fictionalize

/ˈfɪkʃənəˌlaɪz/

Other forms: fictionalized; fictionalizing; fictionalizes

To fictionalize is to take a true story and change the details so it's not literally accurate. When you write your first novel, you might simply fictionalize the family tales your grandparents have told you.

When you fictionalize something, you transform a factual story into fiction. A lot of writers use this technique to turn their own experiences and real people they know into interesting stories. If you're writing a story for school about the time your friend forged a note from his mom to excuse his absence, you might decide to fictionalize him so he doesn't get in trouble. Fictionalize comes from a Latin root, fingere, "to shape or form."

Definitions of fictionalize

1. verb

   convert into fiction
   “The writer fictionalized the lives of his parents in his latest novel”

   synonyms: fictionalise, retell

   type of:

   re-create

   create anew
2. verb

   convert into the form or the style of a novel
   synonyms: fictionalise, novelise, novelize

   type of:

   convert

   change the nature, purpose, or function of something