Rules for Artistic License in the Information Age
by James R. Preston
Let’s take a ride, shall we? We’ll drive south down Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, and turn right on Pacific Coast Highway. We’ll use some artistic license and stop in at a bar that’s not there anymore, and we’ll connect all of these dots to assign some meaning for your writing. And we’ll try to have some fun along the way.
So hop in! Buckle up! Here we go.
In this installment of Writers in the Storm we’ll look at maps, geography, and factual details, those little things that can really help your work, but that can also hurt your work when you get it wrong.
Kids Today
So, my godson, his brother and I turned onto Beach Boulevard on our way back from a movie when the subject of the moon came up. I said, “It’s about a quarter of a million miles from the earth.“ My godson had his phone in his hand (of course he did — that’s where it lives) and, quicker than I can type these words, he said, “238 million miles.”
That’s how fast readers can fact check your novel, the 100,000 words that you labored on for a year or more, sitting up late at night thinking about motivation and plot points.
And they will fact check. And they will find mistakes — or changes you have made to details, which brings us to geography, and which will get us to that bar.
Bumps in the Road
A mistake can — just for a moment — jolt readers out of the story and cause them to, well, to pay attention to the man behind the screen.
Even if readers forgive you (and most will), you have distracted them for a moment, caused them to step back out of your fictional world. And it is so, so easy.
A few years ago, “How far is the moon?” would have required an encyclopedia or a trip to the library. Now it doesn’t even require keystrokes.
“Hey, Siri, how far is the moon?”
It’s important to watch out for slips, aka those potential bumps. I’ll provide some examples and just to be fair I’ll describe some of my mistakes, and I’ll throw in one geographic change that I did on purpose.
Wetsuit/Drysuit
There are two classes of factual errors in fiction: intentional and flat-out mistakes.
First, let’s get to a pet peeve of mine. The secret agent dons his scuba gear and swims in through an underwater connection to the party he needs to infiltrate, where he slips out of the water and in a secluded corner, unzips the wetsuit and reveals a tuxedo, complete with carnation in the lapel.
Wetsuits don’t work like that.
Wetsuits allow a thin layer of water in between your skin and the suit and the water keeps you warm. That’s how they get their name. That tux would be soaked.
Your secret agent could use a drysuit except they don’t look anything like a wetsuit and a little water gets in no matter what. You see that in movies all the time; in books it’s mostly glossed over. But for any reader or viewer who knows, it’s a problem, a “bump.”
More Examples of Bumps
Once upon a time my wife and I were sitting up late at night reading when all at once she started laughing. When I asked what was so funny she explained that the heroine’s significant other worked for the U. S. Space agency — Nassau in the Bahamas. Now that’s careless!
Ok, this one’s on me. I’ve told this story before but it’s applicable here.
I wrote Leave A Good-Looking Corpse and very quickly got my first fan letter. A fan letter! After I quit dancing around, I read it carefully, to find that my Faithful Reader (he still reads my work) went on to say that I had a character peel the paper label off a bottle of Corona, and that’s impossible because the label is painted on.
Oh, well. He still liked the book a lot.
For blending truth and fiction nobody’s better than Michael Crichton. Read the Introduction to Jurassic Park and watch for the spot where he deftly moves from science to fiction. It’s really smooth. No bumps there.
Some Good Rules on “Bumps”
Does it matter? Does your story suffer because the heroine rides her pony from Pasadena down to the beach? And yes, that’s in another of my wife’s books.) Well, yes . . . and no. It depends on the mistake.
Errors of geography are not critical but if the reader knows, they are thrown out of the story.
Rule #1
If you are going to change geography, be ready to admit it. In the Introduction to his monumental Noble House, James Clavell apologizes for altering the geography of Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, on our drive we have turned north on Pacific Coast Highway. Let’s stop in at a bar that used to be there but now only exists in my stories. Cagney’s was one of my favorites, a small place on PCH at Main Street. It was great — you could lean your surfboard against the wall and go in for a brew.
I’ll never forget one afternoon walking in, blinking to adjust to the dark, noticing that the woman tending bar was wearing a stole over her shoulders. At least, that’s what I thought it was until it raised its head and looked at me. Yeah, she had a medium-sized boa constrictor draped over her tank top.
