Documentary and Fiction
Risa Watay (Japan)

　

As a high school student, I wrote and published a book in which the protagonist is a high school girl. Because of that, many people asked me, "Is the main character in this book modeled after you?" I repeatedly said no, but they did not believe it. Now that I am forty years old and have published about eighteen books, very few people ask me, "Is the main character in this book modeled after you?"

I've written many books about various types of main protagonists of different personalities, ages, and genders, by which I think readers have finally realized that what I write is fiction - not documentaries. However, I understand that the boundary between documentary and fiction is vague. In Japan, there is a genre of fiction called the personal novel. This genre of novels is based on their own experiences, and many famous Japanese writers who are popular globally have written books in this genre. In other words, it is one of the traditional Japanese novel genres. To write honestly about their downfall and ugly way of thinking has long been appreciated in the Japanese literary circle. I, too, grew up reading many novels in the genre. Their influence on me is immeasurable. So, I feel that one day, I will also write a personal novel that is neither fiction nor documentary.

On the other hand, privacy is more and more respected now than the day before. If characters around me in my private novels are modeled after real people, their privacy might be violated. I do not want to hurt people around me by writing my novel. A huge conflict exists here.

Having said that, if I were to write only safe topics to avoid friction with the real people around me, it would be a fiction masquerading as a true story. Writing a complete fiction is much more fun than writing such an uninteresting story. In Japan, there have been several court trials regarding freedom of expression, in which people who were written about in novels have filed lawsuits against the writers. Did the writer's side really want to write such a story, even to the point of damaging their reputation? Or perhaps there was no such awareness at all, and they unconsciously wrote novels, and one of the real people’s characters was defamed. I don't know the truth at all. Either way, it is up to the writer to draw the boundaries between what they write and what they do not. I have many novelist friends, but I would be pretty upset if they want me to appear in their private novels and they ask me if it is OK or not. If it's a serious story, I'd like them to let me read the draft before publishing it. When writing a private novel or documentary, breaking out of the “gentle” world in which fiction serves as a protective coating, the writer must always be keen in their judgment of what to write and what not to write.

I believe that novelists in all countries have this kind of dilemma to a greater or lesser degree. Through the Shanghai Writing Program, which I will be participating in this time, I would like to discuss these issues related to documentary and fiction with writers from other countries.