I have just finished a novella that is both fiction and non-fiction. It is a love story set against the Falklands war where Tim's (my) journey is 100% factual, but the love story is fictional. Welsh Guardsman is engaged to a nurse stationed in Port Stanley when the Argentinians invade. It started life as a film script, but I fell out with the producers. Any ideas on agent or publisher I should send this to?
A Novella that is both fiction and non-fiction.
- Thread starter TimRees
- Start date
- Status
MattScho
Full Member
- Dec 3, 2020
As Tim O'Brien notes in The Things They Carried, all true war stories are fictional.
Sounds interesting but I have no advice on this other than research, research, research. finding the agent who is right for you, and who believes you are right for them, is just about as difficult as producing the manuscript, and is an intensely personal decision
Sounds interesting but I have no advice on this other than research, research, research. finding the agent who is right for you, and who believes you are right for them, is just about as difficult as producing the manuscript, and is an intensely personal decision
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks, Matt. Not sure I agree with Tim O'Brien!
JohnBertel
Full Member
- May 18, 2021
I can't assist with any agents or publishers, but I'm curious... when you say it is both fiction and non-fiction, does that mean that it is written as fiction, but part of it "just happens" to be factual? If so, I'm not sure why that would influence your choice of agent/publisher, as it is simply fiction.
- Thread starter
- #5
Hi John. I suppose the main storyline is non-fiction (my own personal experience), but I've set that experience against a fictional love story. The reason for that is I wrote a memoir that was published by The History Press. Film producers approached me to write a screenplay of my experience during the Falklands war (I've already made a film of it for the BBC, but that was Yeats ago now). I thought to myself, no one is interested in the Falklands war anymore, but I could reach a broad audience with a love story. It has worked and the producers loved it. But a different producer wanted me to write a version that was more in line with platoon. It all got a bit messy, so I pulled away and adapted the script to a novella. I've approached a couple of agents who have told me they've never repped a story like this and aren't sure what to do with it. Thought I'd ask the question here...
- Jan 14, 2022
Sounds like material for Pop-Up Submissions.
- Thread starter
- #7
One of the reasons I came on Litopia was to submit to Pop-Up Submissions. Submissions are closed, though, so thought I'd ask if anyone knew a small press who'd publish. I know it's only a novella, but we have the 45th and 50th anniversaries to come, so film rights could be an earner for an agent with foresight
- Nov 10, 2017
Only temporarily while Pete catches up with the submission queue. Keep an eye out for it to open up again.
Vagabond Heart
Full Member
- Feb 21, 2021
Or jump the queue by upgrading and bringing the question to a Saturday Huddle, where you can ask Pete directly?
- Thread starter
- #10
Eh? This is new to me? Sounds like a plan?
MattScho
Full Member
- Dec 3, 2020
FYI, from the Guardian today on Deborah Levy: The following year, she published Things I Don’t Want to Know, the first in a trilogy of what she calls “living autobiographies”, to convey their selective, fictive nature.
That would seem to fit for you as a genre?
That would seem to fit for you as a genre?
KG Christopher
Basic
- Oct 25, 2015
I think factually based war stor
Hello Tim,
Wartime / combat experiences stories always need to be told... God forbid what is in store for us after the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. If your story is based around one incident / event - combat and falling in love, then it is - I think - going to be a limited audience who would be interested. If it is a set of memoirs -- then that is a more known format for combat stories... What is the timescale for your story ? just the period of the conflict? do you go into any background or frame your character against a particular backstory (dis-enfranchised youth growing up in tough times).
I cannot imagine why Platoon would be a good reference ? As far as I remember it was pretty much set in a period when the Vietnam war had reached a stalemate. I thought it was more about the futility of the combat situation... Maybe 'A farewell to arms' would be a better reference.
Hello Tim,
Wartime / combat experiences stories always need to be told... God forbid what is in store for us after the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. If your story is based around one incident / event - combat and falling in love, then it is - I think - going to be a limited audience who would be interested. If it is a set of memoirs -- then that is a more known format for combat stories... What is the timescale for your story ? just the period of the conflict? do you go into any background or frame your character against a particular backstory (dis-enfranchised youth growing up in tough times).
I cannot imagine why Platoon would be a good reference ? As far as I remember it was pretty much set in a period when the Vietnam war had reached a stalemate. I thought it was more about the futility of the combat situation... Maybe 'A farewell to arms' would be a better reference.
