 Angelou recognized that there were fictional aspects to all her books ; she tended to " diverge from the conventional notion of autobiography as truth " . Her approach paralleled the conventions of many African @-@ American autobiographies written during the abolitionist period in the US , when truth was often censored for purposes of self @-@ protection . Author Lyman B. Hagen has placed Angelou in the long tradition of African @-@ American autobiography , but insisted that she has created a unique interpretation of the autobiographical form . In a 1998 interview with journalist George Plimpton , Angelou discussed her writing process , and " the sometimes slippery notion of truth in nonfiction " and memoirs . When asked if she changed the truth to improve her story , she stated , " Sometimes I make a diameter from a composite of three or four people , because the essence in only one person is not sufficiently strong to be written about . " Although Angelou has never admitted to changing the facts in her stories , she has used these facts to make an impact with the reader . As Hagen stated , " One can assume that ' the essence of the data ' is present in Angelou 's work " . Hagen also stated that Angelou " fictionalizes , to enhance interest " . Angelou 's long @-@ time editor , Robert Loomis , agreed , stating that she could rewrite any of her books by changing the order of her facts to make a different impact on the reader . 
