Hey, Travis!

And Yes, this thread is a total win. A perfect family sitting around the fire spinning tales feeling that the best days of the forum are known for. A tip of the hat to Steve for allowing the siblings a place to relax and let out their inner brat

I think that's more than I even knew I needed to know about whisk(e)y.

And I still say that was a dog he rode in on, and the (other?) aliens were riding cats. And none of them liked (chili) pepper spray.

Yup. Lies you can get paid for :D

I never said you can get paid MUCH for the lies. But there is something amazing to me about being able to make something up totally out of my warped little head, and have someone pay me for it.

Honestly, despite what I said above, I don't regard "good" fiction as lying. Sure, the superficial details of the story may not be historically accurate. But the purpose of the best fiction is to reveal underlying truths. If the fiction is of a current time period, and the authors want to reveal the authentic nature of humankind, they are compelled to protect themselves from libel by couching their stories in a fictional setting with fictional characters.

In real life, the number of characters involved could simply be too numerous for the reader to follow. So characters need to be combined, single events made to represent multiple events of similar impact, and ultimately, if you are a commercial writer, the plot and story will likely need propelled with some exaggeration.

But it takes great skill to understand your underlying truth enough to keep your literary devices in tune with that truth — even if the events are a bit far-fetched. Most fiction writers do not succeed to the degree of earning literary awards, a consensus of respect from critics, or marketing income from booksellers to give them a comfortable income.

There are plenty of notable exceptions. Stephen King or J.K. Rowling come to mind. But the best advice for the vast majority of fiction writers is, "Don't give up your day job."

If I wanted to write a great novel that made me millions of dollars, I'd probably write something easily adapted to a screenplay. But then my commercial future would depend upon good directors and actors. Ultimately I write to convey a message, and getting that message out is more important to me than getting money in.

What I consider my best fiction writing is done in something like a frenzy. I devote nearly every day to it. I shun people like the plague because they pollute my concentration. I do not have the choice of not writing because the words keep circulating in my brain, and the only way I can stop them is to write them down and make room for the words that follow.

Having a burden of words that needs release is like being pregnant, and there is no way to have an abortion even if you wanted. The "baby" keeps growing inside you, and you have to be delivered of it for your own sanity. So you keep writing day after day until the baby takes form on paper, you bathe and clean it editorially, you encourage it or discipline it like a teacher or parent making revisions. And someday, you shove it out the door and say, "You have to live on your own now. You have to survive on your own merits."

And then maybe some publisher hires your child and makes him a distinguished member of society, a rebel of the literary world, or a fly-by-night money-maker with no literary merit. To some extent, at least, I feel that good parents don't raise children for the money. Maybe they raise them to be honest, to be productive members of society, to carry the cause of justice. But chances are, whatever your expectations, your children will not make you rich, at least, early enough in life to enjoy your wealth. So, for me at least, it's better to not raise them for that purpose.

That's all with the idea that a book is my child.

As a literary agent told me decades ago: "Alas, I've lost the suspension of disbelief."

Beware the consequences.