Story-truth considers how one feels when something happens, so authors should write about story-truths.

Story-truth is often truer than what actually happened, happening-truth.

What actually happened is most true, and so it is important for writers to document the happening-truth.

Writers use story-truths whenever they feel guilty about what actually happened.

“It’s time to be blunt. I’m forty-three years old, true, and I’m a writer now, and a long time ago I walked through Quang Ngai Province as a foot soldier.”

“Here is the happening truth. I was once a soldier. There were many bodies, real bodies with real faces, but I was young then and I was afraid to look.”

“What stories can do, I guess, is make things present.”

“I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why the story-truth is sometimes truer than the happening truth.”

configuration

shape

version

arrangement

Frey believes that the truth will set you free and should be boldly shared.

Frey believes that fact and truth are one and the same and that writers are responsible for writing factual truth.

Frey believes that truth is subjective and that truth and fact are not always the same.

Frey believes that the definition of truth that others live by is wrong.

“The truth will set me free . . .”

“I don’t care much about truth, or I don’t care about the definition of truth that most people live by.”

“I don’t care for the definition of truth that most people live by.”

“I think the truth is an incredibly subjective individual thing.”

excellent

fundamental

unconventional

comprehensive

to sketch your ideas

to gather information

to attract critical examination

to review a problem

A father allows his son to be kidnapped because the son is ill behaved.

A father convinces two kidnappers to return his son because he is missed by the neighbors.

Two kidnappers take a child from a small town and have trouble with the child until they return the child at night.

Two kidnappers develop a scheme to take money from a small-town family but end up paying money to the father.

“scheme,” “desperate,” “spirit was broken”

“celebrated,” “collaborated,” “ought to commend itself to professional kidnappers”

“demanding,” “never lost my nerve,” “willing to take a chance”

“got him down in the bottom of the buggy,” “troubled,” “posted my letter surreptitiously”

Red Chief plays with his kidnappers and they appreciate the company.

Red Chief’s refusal to go home increases the kidnappers’ excitement for ransom.

Red Chief’s unpredictable actions frighten Bill, one of the kidnappers.

Red Chief spends his time waiting to be entertained, which frustrates the kidnappers.