I was able to use google maps to zoom in on the remains of the Sante Fe Trail in New Mexico, and the ability to turn the map 360 degrees and was a big help in understanding where the hills were.
I definitely support authors doing as much research as the can, but I would like to remind readers that authors can do the best they can, but unless they are writing something they are immersed in, they may not get all the details right. So please, readers, be graceful if you find something wrong and remember its just a book not a news article, and if the story and characters are engaging, then does it really matter if the author had a wrong turn of phrase or had a street name wrong?
I say this because I saw a conversation not too long ago in a discord channel I'm in that was really pounding on authors who were not native to a particular area - say the midwest, for instance - and used words and phrases that aren't used in that area in their books. For instance, setting a book in Minnesota, but having the character make a casserole instead of a "hot dish." The folks in that conversation were complaining very loudly about "lack of research" and "lazy writing" just because little things - things that you often cannot easily research and wouldn't know if you didn't live there - might have been wrong. They loudly decried such mistakes, however, and insisted such mistakes would lead to them DNFing the books.
Besides it sounding extremely judgemental and uncharitable, I also considered it rather unrealistic to expect an author to get every single tiny miniscle detail right. Even when the author lives in a particular town or grew up in a particular region does not mean that author knows every single tiny little detail about that town, its history, and the people who live there.
Unless such readers insist that a writer can only write what they know. So you know, those of us who live in America and will never have the funds to visit England, sorry, you can't try your hand at writing a regency romance because you can't physically go there to get the details right. So nope, unless you can go to Berlin and live there for a year to soak up the culture, you can't set your James Bond style thriller in Germany. Not Japanese? Sorry, you can't write your romantic adventure about a samarai warrior. So authors who live in Texas can only write about Texas, the only folks that are allowed to write military fiction are veterans, etc.
Sounds ludicrous? I agree - but that is what was being insinuated.
So for authors, I absolutely agree with this article - do as much research as you can using the tools you have available to you. If you can physically go to the place, that is always best, but if not, then do as much research as you can with pictures, books, and the internet.
For readers? Please remember that authors are people who make mistakes just like you do, so give them some slack. If the story is good and you are enjoying it, then just role your eyes if they get a turn of phrase wrong or some such, note that its just a tell that the author isn't from that region, laugh about it, and continue the story. Substitute the correct word in your head. Shoot, take a pen and write it in if you have to. But please, have some grace and don't demonize the author or judge them as lazy just because they don't get something exactly right.
Remember the golden rule here, folks - do unto authors as you'd have them do unto you.
I'm fond of the remade version of Cat People, the one with Nastassia Kinski as Irena. One of its minor evocative moments is a scene that shows her address is at the intersection of Erato and Annunciation, a perfect poetic touch. But when I looked it up on Google Maps, I found that those streets really do exist—but they're just down the block from a freeway onramp that the camera carefully avoided showing up.
Then there was Veronica Mars, set in the fictitious town of Neptune, California—but actually shot in my neighborhood in San Diego. Keith Mars's office was implied to be upstairs from a building I walked past once or twice a week. I remember one scene where Veronica was on a long drive, and they showed her driving past De Mille's, our favorite Italian restaurant—maybe three or four times (obviously they had the car circle back). Film and video have to deal with realism and reality in different ways. . . .
Great article. You know, a lot of times I will base locations in places I’ve been. Or if I’m currently somewhere I will sometimes be struck by something that I can use in a world. I find it always be ready to take pics and notes when inspiration hits.
This was perfect timing! A lot of my series centers around a very real town in New Hampshire, and I was just realizing I need to walk around a bit more and take lots of notes. I'm pretty familiar with the place (I work there 😎) but even then my recall gets a bit fuzzy sometimes. 😅🤣
I was able to use google maps to zoom in on the remains of the Sante Fe Trail in New Mexico, and the ability to turn the map 360 degrees and was a big help in understanding where the hills were.
