomooloo to Kings Cross, you know you have a story. When you read further and discover that not only did the injured party survive but claimed to have shot himself (with notably poor aim) and that no weapon was ever found, you know you have not only a story but also a developing problem. Will you be able to uncover further trustworthy information? How will the family feel about sharing ‘dirty laundry’ in public? This leads to foundational methodological questions for a writer and PhD researcher. One solution is to fictionalise ‘the truth’ in an historical novel (acknowledging that the truth itself is a matter for negotiation). This paper presents an account of my methodological journey of narrative inquiry as a process for creative writing. The personal experience stories of a Woolloomooloo family and archival private and public records combine as powerful resources for historical fiction that ‘could almost be true.’
History
Parent Title
Minding the gap : writing across thresholds and fault lines papers – the refereed proceedings of the 19th conference of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs, 30 November - 2 December 2014, Wellington NZStart Page
1End Page
18Number of Pages
18Start Date
2014-01-01Finish Date
2014-01-01ISBN-13
9780980757385Location
Wellington, New ZealandPublisher
Australian Association of Writing ProgramsPlace of Publication
LismorePeer Reviewed
- Yes
Open Access
- No
External Author Affiliations
Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre (LTERC); School of Education and the Arts (2013- );Era Eligible
- Yes