As I pointed out in my first post, and in the book's disclaimer, this book is a "work of fiction, influenced by memory." I wanted to clarify what it means, so you have a better understanding of why I chose this approach.
When I first started writing, I initially intended for this book to be a memoir. I knew it was going to include my introduction to Phish, how I got immersed in their community of fans via the online channels that were available in 1995, and that Clifford Ball would be part of it. Outside of that, I didn’t really have much else planned. As I typically do in ambiguous situations, I decided to just start with what I had, and I’d figure it out along the way.
Since this is my first novel, I had no idea how this story would unfold, but I did know that the most oft-repeated advice given to all writers is, “Write what you know.” Using that as guidance, I chose my starting point at December of 1993 – when I was introduced to Phish – and planned to include some family history for background context. I thought if I just started there, the rest would fall into place.
And it did, rather quickly.
Before I knew it, I had the first two chapters done, and was thinking about the third. It was then that I started to consider that fiction might be a better fit for what I where I wanted the story to go. I still planned to use the original Phish story memoir framework I started with, but I wanted more room to get creative with characters and scenarios that would make a more compelling story. I went back to the first two chapters, made a few minor real-to-fictional adjustments, and then continued on with chapter 3.
How much of the story is memoir, and how much is fiction? I'm reticent to reveal too much about that ratio. I will say that everything you read about Autumn’s family history, her personal experiences growing up as the only child of a single mother, and her adventures while becoming immersed in the Phish community is heavily autobiographical. The lines between fact and fiction begin to blur starting with chapter 3, but I'd rather not say where and how.
My goal, as a writer, is for you to see yourself in these characters, or at least to like them enough to be invested in their futures. If you find something of yourself in a character or scene where I’ve definitively said in one of these blog posts that that character/scene is a work of fiction, I don’t want you to feel as though that connection is invalid – it’s not. Everything written in this book is what I know. Whether I know it from first-hand experience, or I know it from being friends with someone who inspired a character, or I know it from a story told to me, or I know it from having read it in a book, or seen it in a movie, it’s all valid. It’s all part of the human experience.
Storytelling is one of our most ancient rituals. It’s endured for as long as communication itself has existed. We’ve progressed from stone and ochre to pixels and bytes, but it’s still about conveying information with the goal of connection. Though I’m happy to provide more information about the book, the characters and the writing process here, I have no intention of revealing anything that would put the potential for that connection at risk.
Thanks for reading, and please let me know if there are topics you’d like to see covered here. I’m always open to suggestions!
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