Read this page first, then follow the links. In reading Gary book I found that Jon Hulbert Gary's best friend disputes Gary memory. I was no exception .
Creativity is the stuff of imagination.
For a science fiction author it helps to have a broad base of knowledge in the sciences, so that a story can be told with relative verisimilitude and with a reasonable suspension of disbelief. A person with no imagination cannot understand the concept of creativity any more than a person who is color blind can comprehend indigo. First, after reading the above statement, I see that Gary apologizes for not telling the truth because it didn't sound good enough. Gary, writes fiction, a creation of his own, not what had occurred, but what he fantasized he wanted to have happened. Anyone who know Gary from the days of crewing on the Wahoo would tell you he's lazy, and you had to find him to do his crew chores.