Nothing is worse than facts written wrong

[Jenny]

On page 13 of TTOTC, Forrest writes:

"But I'd have to tell everything straight because nothing is worse than facts written wrong."


And then on just the next page.... he writes:

"Besides, non-fiction writers don't have to be right but eighty-five percent of the time and everyone knows that."



Between these two statements, Forrest quotes Einstein, 'Imagination is more important than knowledge'



Would Forrest believe that as long as you are using your imagination, facts are okay to be written wrong or stretched a little?

Do you think that was his conclusion?

[me9]

All I know are the facts, if you want the truth go next door to the psychology department.f

mysteriouswritings.com/questions-with-forrest-fenn-and-the-thrill-of-the-chase/

[Jenny]

May 20, 2020 7:25:12 GMT -5 me9 said:

All I know are the facts, if you want the truth go next door to the psychology department.f

mysteriouswritings.com/questions-with-forrest-fenn-and-the-thrill-of-the-chase/

lol.... so we might have facts, but not the truth?


I just found the statements contradictory..... I suppose it doesn't matter ....

[vibeup]

May 20, 2020 15:01:44 GMT -5 Jenny said:

May 20, 2020 7:25:12 GMT -5 me9 said:

All I know are the facts, if you want the truth go next door to the psychology department.f

mysteriouswritings.com/questions-with-forrest-fenn-and-the-thrill-of-the-chase/

lol.... so we might have facts, but not the truth?


I just found the statements contradictory..... I suppose it doesn't matter ....

The facts are not the truth because the truth "colors in the lines." Facts are something declarative about the known. The truth cannot be known until we have the chest in hand. For example:

FACT: There are 9 clues in the poem.
TRUTH: There are an unknown number of waymarks on the path to the chest.

FACT: treasures, riches, chest, and trove all have similar definitions.
TRUTH: treasures, riches, chest, and trove might mean completely different things.

FACT: There are many places in the Rocky Mountains where warm waters halt, and nearly all of them are north of Santa Fe.
TRUTH: Nearly all of the Rocky Mountains are north of Santa Fe.

[crm114]

Pages 13 and 14 are seemingly one contradiction after another. It's bad to write facts wrong, but you only have to be right 85% of the time in non-fiction. Imagination is more important than knowing facts. "I never thought I had to believe everything I ever said."

It's very confusing, but there seems to be some logic:

Avoiding "facts written wrong" seems to be what he was planning originally, before he discovered JD had already written the book he was always going to write. But he never wrote the "unauthorized autobiography" because he was given a copy of Kismet as a kid and that seems to have busted his self confidence. He seems to say it would be truthful whether it was complimentary (to others or himself?) or not.

But JD insinuated to f he should write his autobiography, this time with imagination inspired by Einstein and up to 15% dubious facts. "Facts written wrong" are presumably OK, since imagination is more important than knowledge.

Then he says he's basically going to finish JDs book with this one and add important stuff from when he was a kid.

Add to that the fact that many speculate JD modeled Holden Caulfield after himself, and you might think novel Catcher in the Rye disguises an autobiography with "the facts written wrong." Then add that f ended up with a memoir, not an autobiography or a novel and you have the most confusing two pages in the book, imo. But he thinks JD knows he read his book. Presumably if we read f's book closely enough, f will know too.

[Bownarrow]

"Besides, non-fiction writers don't have to be right but eighty-five percent of the time and everyone knows that."

I am continually surprised by the ferocity with which searchers defend ff's various statements, whenever their veracity/literal meaning is questioned.

TTOTC proclaims to be memoir and so by definition ff is a non-fiction writer. Presumably then the above statement refers to his writings/statements as well.

If his statement is applied to the statement itself, it could well be that the percentage of his statements that are untrue is above(or less than ) the 15% implied by the statement.

Whatever the percentage is of his statements that are untrue, the lesson to be learned from the above statement, as far as I am concerned, is:

Question all of them!

 

[Jenny]

I know there have been many discussions about those things of 'error'.....

Like the books Whom the Bell Tolls with A Farewell to Arms....

Is there a list of them somewhere?

[zaphod73491]

Probably the worst statement Forrest ever made was the 85% one in TTOTC. That has provided excuses for armies of searchers with crappy solutions that have elements that violate statements Forrest has made at one time or another. As long as the violations don't exceed 15%, searchers think they're good. Desperation.

[crm114]

@jenny I have a bunch of notes in my book, but I don't know of anyone who has put together a public list.

@zap I'm not sure why people would apply the 85% quote to the clues in the poem when he says to follow them precisely. Hints are very much fair game though. I'm also guessing f is pleased with how his 85% quote has been interpreted, especially if it is throwing people off.