Taking liberties

[gauchecritic]

Some of the 'facts' in my story (I'll never get it finished for earthday) are to do with a real place (sevenoaks in kent).
Just how much shit am I going to have to take when I say that 5 of the seven oaks were blown down in a storm and not 6?
How far can I go in suggesting that the (imaginary) local council are willing to pull down one of the original oaks to make way for development?
How many people are going to leave PCs (and mail) informing me that Sevenoaks is not named for the oaks around the cricket ground?

Can I distort 'facts' to fit my story?

 

[Guest]

Some of the 'facts' in my story (I'll never get it finished for earthday) are to do with a real place (sevenoaks in kent).
Just how much shit am I going to have to take when I say that 5 of the seven oaks were blown down in a storm and not 6?
How far can I go in suggesting that the (imaginary) local council are willing to pull down one of the original oaks to make way for development?
How many people are going to leave PCs (and mail) informing me that Sevenoaks is not named for the oaks around the cricket ground?

Can I distort 'facts' to fit my story?

Always.

Most readers won't know the difference.

But you should always plan to receive grief from those who know the truth.

 

[oggbashan]

Some of the 'facts' in my story (I'll never get it finished for earthday) are to do with a real place (sevenoaks in kent).
Just how much shit am I going to have to take when I say that 5 of the seven oaks were blown down in a storm and not 6?
How far can I go in suggesting that the (imaginary) local council are willing to pull down one of the original oaks to make way for development?
How many people are going to leave PCs (and mail) informing me that Sevenoaks is not named for the oaks around the cricket ground?

Can I distort 'facts' to fit my story?

Of course you can use artistic licence.

The local youff destroyed one of the replacement oaks, and another one had to be planted.

The seven oaks were planted because the town was called Sevenoaks but who cares.

Dorothy Sayers invented a new women's college in Oxford and admitted that she had qualms about taking liberties with the architecture of such a famous place but she said that her stories are all imaginary and her poisoners only poison in jest.

Dickens and Trollope used real places, changing their names slightly and moving buildings from one town to another if that suited their story.

There are ample precedents. Sevenoaks can stand it.

Og (whose wife lived within the boundaries of Sevenoaks)

 

[shereads]

How many people are going to leave PCs (and mail) informing me that Sevenoaks is not named for the oaks around the cricket ground?

Not I. I will trust you implicitly on the optimum number of oaks, standing and not standing, for purposes of your story. Be forewarned that I will have to one-bomb you if you change the species of tree from oak to larch without changing the name of the cricket ground to match.

 

[gauchecritic]

Not I. I will trust you implicitly on the optimum number of oaks, standing and not standing, for purposes of your story. Be forewarned that I will have to one-bomb you if you change the species of tree from oak to larch without changing the name of the cricket ground to match.

Oh chuffing yanqui again. The ground is "The Vine" the town is "Sevenoaks". The Larch is #1

 

[R. Richard]

Some of the 'facts' in my story (I'll never get it finished for earthday) are to do with a real place (sevenoaks in kent).
Just how much shit am I going to have to take when I say that 5 of the seven oaks were blown down in a storm and not 6?
How far can I go in suggesting that the (imaginary) local council are willing to pull down one of the original oaks to make way for development?
How many people are going to leave PCs (and mail) informing me that Sevenoaks is not named for the oaks around the cricket ground?

Can I distort 'facts' to fit my story?

Of course you can! The trick is to just call them 'factoids.'

 

[damppanties]

Some of the 'facts' in my story (I'll never get it finished for earthday) are to do with a real place (sevenoaks in kent).
Just how much shit am I going to have to take when I say that 5 of the seven oaks were blown down in a storm and not 6?
How far can I go in suggesting that the (imaginary) local council are willing to pull down one of the original oaks to make way for development?
How many people are going to leave PCs (and mail) informing me that Sevenoaks is not named for the oaks around the cricket ground?

Can I distort 'facts' to fit my story?

Disclaimer.

I was just going to leave it with that one word, but then, I should add: If you add a disclaimer or author's note, those who know will not want to kill you for distorting facts, and those who don't will be educated if you write something like -- 'this is a real place but (these) facts have been distorted to fit the story, blah, blah-de-blah'. I like reading about such things attached to the story. Trivia.

 

[cantdog]

dampy! You're so bookish!

 

[deathlynx]

Most people won't know...but also, think about how many authors write stories based around real cities...The easy answer is "alternate earth"...Now, this is more common in supernatural/historical fiction, but it works in general...

 

[FallingToFly]

Gauche, I'm in the same boat. I took major artistic license with NYC in general and St. pAtricks Cathedral in particular- I just put a disclaimer on the story that said major artistic license had been taken, and I was happy for readers to help me correct any major flaws.

 

[Skip1934a]

I took the easy route. I know Atlanta since childhood.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Why don't you just set it in Klent?

Not that many people have been to Sevenoaks in Klent.

 

[damppanties]

dampy! You're so bookish!

So... is that bad?

 

[cantdog]

Not in the least, darlin'. I love you as you are.

I say change any and all facts you like. The people who will give you shit? Well, they're like the old Minute Men. They see something coming across the back forty, and they just shoot it.

Was it friend or foe?

Easy to tell, once you roll 'em over.

And you aren't going to please people who have that attitude anyhow.

Thanks, Walt. We miss you.

 

[Grushenka]

Can I distort 'facts' to fit my story?

Silly, of course you can. Shakespeare did it. The Wall Street Journal does it every day.

However, if you post without a disclaimer, do report to us any particularly vituperative feedback.

Blogoslovlyet vas, Grushka

 

[shereads]

Pat Conroy sets his novels in Beaufort, South Carolina, but always gives the town a fictitious name. You can walk up the main street and recognize his references. Like the first Jewish-owned department store in South Carolina. (Used in Beach Music) The drawbridge that swings open horizontally. ("Fuck you, Dupree McCall!") The nursing home with the view of the river. The antibellum house from The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides.

I wonder why he never just calls the town by its name.

Is it his publisher's lawyers being cautious? Or does it let the author use artistic license without getting letters from everyone who thinks they've spotted a mistake, or wants to correct the facts for the record? Maybe he's been trying to protect the place itself, from tourists and curiosity seekers. It hasn't worked, but at least Conroy can't be accused of pimping his town.