Life Imitates Art

Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life.— Oscar Wilde

The whole concept of life imitating art is counterintuitive and seems rare, or at the very least, unlikely—until it happens to you.

I’m currently trying my hand at writing a short story to be entered into 90&9’s contest. I have no lofty ideas about my ability as a fiction writer. I am painfully aware of my status as an amateur. Though I began my story in earnest, I was on the verge of abandoning it to wallow in its pitiful, amateurish juices when I was encouraged to forge ahead. I suppose all rough drafts are, well, rough.

Fiction seems easier to write when it’s based on real life. I guess most fiction, by virtue, is. So, I based the story on myself and a classmate of mine. We’re seemingly opposite, but actually have a few things in common and have interesting conversations. Fodder for an interesting short story, I thought. I got a little deeper into my story, but wasn’t sure of how I was going to finish it. Not a terribly uncommon writer’s problem, I surmised.

However, I saw my classmate again this week and was astounded at how our conversation took an uncannily parallel turn alongside my story in progress. Some things said were verbatim from my story! I went home and sent off a feverish email to a friend about life imitating art. I finally had the ending to my story crafted in my mind from the conclusion of the actual conversation I had with my classmate!

But then I thought about it. Was this an astounding coincidence of life imitating art, or was it a subtle subconscious result of my story dialogue being in mind while I had a conversation in real life? In the end, I think it was a combination of both. Though my classmate was the one to take the conversation down the same road my story dialogue did, I was most likely the one to fill in the spaces.

Maybe this is what could be called a case of art imitating life imitating art.

Currently reading: La Regenta by Leopoldo Alas