Does Fiction Have To Be Factual?

June 18, 2014 Michelle Griep

“The reason we use truth in fiction is so we can tell a bigger, better lie.”

~ David Hewson

We all know fiction isn't fact, so why would a reader get all bent out of shape if a fairy pops in with a flourish of glittery magic dust and saves the day at the last minute? Or if a scene takes place in Minneapolis but you've put the Mississippi River on the west side of the city. If fiction is primarily about imaginary events and people, then why in the world should a writer care about getting the facts straight?

Several reasons. . .

~ Because that's cheating, author, and a reader knows that you just took the lazy way out.

~ The goal of a story is to never yank a reader out of it while they're reading. Inaccuracies will do that.

~ It makes your writing more believable.

~ You will be crucified if you get your facts wrong. This is especially true if you write historical fiction. Readers will come after you with pitchforks and rotten tomatoes. No, really. I have red stains on my white shirt and circular scars where the pokey end of the fork stuck me in the…never mind. My biggest blunder to date is using the word shenanigans in a Regency era book, but the word didn't show up until about 30 years later. Oops.

Make sure not to error on the flip side, though, either. Encyclopedias have their place. Fiction isn't it. Dole out your facts like chocolate chips in cookies. Wait a minute. Bad analogy. One can never have too much chocolate in a cookie.

SOIREE QUESTION OF THE DAY

Name one historical fact that was mentioned in A HEART DECEIVED.