- Thread starter
- #13
Hi KG, Yes, I have documented my war time experiences twice now. Once in a Play For Today, BBC1 and in a memoir that covered all my military experience. The memoir has been very successful and a paperback edition is being released on the 27th by The History Press. This piece titled Falklands Engagement, came about after a husband wife producer partnership approached me to write a film script. I thought how can I reach a big audience with my story and I decided upon a love story between a nurse and a Welsh Guard (me). I did meet a nurse called Bronwen when I was in Port Stanley. She was from Pontypridd and I'm from Cardiff, so we could possibly have been engaged. Anyway, these producers loved the first two drafts and then I discovered they were answering to another producer who wanted to lose the love story. I discovered it was about budget. They were looking to a budget of below 10 mil, which is independent Arthouse stuff, that does a circuit of the smaller art theatres and then disappears. I have written a big budget main stream cinema script. The novella is a direct adaptation, which would be great for release on the 50th anniversary, so there's no great rush at the moment. I've just finished two SciFi novels that are my main focus in seeking agent or publisher. The feedback I've had so far from agents with regard Falklands Engagement, is one of confusion as to what it is... Thus my question here.
KG Christopher
Basic
- Oct 25, 2015
Wow... I'll adapt your story for ... 5 million - and throw in a 'musical' version - hit songs including 'In Stanley In Love' and 'Who's Goosing Who?' ...I'm not belittling your efforts.. It must be frustrating to get so far with the project to find out then that there are other 'unseen hands' - that are really wielding power. Or have the final say. It happens in all areas of publishing/art... its a process of filtering and generally, the final question is always going to be 'how do we make money on this???'
I love the Gower / Rossilly bay - one of my favorite parts of Cymry, haven't been back for years...
Percervierence is key.
- Thread starter
- #15
Creatives and business don't often mix well. But if it was a fictional script I'd been commissioned to write, I will bend over backwards to embrace the producers ideas - and they always believe their ideas are the best! However, this is my story and it's personal, so they really need to embrace what I give them. It's a true story and people with whom I shared the experiences will be watching. I owe it to them and their families to get it right and factual. What is bizarre, is that I met the husband and wife team twice over dinner to discuss the project and then, once I'd delivered the first draft, we had three zoom meeting where I made amendments according to their suggestions. Then I learned about this other producer who was really pulling the strings and I had no intention of accommodating his ideas. Apparently his distribution network is critical, but I've research other films he's produced, which is around fifteen, with the couple I watched being very forgettable. Can't believe he's made money out of any of them. I think the secret the smaller independent film makers have is it's not about making a film for main stream cinema and profits from box office, TV and purchase, it's about making films that will attract arts council grants and they pay themselves big salaries from that. The poor ole writer gets handed a few K and a pat on the back...
- Jan 14, 2022
Why not just describe it as fiction written by you, a person with direct experience of the Falklands conflict?
KG Christopher
Basic
- Oct 25, 2015
I am pretty sure you have to class your work as fiction...its not a diary...or it could be classed as a 'dramatic account'....but that seems to be more common for TV formats...'drama documentaries'...etc....I don't think you will lose anything...or drive audiences away...its very common to see Novells described as being 'inspired by the authors war time experiences...'Because every experience the character Tim has is fact. It just that there's a fictitious character called Elly
Vagabond Heart
Full Member
- Feb 21, 2021
Hi Tim.
I can see us all bending over backwards trying to help you find an acceptable answer to your original question, but then I noticed this bit.
If these are your main focus, then you might be looking for an entirely different type of agent and publisher than you would for a war-story/memoir/film script, don't you think?
Why not get the group to help direct you with these things? SciFi is a clear category. And we know what to do with blurbs, query letters, synopsis, etc. Would that be more help to you at this time?
- Thread starter
- #20
I understand what you're saying, but step by step, Tim's experiences are fact... And they're extraordinary... Sometimes hilarious, but too often brutal... Great drama...
Vagabond Heart
Full Member
- Feb 21, 2021
I would suggest considering this idea - yes, 'Tim's' experiences are fact, but other parts are not. They are fiction. And however much you use your own experiences in your work, it cannot be called memoir or factual if parts of it aren't. And don't we all use our own experiences as fodder for our books anyway? Isn't it just that you have led a life where you get to use a lot more of them? Ergo, 'based on the life of' might be a subtitle?
- Thread starter
- #22
Yeah... Haha... Like everything I do, it's never clear cut genre... I'm considering a TikTok, YouTube channel arguing why publishing is now creatively redundant due to seeking clear-cut genre... But that's another story
Vagabond Heart
Full Member
- Feb 21, 2021
Lol, maybe diss the publishing industry after you've got the book deal?Yeah... Haha... Like everything I do, it's never clear cut genre... I'm considering a TikTok, YouTube channel arguing why publishing is now creatively redundant due to seeking clear-cut genre... But that's another story
- Status