Getting the Details Right

I was part of a panel discussion recently about explosions in film and fiction, and one of the biggest talking points was how important it is to be accurate vs. entertaining.  And what it comes down to: who is your audience, and what are their expectations.  If you’re writing hard (science-based) science fiction, police procedurals, or historical romance, you had better get the physics, hierarchies and laws, and dates when things were invented correctly.

But even in genres where there are less rigid expectations, doing your best to be accurate will result in a better finished product (unless you are writing humor, in which case the conceit needs to be that things DON’T work the same as in the real world.)  In a market where readers have so many options, avoiding factual errors that have the potential to throw readers out of the story helps if you are looking at publishing your work, either traditionally or independently.  But sometimes you get to the point where something in your manuscript needs to feel more “cinematic” than accurate.  Depending on the story, you might be okay going with it.  For instance, the real sound of a sword being drawn is somewhat papery, whereas in movies they usually make a ringing sound (achieved by techniques such as scraping a spatula down a metal bar.)  It’s almost the expected sound now, and the only ones who will be thrown out are those who know what it should sound like.  For the sake of excitement, they will likely let it go.  If you change historical or scientific fact, in many genres a notes section in the back of the work is expected.