Truth in AlmaMia Cienfuegos’ Tale

Since I began sharing AlmaMia Cienfuegos with the world, readers have asked if the short story is based on real experiences. I won’t philosophy about the meaning of truth (much) but I’ll say that, for me, what makes fiction real is the amount of emotion the writing evokes. The “hate, rage, torment, self-determination, jealousy, fear, mistrust, love…” and all other feelings people have said to experience after reading AlmaMia’s tale are both real and true.

When the way AlmaMia’s sister and mother treat the nine-year-old girl tightens my chest and fist, the dread is not there for AlmaMia alone. The hurt is for every ill-treated child; the rage goes to every human monster. And the moment AlmaMia lifts her chin, puffs her chest, and fights back with rocks, teeth and wits, I soar with her.

Hurt and resilience are true all by themselves. Storytelling is my way of touching souls (many times my own) through characters that might or might not have existed, but the feelings they arouse are as real as the blood pumping hearts alive.     

The significance of the story of a girl, taking charge of her life under circumstances that seem nearly impossible, lies not in the realness of the narrative but in the genuine and empowering emotions that fill a soul after having read her tale. “AlmaMia Cienfuegos: a Story of Blood, Scars and Nightmares” is a work of fiction, but the situations and people the story portrays will, perhaps, make readers experience feelings that are too recognizable for the tale not to be true.

 Yes, truth can be that befuddling… and then people throw rocks into the chaos.

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This post was first published at Magic Love Crow. Stacy seems to have been victim of the well-known Blogger Goblin Gang because the original link is now dead and gone. I’m posting it here in order to add the information to the others in AlmaMia Cienfuegos Tours with Charm. And because I’m in an AlmaMia state of mind ;-)