Is there any place for truth in writing?

Truth, to a certain extent, is a subjective matter. For example, there are two people walking down the street. Person A says “You’re not that good at making steak croquettes.” Person B punches person A in the mouth. When talking to the police, person A said the attack came out of nowhere, and person B says the attack was a response to a grave insult. Society then says that person B takes steak croquettes way too seriously. Truths – especially social truths and the individual’s perception of reality – are not always objectively true.

Many people do attempt to analyse an author through their writing – obviously not those who subscribe to ‘Death of the Author’.  This is more likely to happen if the author clearly self-identifies with their character. The reader attempts to discover truth about the author’s life, or their attitudes and held ‘truths’, via reading the book. There are people who dedicate their lives searching for evidence of homosexuality or neuroatypicality in their favourite authors (for some reason, these seem to be very popular).

As a consequence, a writer must be very careful not to put down certain truths in writing. These vary from author to author and between times and cultures. I’m pretty sure everyone has something they do not wish to share. Having academics a few centuries down the line figure it out probably isn’t a worry, but having contemporary readers doing so would be. On the other hand, these mental truths will seep into ones writing unconsciously. You can’t help it; if you tried to write complete lies you wouldn’t write anything. Plenty of authors have written their fantasies into books, intentionally or no. However, people will read anything into anything. They might peg you as a robot fetishist when you were actually interested in the ethical implications of a programmable lover, for example. There’s a place for your truths in your writing. You just have to be careful which ones you put down.

(Haha, I’ve probably made everyone paranoid now.)

(EDIT: Alternately I could have just played too much Persona 2: Innocent Sin - there's a bit where the character's dark sides come into reality as separate entities. See what I mean about stuff in your brain seeping unconsciously into your writing?)

Is the writer, as an artist, special?

One could say that in terms of art, the written word, and in particular the written narrative, are fairly unique. They can be fairly explicit with their message (although many written works contain many alternate interpretations). Unlike a painting, photograph or sculpture, a written work can contain many events. Writing is also extremely accessible; once a person is a proficient reader and has some knowledge of the world, they can enjoy and contemplate the written word. Analysis of paintings or music, for example, is somewhat trickier. The art of writing is also more accessible; most people are now taught how to write, and it doesn’t require expensive materials.

There is also the fact that many societies are built around stories – myths, histories, fairy tales et cetera. Those who record these have a significant role in the preservation of a culture. This even counts for original creations of the author – they reflect the attitudes of the time in some way, and may also contribute to societal change. Non-fiction writers also have a similar cultural duty. Whilst other art forms share this role somewhat, writing (and its predecessor, the oral tradition) is one of the simplest ways of preserving, adapting, and changing culture. Margaret Atwood wrote in Negotiating with the Dead (2003):

Everyone can dig a hole in a cemetery, but not everyone is a grave-digger. The latter takes a good deal more stamina and persistence. It is also, because of the nature of the activity, a deeply symbolic role.

She compares this to being a writer - as the grave-digger carries the mourners’ beliefs and worries about death and what may come after, the writer carries their society’s defining narratives and ideologies.

This is what makes the position of writer 'special'.