Is it better to tell a story or create a story?

Since I’ve returned to doing more journalism, it got me thinking more about the difference between what journalists do and what fiction writers do.

While there is a lot of overlap, and sometimes both are considered telling stories, there’s really a difference. The journalist usually tells someone else’s story, whereas the fiction writer is creating a story.

The joy of journalism is that you get to talk to so many different people about a wide variety of subjects. You can learn about things that you never thought you would, and, depending on your beat, you get an inside view of an industry that you wouldn’t be exposed to. Yet, when all is said and done, a good journalist never really gets to tell their own story. You’re always listening to people to find out what the story is. Even if you think you know what the story is when you start, you could listen to what your source is telling you and find out you had no clue what the story was. But now that you listened you know.

That can be a pitfall in journalism–believing you know the story ahead of time. Believing it so much that you ignore what is being said to you and craft a story with people who support your notion, even if they are not a true representation of what is going on.

And presuming you have a deadline, you often don’t have the ability to improve your sources. They are who they are and they said what they said. While it would be nice if they said super scintillating things, many time that isn’t the case. You’re stuck with their words, their story, which you can try to frame a little more excitedly, but it’s still their story.

Yet, on the other side of that is creating a story. Yes, you’re telling it, but you’re the driving force. You don’t have to take the words the sources are telling you and be stuck with them. You can craft fantastic quotes, willing your characters to say the most amazing, witty, comebacks, or pithy retorts. Or your characters could be kind to a fault. Or mean as vipers. And it is all up to you.

Sure, there are some constraints. Your world has to make sense internally. Even if people can do magic, the world you created must follow rules, just like there are rules that the real world follows. But, the canvas is as wide as you want it and the color choices limited only by your imagination and ability to incorporate them. If you write the quote and it’s not spicy enough, you are not stuck with it. You can make it better, improve it so it touches just the right note. It can be a zinger or sensitive support. Whatever you need is what it can be, and there is freedom in that.

I am fortunate to be able to both tell stories and create them. While they are each different, they each bring a joy that I’m glad to have experienced. I’m particularly glad to get to learn about so many new subjects from those who are experts in their fields. The pleasure with having that knowledge is when you get to sprinkle it into worlds you create. It is, in fact, the best of both worlds. I think real stories from real people are wonderful, as are made up stories, so I’m not sure that one is better than the other. I do think, each serves a purpose and can be better in the moment. Sometimes we need to escape, when other times we need to empathize and understand what is happening in our world.

What about you, dear reader? Do you have a preference for reading true stories or fiction?