So, if you have favorite spots, by all means keep them, but be prepared to admit it.
Rule #2
Do your homework! Make friends with the Internet and spend time looking up details. Remember, some of your readers live there. If possible, visit the place you are writing about.
My suggestion is do this last.
We’re in this to tell stories and for me at least there is no better feeling in the world than the moment when it clicks into gear and the characters become people and talk to you and more than anything you want to know what happens next. I say never interrupt that moment to look up some obscure fact. Save that for later.
Some of you may be thinking that you are writing about a world of your own creation and are therefore immune from fact checking. Well, in a sense you are — the roads run however you want them to. However, your readers will pay attention and if in Volume 1 the heroine is allergic to shellfish you better not forget and have her eating lobster stew in Volume 2.
TV shows create a document called a “Bible” that lists all these details. Below are a few tips from Writers in the Storm with excellent techniques for creating your own.
- Creating a Bible for Characters and Screenwriting by Ellen Buikema
- How To Organize Your Story Details Into a Story Bible by Lynette Burrows
Rule #3
Finally, always remember that it’s the story that counts. James Bond can unzip his wetsuit to a tux and it’s still a good story. In the afterward to the Edgar-nominated Joyland, Stephen King says, “That’s why they call it fiction.”
Final Thought
We’ve made it to Cagney’s. I’m disappointed because the woman with the boa is not working today, but it’s still a fine place to settle in to talk about writing, and to end with one final thought.
Never forget that your audience is on your side – it’s called Willing suspension of disbelief for a reason. They want to like your tale, and they will always, always clap for Tinkerbell.
Thanks for coming along on the ride, and now it’s your turn. Got a pet peeve you want to share? Or a goof that you made and can laugh about now that it’s over? C’mon, we’re all in this together.
* * * * * *
About James
James R. Preston is the author of the multiple-award-winning Surf City Mysteries. He is currently at work on the sixth, called Remains To Be Seen. His most recent works are Crashpad and Buzzkill, two historical novellas set in the 1960’s at Cal State Long Beach. Kirkus Reviews called Buzzkill “A historical thriller enriched by characters who sparkle and refuse to be forgotten.” His books are collected as part of the California Detective Fiction collection at the University of California Berkeley.
Find out more about James at his website.
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32 comments on “Rules for Artistic License in the Information Age”
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In my historical novel series I moved the date a new Roman governor came to Britain in book 1, and moved the border of the Danelaw in Book 2. However, I did 'fess up and tell the readers.
I read a book that had a large lake, a very large lake, in the south England. There is no huge lake. I wrote to the author (she's from the US) and she told me that she'd asked someone who supposedly knew and had been told there is one. However it didn't spoil the story, and she recommended her publisher to me, who accepted my book and whom I've been with ever since.
Afterwards it occurred to me that the person who advised her could have mistaken Pool Harbour, a large inlet of the sea with a fairly narrow entrance, as a large lake.
V. M. what a great story! I'm so glad it all worked out. But that 's an example of how easy it is to make a mistake. I think it's fine that you made the changes and that you "fessed up." King id right -- that's why they call it fiction. He was referring to carny slang that he made up for the book.
Thanks for contributing!
I had a book club attendee tell me at about a mistake I had. Except it wasn't a mistake. He had his facts wrong. I gently explained the truth of when kudzu was introduced to the U.S. and when it started being used for erosion control. He Googled it and gave me wide-eyed approval. Thankfully.
Great comment, Ane! Score one for writers who do thorough research. I'm glad you were polite about it. Also kudos for your self-control. I bet the rest of the club thought it was interesting -- and they left thinking that your details were correct.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the fun post, James! You're making me feel nostalgic for old California. My husband and I talk about that a lot - so many of the places we gree up with are gone now.
And so we write about our memories.
Jenny, you are so right! I can visit old Huntington any time I want, stop in to Ruby's for a burger (it only exists in my books now) and enjoy it all.
Thanks -- I had a good time writing the post, too. Glad you liked it.
