Ask readers to define the difference between fiction and nonfiction, and most probably would say nonfiction is true or factual while fiction is not true or make-believe.
But no matter imaginative a work of fiction appears to be, a whole lot of truth and fact goes into crafting the story. I’ve learned a lot of “facts” from reading fiction. I first heard of a BlackBerry, kudzu and eating beans on toast in novels.
I once created a heroine who drove a red Mazda Miata. I’d seen the small sports car on the road and liked the looks. But when my heroine and hero went on a picnic in the heroine’s car, it raised questions. Where would they put the picnic basket? The Miata is a two-seater. Would the basket fit in the trunk? Did the Miata HAVE a trunk? (I couldn’t remember). I had to do some research to find out. I’m continually checking small facts like that.
Even writing in paranormal, fantasy or science fiction genres requires authors to deal with accepted lore. You couldn’t write about a vampire unaffected by sunlight, garlic, holy water and crosses without explaining why.
While fiction writers sit at their computers and make stuff up, we still have to guard against running afoul of the facts.
Fiction authors slip up in three ways:
- Technical errors – These are actual errors of fact. Real east-west roads in real towns change direction in an author’s novel and become north-south. A certain gun model is identified by the wrong caliber. The blue U.S. Passport is mistakenly given a new color. Ignorance or negligence cause technical errors. Either the author didn’t know he or she was wrong or he or she failed to verify the facts. Some readers won’t notice technical errors, but people-in-the-know will.
- Bloopers – These mistakes are accidents. In the beginning of the book, the character has brown eyes. By the middle, his eyes are green. A woman walks into a restaurant wearing a skirt and walks out wearing jeans. One my favorite personal bloopers (which I caught, thank goodness!) occurred when I said a character’s parents were dead. Later in the story, I had the parents babysitting! Bloopers occur because the author forgot what he or she said or because the author decided to change something in the manuscript and didn’t catch all the references.
- Creative license – This occurs when an author deliberately stretches the truth to create a “better” story. The diehard hero is beaten, knifed, shot, dragged behind a vehicle and still manages to fling insults at his tormentors, save the free world and get the girl. The cop/FBI agent/Navy SEAL tells his superiors to f-off and goes rogue to protect the heroine. Whether creative license works depends on the genre, the author’s skill, and the reader’s ability and willingness to suspend disbelief.
Authors should know that errors annoy readers. My own husband allows only two technical errors per book. When he finds a third mistake, he abandons the novel in disgust. (He used to tear them in half, until I told him to stop doing that and donate the book to charity instead!). Some readers are bothered by one kind of error, but not another.
Readers should know that authors cringe and engage in much gnashing of teeth and/or consumption of alcohol if they find an error in their published story. It’s an occupational hazard we try to avoid.