I have a question that may be dumb: would it be unethical to write a blog that was completely fictional, using fictional characters, based in a real place, but not tell anyone it was a work of fiction? I know there’s been some flack lately over phony memoirs (which is clearly unethical, unlike what I’m proposing), but I’m not wanting to write a memoir. This isn’t a story of my own past, but an ongoing story written in blog format. And I’d rather not reveal right away that it’s a work of fiction because in my mind that would minimize interest. I can see someone reading a few blog posts and thinking, “Hey, this is pretty cool,” but then clicking the site disclaimer link to see the big “This is a work of fiction” banner, click out never to return. I’m genuinely in the dark on this, and would appreciate any opinion I can get…
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July 3rd, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Well, it’s not my thing, but given the general view of things like this in the various online world, I think you should be right up front with it. Just my experience with mass marketing (with all the new catch phrases of “ground based” and “viral”) it’s always better to be open about these things. Maybe just as one of the widgets a general disclaimer, like I do with my “Da Rules.”
Without knowing the whole thing, I don’t think there’s much value in hiding its fictional aspect. You don’t need to have a big banner saying “It’s only a radio play, no need to evacuate.” But something that would tell the casual reader that it is fiction.
My two cents worth.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Well, that’s pretty much what I think, too. Which is why I posed the question. And I guess it’s not unethical, now I think about it a bit more, because it’s been done before. Blair Witch Project marketed that movie like it was a documentary, and I thought it was until I saw it. It increased the level of intrigue I had for the movie, thinking it was real instead of just another ghost story. That’s kind of what I wanted to achieve here. It will eventually become obvious that it’s either not real or is being written by a psychopath.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:37 am
“It will eventually become obvious that it’s either not real or is being written by a psychopath.”
And this would be different from my blog… how? :)