Hi James!
It's good to see you back at WITS. This is a fun reminder to remain consistent with our details, but play with the creative freedom allotted to writers.
Fun post!
Kris
Hi, Kris -- It's good to be back! Yes, consistency is the right word. You can't have the protagonist clean-shaven in one chapter and bearded in the next unless you explain it. It's the explanation that counts, that shows the reader that you are taking the work seriously.
Thanks!
Hi James,
That boa constrictor as an over-the-shoulder stole would have freaked me out!
I am working on a YA historical fiction manuscript. The hubby, who gets first crack at my chapters, checks every physical location including train tracks.
Thus, I am super careful.
It is really easy to get pulled out of a story with inaccuracies.
Great pointers!
Hi, Ellen --You bet; those details will rise up and bite you given the chance. For me the flip side is also true. When the story takes off, when the characters come alive and when more than anything you want to know what happens next it is so so easy just drive on, letting the tale flow and promising yourself that you'll check on that large lake (see earlier comment). The trick is a) remembering the promise and b) following through and verifying your fact.
Thanks!
I told a historical author about two mistakes in her book. The first used a particular knife before it was invented, and the second had a zipper on a valise 20 years before zippers were invented. She laughed and said she didn’t care and that her readers wouldn’t care either. This was before indie publishing, so it wouldn’t have been an easy fix as her books went through a traditional publisher.
The thing is, I was a reader, and I did care. Immensely. Up until then, I’d been reading all of her books. After that, I never read another one of her books.
It’s one thing to state upfront, as an author, that I’m taking license with a few historical facts, and to let my readers know what I changed, but to not care? I want to read authors who care. Caring shows up in other areas, too.
For me, not caring is a deadly sin. Two examples. One is a movie adaptation of a Mike Hammer novel. The screenplay writer obviously had no interest in the character of Mike Hammer, or his relationship with his friend Pat Chambers, and it showed. The next is the movie "Showgirls" which the screenwriter admitted he only did for the money, and boy, was that obvious.
Your work is important. You owe it to your readers to do the best you can.
Thanks, Diana. Spot on coment.
Great post, James! I'm still recovering from a blunder I made in the first draft of my 2nd fantasy novel. Book 1 being already out - complete with map - I did some crafting during Nano and didn't check the map. I mean, I clearly remember the world, I created it! Except... the further I got in (and geography was critical to the plot), I glanced at the map (no excuse... it is over my head at all times) and continued with appropriate adventures as they moved from a to b. BUT... I didn't look at the tiny print to realize that I had switched two cities in my brain and the spot the journey started from was NOT actually the spot they were at. Problem: I'd ended book 1 at that location, so it was already set.
Those who have the original version of that story will have a printed copy of the map. Those who buy now will have the NEW version with the city where I needed it to be, rather than where it was. Because in the end, it was easier to change the map than the story.
Moral for me: I will *always* look closely at the map from now on!
Lisa, you are in good company. In the first printing of Larry Niven's excellent novel Ringworld he has his hero moving the wrong way to extend his birthday. He fixed it and now writes about the mistake.
So take heart!
Great post, James. I'm a research junkie for the reasons you mentioned. I love Google maps and earth to research places I can't go and have a bunch of military friends who are my go-to people for sources of information - then have to distill it down so my research doesn't "show" with telling too much information that I lose a reader either.
One pet peeve for me is authors not researching things for travel like the time and kind of aircraft that can land on a small Greek Island. Or when an author places a Special Ops team at a base that doesn't have that type of unit or has a team made up of a bunch of officers and only a few enlisted personnel. That's not how it works. Thanks for letting me rant. 😉
Good rant, Tracy. I have a relative who is a weapons expert so I'm lucky in that respect. I think -- hope -- readers will "vote with their feet" and avoid sloppy novels like the ones you mention. What we do is not easy. I think like Rocky Balboa writers need to be prepared to "go the distance" and finish the work. I'd like to say I tell myself that my characters deserve the effort -- but they tell me themselves.
