Hello again reader, it’s a short and sweet post this sunny monday. I’m busy!
I’ve been working my nano project, as you know, and there have been times when I’ve written stuff that is purely made up.
For instance, I have our girl Kiki taking a local seasickness remedy. Now before I am howled down with shouts of “There’s no such thing!” I don’t care, I made it up. I didn’t want to to have to suffer through another 6 hour boat journey with Kiki heaving her guts up!
So, when is it ok to make stuff up and when should we be factual?
It’s a fine line isn’t it? I believe my making up a seasickness remedy is a bit of fun, that takes the opportunity to fill out Kiki’s personality. To show her in a different light. To make the journey from Makuna to Honiara a little easier for her.
I suppose I could have done it other ways, but I quite like the little quirky twist it gives the overall story.
I’ve read books that are ridiculous in their mistakes. Explaining how to do things that I know is wrong, made up and it totally destroys the book for me.
The incorrect information I mention, not that I will be specific, is more than annoying. The thing is that the information in such books is easily proven. Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of the subject would spot the error.
My seasickness cure, well, it could be true, it could easily be as true as it could be total fiction. I wouldn’t know. But I like the story line and I’m making no apologies for making it up.
Have you read books with wrong information? Have you felt like writing a letter pointing out the errors to the author?
Do you think that sometimes it doesn’t matter? Well as long as it’s sort of realistic?
paulabeavan 
Paula, I like your solution for a seasickness remedy. Good on you!
I often have what I call “junk science” in my books. There is enough real science, but it doesn’t exactly fit, so I help it at bit, give it a tiny twist. Sometimes I find I’m actually talking quantum physics like I do in my science fiction series. Never having taken quantum physics that was breath-taking, but I am sooo grateful to Michio Kaku for helping me out.
This time I need 1930s lab equipment and medicines. I nearly found what I needed and used “fiction DNA” to plug the holes and make it work. It’s realistic and could have been. I think it’s the could have been that is the line between believability and not.
I’ve never written an author to tell him or her their stuff is unbelievable, but I’ve heard of people who have. Not a letter I want to get, so I do the research and work on it.
I guess if you claim some madeup bits as just that in a note at the end, you can probably avoid the upset. I’ve considered that as an idea 🙂 Thanks for sharing Habisha 🙂
Yeh if it isn’t too far fetched it gets you thinking & I think maybe it depends on whether there is a view point behind the incorrect information… just reflecting on comments I have seen in books written by men that speak of womanly things of which the male writer has no idea what he is talking about and it definately sounds ‘made up’ and spoils the moment.
😦
Most of the stuff I’ve read that has irritated has been about horse behaviour and or handling 🙂 Not that I know everything about horses, far from it, but I’ve seen some clangers in books 🙂 Thanks for popping by Mel 🙂
Mel, Women write books about men all the time and no one seems to complain. Does that mean we’ve got it right? Or are we so far out there everyone just rolls their eyes forgets about saying anything because what’s the use?
I’m kidding, of course, but really in the end, people are people and feelings are feelings; it’s a good bet if I feel something, usually others do too, just not at the same moment or in exactly the same way.
Good point habisha, most everyone has the same range of emotion and feelings, but it’s how they’re portrayed and what the context is 🙂