“I just wrote a short fiction piece that’s not really fiction.”
“Meaning?”
“I changed everyone’s name.”
“It’s still nonfiction, then, unless you changed the plot and characters to the point that women became men, vice versa, and the ending changed.”
“Yeah, I did that, changed the setting, added characters, and turned others into composites.”
“I think your piece is ‘based on a true story.’”
“Also, it took place a hundred years earlier, and the characters would never recognize themselves or the events that took place.”
“So you were inspired by something that actually happened.”
“Okay.”
“Then maybe it was fiction.”
“Meaning?”
“I changed everyone’s name.”
“It’s still nonfiction, then, unless you changed the plot and characters to the point that women became men, vice versa, and the ending changed.”
“Yeah, I did that, changed the setting, added characters, and turned others into composites.”
“I think your piece is ‘based on a true story.’”
“Also, it took place a hundred years earlier, and the characters would never recognize themselves or the events that took place.”
“So you were inspired by something that actually happened.”
“Okay.”
“Then maybe it was fiction.”