I definitely support authors doing as much research as the can, but I would like to remind readers that authors can do the best they can, but unless they are writing something they are immersed in, they may not get all the details right. So please, readers, be graceful if you find something wrong and remember its just a book not a news article, and if the story and characters are engaging, then does it really matter if the author had a wrong turn of phrase or had a street name wrong?
I say this because I saw a conversation not too long ago in a discord channel I'm in that was really pounding on authors who were not native to a particular area - say the midwest, for instance - and used words and phrases that aren't used in that area in their books. For instance, setting a book in Minnesota, but having the character make a casserole instead of a "hot dish." The folks in that conversation were complaining very loudly about "lack of research" and "lazy writing" just because little things - things that you often cannot easily research and wouldn't know if you didn't live there - might have been wrong. They loudly decried such mistakes, however, and insisted such mistakes would lead to them DNFing the books.
Besides it sounding extremely judgemental and uncharitable, I also considered it rather unrealistic to expect an author to get every single tiny miniscle detail right. Even when the author lives in a particular town or grew up in a particular region does not mean that author knows every single tiny little detail about that town, its history, and the people who live there.
Unless such readers insist that a writer can only write what they know. So you know, those of us who live in America and will never have the funds to visit England, sorry, you can't try your hand at writing a regency romance because you can't physically go there to get the details right. So nope, unless you can go to Berlin and live there for a year to soak up the culture, you can't set your James Bond style thriller in Germany. Not Japanese? Sorry, you can't write your romantic adventure about a samarai warrior. So authors who live in Texas can only write about Texas, the only folks that are allowed to write military fiction are veterans, etc.
Sounds ludicrous? I agree - but that is what was being insinuated.
So for authors, I absolutely agree with this article - do as much research as you can using the tools you have available to you. If you can physically go to the place, that is always best, but if not, then do as much research as you can with pictures, books, and the internet.
For readers? Please remember that authors are people who make mistakes just like you do, so give them some slack. If the story is good and you are enjoying it, then just role your eyes if they get a turn of phrase wrong or some such, note that its just a tell that the author isn't from that region, laugh about it, and continue the story. Substitute the correct word in your head. Shoot, take a pen and write it in if you have to. But please, have some grace and don't demonize the author or judge them as lazy just because they don't get something exactly right.
Remember the golden rule here, folks - do unto authors as you'd have them do unto you.
Spot on!
I should write an article about that too.
It's ridiculous when people make a huge fuss about some small thing when the story is good and the person's done the best they can.
I'm fond of the remade version of Cat People, the one with Nastassia Kinski as Irena. One of its minor evocative moments is a scene that shows her address is at the intersection of Erato and Annunciation, a perfect poetic touch. But when I looked it up on Google Maps, I found that those streets really do exist—but they're just down the block from a freeway onramp that the camera carefully avoided showing up.
Then there was Veronica Mars, set in the fictitious town of Neptune, California—but actually shot in my neighborhood in San Diego. Keith Mars's office was implied to be upstairs from a building I walked past once or twice a week. I remember one scene where Veronica was on a long drive, and they showed her driving past De Mille's, our favorite Italian restaurant—maybe three or four times (obviously they had the car circle back). Film and video have to deal with realism and reality in different ways. . . .
That's really cool. And kind of interesting.
This sort of detail is the sort of thing you want to build in a wholly imaginary world to make it seem real.
Yes!
Great article. You know, a lot of times I will base locations in places I’ve been. Or if I’m currently somewhere I will sometimes be struck by something that I can use in a world. I find it always be ready to take pics and notes when inspiration hits.
Hope you are soaking up the place you are for possible future stories!
:-)
You always leave with something, don’t you? 🥰
This was perfect timing! A lot of my series centers around a very real town in New Hampshire, and I was just realizing I need to walk around a bit more and take lots of notes. I'm pretty familiar with the place (I work there 😎) but even then my recall gets a bit fuzzy sometimes. 😅🤣
I bet you'll really enjoy it!
There's a special kind of joy when you're looking at a place that you've used in a story.
So glad you got to go, and looking forward to the stories that come from it.
Thank you!