"She then tells us that every writer has a body double, that some writers-like herself-have many body doubles. When a writer enters a piece of fiction, she seems to be saying, they cease to be themselves. Their fascination with this theme or their penchant for that turn of phrase may remain unchanged, but the makeup of their soul is moulded to suit the story and characters."
"She differentiates between three layers of storyteller in a work of fiction: the narrator, the implied author, and the flesh-and-blood person (FBP). The narrator is the speaker of the story, the one telling you what you need to know."
"Both narrator and implied author can be thought of as body doubles for the FBP, who rarely-if ever-makes an appearance in a fictional work. But memoirs are different. They're supposed to tell us about the flesh-and-blood people behind their creation. In memoir, there is nowhere to hide, no stunt double who can swoop in moments before you're set to walk across the tightrope."
A creative persona within fiction can act as a body double, adopting risks and traits the real person avoids. Fictional works produce distinct layers: a narrator who speaks the story, an implied persona arising from textual gaps, and the flesh-and-blood person (FBP) who constructs both. Both narrator and implied persona serve as stand-ins for the FBP, who is rarely visible in fiction. Memoir obliges the flesh-and-blood person to appear directly, offering no theatrical substitute and no opportunity to hide behind a constructed voice. This contrast shapes personal exposure and imaginative risk-taking.
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