Gaining Face, is a work of creative nonfiction. But what is creative nonfiction, you ask? Lee Gutkind, author, and editor of Creative Nonfiction magazine defines the genre as “true stories told well.”[1] Gutkind also reminded his readers that, “The word ‘nonfiction’ means the material is true.” So, I asked myself, Then does the immaterial (material) need to be true? My answer is no. Immaterial means irrelevant. So, I used it as narrative prose to add texture and continuity to the story without tarnishing the fact-based material or making it less credible.
I am a writer, not a journalist. Professional journalists write fact-based—just the facts—prose. Although journalists have their own professional etiquette, I do not. (And it is probably why most of the people in this story refused to talk with me. I get it.)
I also used supposition to explain why something might have happened. Black’s Law Dictionary defines supposition as “A conjecture based upon possibility or probability that a thing could or may have occurred, without proof that it did occur.”[2]
The material in this book was gathered from a collection of resources and is therefore (presumed to be) true. Much of this story was pieced together from Freedom of Information Act documents provided by the State of California District Attorney’s Office, the Superior Court of California, collected trial and media transcripts, and printed media reports from the internet. I also used Ed Shin’s letters and prison text messages to shed light on his background and his thoughts, knowing that if he did not approve the final draft, he could quash the story.
D.A. Hoshide
[1] You Can’t Make This Stuff Up, Lee Gutkind (2012).
[2] Black’s Law Dictionary, 6th ed. (1990).
gainingface.blog 