As part of my non-fiction workshop last week, I talked about using fiction techniques to bring true stories to life. As an example, I used my dad’s story of driving his logging truck over an ice bridge.

It has suspense (logging truck heavy, ice bridge thin), description (steep, snowy mountain roads), and characterization (Edwards, the cocky logger who always reached the bottom first).

The story was a hit with the kids. But every day, somebody asked me, “Is that story really true? Was there really an ice bridge?”

Well, Dad… was there?