Writing

Do Fiction Authors Really Need to Fact Check?

Only if they want the credibility needed to build their reader base…

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

If you’re writing fiction, do you really need to fact check?

Many writers think that because a piece of work is fictional, they don’t need to worry about how realistic their manuscripts are. They may think it’s okay to be fuzzy on those details. Readers will forgive them — it’s just fiction, right?

Not a chance. Fiction is based on fact, and readers are not as forgiving as you think.

Maybe fantasy writers can get away without worrying about how realistic their story is, but the rest of us (yes, even sci-fi writers) need to play by the rules of physics, geography, and reality.

Here are four elements fiction writers often overlook that turn readers off.

Settings

Your story must be set somewhere. Perhaps it’s set in a fictional town, but that town needs to be located in a specific region, with all the weather and regional quirks inherent to that place.

If your story is set in a real location, be sure to do your homework. What are the major streets? What is it like downtown? Do people even go downtown at night or is it a city that shuts down at 5:00 p.m. when everybody leaves work for the day? These details matter. They’re the lifeblood of an area, and if you get one of these details wrong, any reader familiar with that city will notice and will be pulled out of the story. They’re reminded that they’re reading fiction instead of being swept away into an alternate reality.

Examples of what to check:

• Getting out of the city in D.C. on a Friday when the weather is good can be next to impossible. Arriving anywhere in under an hour would make a reader balk and they might not be able to take your writing seriously. And characters zooming into D.C. on a Wednesday morning on 66 in a race against time? Likely not.
• Assuming that everything set in Hawaii is lush tropical rainforest is sure to raise eyebrows. Sure, we all love books set in tropical settings, but I once read a piece set in a location on where the climate is actually dry and almost Mediterranean (not to mention on one island a significant amount of land is straight-up hardened lava). Lush undergrown and towering coconut trees are not part of that place, and none of the unique paniolo (cowboy) culture made it into the writing. This made it impossible to get into the story because each time I saw a reference to place I was pulled out again.

How to fix potential flubs:

1. Use maps! Look up the specific city you are writing about, even if you’ve been there before. Make sure the streets you envision intersect. Check traffic patterns at the time of day your scene takes place. Plan out the trip and see how long it takes to get from one place to another.
2. Check pages and forums talking about traveling or moving to that city. Often these sites have great insight from locals as to where the good neighborhoods are, which restaurants are institutional, and how to deal with traffic patterns — all details that lend authenticity to your writing.
3. Pull up weather data. Is it common for storms to occur during the time of year your scene is set? Or is this a time of year there’s a specific wind pattern that might complicate plot points, like trying to sail away from danger during certain wind patterns in the Mediterranean?

Professions

Readers love living vicariously through characters, and they particularly love learning something new through the protagonist’s profession. Whether it be bounty hunting, carpentry, or being a SEAL, readers love the intricate details that might not be talked about in other circles but perfectly exemplify the life of people in these professions.

Examples of what to check:

• It’s a cliché for a reason — people working in construction drive trucks. Although it might feel quirky to give a big guy a Mini Cooper to drive, that better be his second car. Trucks are a utility, and they serve a purpose that no other vehicle can.
• Carpenters use specific wood and fasteners for each project. You may like the smell of cedar, but woodworkers might question a protagonist who makes a chair out of material that is not durable and may not stand up to wear and tear. Anyone who works with wood, or even dabbles as a hobbyist, might be double-checking your work instead of reading on.
• And no SEAL is going to speak like an academic. Each profession has its own language. The direct and jargon-filled lanague of a miliatary operative is vastly different from a nurse, which differs from a professor, which also varies greatly from that of a bartender. How a character speaks should fit their profession, otherwise the reader will sense that something about the character is not genuine, which will prevent the reader from truly bonding with the story.

How to fix potential flubs:

1. Do your research. Look up these jobs. Watch videos on projects intended for this profession to pick up on the language used and the terms specific to this profession.
2. Interview an expert. Talk to somebody who does this job for a living. Janet Evanovich spent hours interviewing cops and going on ride alongs to learn the industry for her wildly successful Stephanie Plum novels (See How I Write by Janet Evanovich).
3. Take it a step further. See if you can take a class or shadow someone in this field for a day. You’ll quickly discover the right language, tone, and reverence with which industry professionals discuss their duties.

Time zones

If travel is involved in your story, you better make sure that travel times and time zones match up.

Examples of what to check:

• There’s a nine-hour difference from the west coast of the US to the UK, so a reader would definitely raise an eyebrow if a character in California makes a call after a late dinner and catches their UK counterpart getting ready for bed.
• Trains are slow, planes are fast, but they still run on specific schedules. In some locations, planes only arrive on certain days or at certain times. It’s almost impossible to fly from Hawaii to the east coast on a flight that isn’t a red eye, so anyone who’s made that trip would question a character who got on a plane mid-day and arrived feeling fresh.

How to fix potential flubs:

1. Book some travel. Well, everything short of actually paying for it. (Or do! Nothing better than in-person research!) Scan options available for flights to your destinations, and check when they actually arrive. Do trains run all night or only at specific times. Do flights only arrive three days a week? These are things locals know, and details that any reader who has been there will have.
2. Check your time zones. Don’t want to do the math? It’s easy to check time zone accuracy on your phone or any device with internet. Know what time it is and your reader will have the confidence that you know what you’re doing.

Historical Events

This should go without saying, but if you’re going to reference an historical event, make sure it occurred at the time you’re referencing. And if you’re writing historical fiction, not only do all the timelines need to line up (and need to be mentioned because those are big events in the character’s lives) but any detail — from setting to appliances, to clothing and event food — must be researched and verified.

Readers who know these time periods (or maybe even lived in them) will spot historical inaccuracies and you’ll instantly lose credibility. So do your homework and build your reader base instead.

Examples of what to check:

• Mentioning cell phones in a book set in the ’90s (or no mention of phones in a contemporary piece).
• Characters in a novel set around 1944 traveling Europe by train in style (at a time when crossing borders was nearly impossible, and quite unsafe).
• A protagonist in an historical novel turns on the oven without igniting the pilot light.

How to fix potential flubs:

1. Research the year your manuscript takes place. Look for big and life-altering events that might have taken place. Man landing on the moon? The advent of electricity (and how long did that take to spread to all households)? Travel by horse vs. rail vs. plane? And don’t forget to check the years your protagonist/other characters have been alive. There may be formative moments lacking that could give your characters an amazing richness and authenticity.
2. Read other books set in the same time period. This will give you a feel for the setting details such as appliances, furniture, clothing, and personal belongings that are appropriate for that time period.

Fact checking = Credibility

Get the details right and your readers will inherently feel the accuracy. They’ll tell their friends that they could practically live in your book, or that it transported them to a completely different time or place. Do your homework and you’ll build the reader base you’re searching for.

Happy writing!

Elizabeth Russo is an editor and author with a passion for helping new writers navigate their way through the process of taking a good story and turning it into a publishable manuscript. She’s a Florida Writers Association Top Ten Short Story winner, a 2021 Royal Palm Literary Award Finalist, and a returning Royal Palm Literary Award judge. She’s an active member of the Florida Writers Association, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, ACES: The Society for Editing, and the Editorial Freelancers Association. Have questions? Reach out!