Post#5: Non-Fiction

          For a book to be considered non-fiction, I think at least 95% of the book needs to be true. It's okay to change very small details, as long as they don't affect the integrity of the story. When you are classifying a book as non-fiction, you are making the claim that what is written is fact and truth. If the story is over embellished or has too many made-up parts, the line between what is truth and what is not is so blurred that the credibility of the story, in my opinion, is gone. Readers might see that one part is made-up and then may doubt the rest of the book that might actually be truth. I agree with what Seth Greenland said in one of the videos that we need to allow room for forgetfulness and not being able to remember small details that may need to be made-up. In this case you aren't exactly lying, but just filling in the gaps. Making up dialogue is also acceptable because most people aren't going to remember conversations word for word. As long as it is realistic dialogue and a conversation that could actually have happened, then I think it is fine.
          If you're going to write a memoir that is half made-up, then it's no longer a memoir, but rather a work of mostly fiction that is based on events of that person's life. If it is necessary to make-up most of the story in order to write a better book, I think that's fine as long as you are not claiming that it is the truth. Authors who try to pass off a work of fiction as a memoir are very likely to get caught. They are risking their credibility as an author when the story they wrote was probably still very good and could have still been successful had they not lied. When people go to the movies, they expect that what they are seeing is very inaccurate and expect things are changed in order to make a good movie. When people pick up a book labeled as a memoir, they are expecting the truth. When readers find out that the stories they thought were true are actually lies, they may have trouble trusting the authenticity of future books they read. The authors who lie not only affect the readers, but also other authors and their own reputation.
          I think how we label books is very important. Distinguishing between fiction and non-fiction is a big deal to me. I personally want to know if what I'm reading is made-up or not. Whether it is fiction or non-fiction may not change my opinion of the story, but I think it is still important to distinguish fact from fiction. If we did not classify books, it would make it so much easier for authors to lie and not be held responsible. It would make it incredibly hard for anyone to believe a book is actually factual. I think it's fine to have a book that is both fiction and non-fiction, as long as it is stated that some parts are fact and some is fiction.