Thanks James. I love your voice. But I also love this topic sooo very much. Our readers today are more savvy than ever (especially the youth!). And while they love fiction, there is still an expectation that it be blended with enough reality to keep us in the story. I mean, I’ll follow a character to a pub down my street that doesn’t exist here in Phoenix, but I won’t be able to get past it if he has to trudge through snow banks to get to his pint (unless we’ve dipped into dystopian). A good story has enough real facts in the right places entwined with the fiction to let us live the adventure without yelling at the book. It still leaves loads of room for our imaginations to create unforgettable stories!
Why, Miffie, thank you. I'm glad you like my voice' sometimes I wonder if I'm too over-the top.
You know, you are right about modern readers and fact-checking. Yeah, that's a problem writers didn't have to face so much fifty years ago. Does it make our job harder? Well, sure. However, we have access to the same research tools as our readers. Hmmm. There may be a post topic in here.
Again, thank you for the kind words.
I do my best to research things for my own writing.
For reading, unless an author asked me to look for errors, I don't mention them. Sure they happen, and they take you out of the story, but life is too short to be mean. And, it will be taken as mean and hurtful, not helpful. Writers are human.
I agree, Denise. I did not intend to encourage readers to contact authors and report mistakes. Above all, our stories are entertainment and supposed to be fun. Thanks for reminding us of that.
I would add this: never assume that when someone tells you they fact-checked you and you got it wrong, they know what they're talking about.
You were right about the moon. It's only 93 million miles from the Earth to the Sun. Your godson is wrong by three orders of magnitude.
Good point, Jim1 It's best to always doublecheck. And the Internet is notorious for false information. It's a never-ending search, isn't it?
Thanks!
There is no Denny's Disco in Hanover, New Hampshire, home of Dartmouth - but there ought to be.
And I challenge you to even think about that when the story drags you into a bar fight, and the story's villain using her soap-opera-derived nursing skills to bandage the hero's damaged hand.
Make up what you want (and think very carefully before saying anything even slightly negative about a REAL place or person), and then pick the details that make you believe the author was RIGHT THERE.
It really is the fun part about writing.
-----
Bianca turned her palm up.
Andrew replaced his hand in hers, let her bandage it. “Thanks. Lovely job.” He reached for his sweater.
Surely he felt the same tension she did. If we were alone… She helped him ease the soft wool sleeve over the taped gauze. She held the sweater’s neck open while he ducked his head through, slid the sweater over his torn T-shirt through which tanned taut skin showed, over muscles resilient to her fingertips.
She blinked, busied her hands with the first aid debris on the table. She had no idea what to do with it.
Stewart took over the menial task. “The girl let slip he’s been in scrapes before; can’t imagine he’ll make trouble.” He took one look at Bianca’s face, went to fetch her brandy.
It made her cough.
Andrew reached out his unbandaged hand to pat her. His hand was warm on her naked back. It begins…
Ehrhardt, Alicia Butcher. PRIDE'S CHILDREN: PURGATORY (Book 1 of the Trilogy), end of Chapter 8. Trilka Press. Kindle Edition.
Love, it, Alicia! And there should be a Cagney's in Huntington Beach. And you are also right about saying mean things about real people or places. There's enough of that without adding to it, and you could very well make a mistake about what you are criticizing. Good addition to our conversation, and thanks for contributing.
Why take risks - when your writer's imagination is so much more powerful than reality, and perfectly capable of giving you the exact effect you want?
Well, Alicia, sometimes authentic details help pull a reader into the story, but you are certainly right about the writer's imagination. Hmmm. I like your point and will have to think about it. Interesting!
Hi James, thank you this post. And I always like examples. I'm glad I don't write historical fiction or I'd be spending oh so much time on fact checking!
I know what you mean, Marissa. In the Introduction to The Guns of August Barbara Tuchman says you always have to quit research before you are completely finished or you'll keep doing it forever.
But -- isn't the research fun? I love it.
James! I'm loving the discussion.
I just approved a few comments, so just start from the top once and work your way down. I hope you're having as much fun as I am!
Jenny, this is great! We're up to 30 now so that is probably a record for one of my essays.
Writers in the Storm is helping so many writers at all levels! Thanks for including me.
Good article. Thanks
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