Fact is stranger than fiction – that is the adage.
But what if a strange, hilarious, compelling, gobsmacking, factual premise falls short on its potential? What if it fizzles out to nothing because real life isn’t scripted and doesn’t conform to story arcs and satisfying conclusions? What then?
Then fiction takes over.
Such a coup occurred in my recently published short story, Craigslist Boots. Its origins lay in the actual experience of a female acquaintance who tried to sell a pair of knee-high boots on Craigslist (funny, that). After posting her ad, she got a reply from an interested buyer: he was willing to take them on spec for $100. What’s more, he was prepared to toss in an extra twenty if she would acquiesce to a small request:
Would she pull on the boots and kick him in the balls?
Myperbole 