Reddit reviews Rebecca

In what way?

I could tell a story about the guy at Flag who got me to sign my staff contract even though (he admitted later) he privately knew my brand-new husband could not route on and would be sent back to the NY Org for months. It meant that I was separated from the only person I knew, with no income and no resources.

I could give you plenty of details about what happened. It was pretty horrible.

Let's say, in telling the story, I mention that the guy's name was Richard. (Narrator voice: It was.) In what way is the story more believable because I mention Richard's last name?

It isn't as though this is a legal deposition. I'm not trying to call Richard to account in any way.

I don't have to "prove" that this happened. I'm simply sharing my experience. The only "reality" that matters in this story is my own perspective. If a reader chooses not to believe it... that's fine, it's their prerogative. It makes my experience no more-or-less true.

Giving a full first-and-last name is not a requirement to make a story credible. In one best-selling novel, the protagonist's first name is never used, even though it's told in the first person. It makes the character of the second Mrs. de Winter no less memorable. (I read that book when I was 9 years old. I can still recite details from the plot.)