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Is it okay to majorly distort historical facts while writing a fiction story?



The Next CEO of Stack OverflowHow much can I talk about other people's works?How do you determine whether you know enough to write on a topic?How far does libel extend in writing?Struggling to define a character without giving him viewpoint statusHow do disclaimers work for fictional books that are loosely modeled on real events?There's an actor with my lead character's name - how big a problem is this going to be?The advantages and disadvantages of Fantasy-timeHow to write female characters with agency?How do you make characters relatable if they exist in a completely different moral context?How to present an alien culture with different morals, without it coming across as savage?










7















Suppose A is a famous historical character with a known history of emotional attachment with a particular set of people. If I would want to write a fictional story about character A that might involve distortion of the actual incidents of her/his life, will it be okay?



How much is too much while handling a fiction plot based on a real historical character and what points should I care about?










share|improve this question



















  • 1





    Wiki : Alternate History, also Counterfactual history

    – J...
    1 hour ago












  • No. Unless you want to make a name for yourself as a two-bit talentless hack, who doesn't do their research à la Dan Brown.

    – Arbiter Elegantiae
    1 hour ago















7















Suppose A is a famous historical character with a known history of emotional attachment with a particular set of people. If I would want to write a fictional story about character A that might involve distortion of the actual incidents of her/his life, will it be okay?



How much is too much while handling a fiction plot based on a real historical character and what points should I care about?










share|improve this question



















  • 1





    Wiki : Alternate History, also Counterfactual history

    – J...
    1 hour ago












  • No. Unless you want to make a name for yourself as a two-bit talentless hack, who doesn't do their research à la Dan Brown.

    – Arbiter Elegantiae
    1 hour ago













7












7








7








Suppose A is a famous historical character with a known history of emotional attachment with a particular set of people. If I would want to write a fictional story about character A that might involve distortion of the actual incidents of her/his life, will it be okay?



How much is too much while handling a fiction plot based on a real historical character and what points should I care about?










share|improve this question
















Suppose A is a famous historical character with a known history of emotional attachment with a particular set of people. If I would want to write a fictional story about character A that might involve distortion of the actual incidents of her/his life, will it be okay?



How much is too much while handling a fiction plot based on a real historical character and what points should I care about?







fiction research historical-fiction






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 8 hours ago









Cyn

16.1k13376




16.1k13376










asked 9 hours ago









Karan DesaiKaran Desai

611515




611515







  • 1





    Wiki : Alternate History, also Counterfactual history

    – J...
    1 hour ago












  • No. Unless you want to make a name for yourself as a two-bit talentless hack, who doesn't do their research à la Dan Brown.

    – Arbiter Elegantiae
    1 hour ago












  • 1





    Wiki : Alternate History, also Counterfactual history

    – J...
    1 hour ago












  • No. Unless you want to make a name for yourself as a two-bit talentless hack, who doesn't do their research à la Dan Brown.

    – Arbiter Elegantiae
    1 hour ago







1




1





Wiki : Alternate History, also Counterfactual history

– J...
1 hour ago






Wiki : Alternate History, also Counterfactual history

– J...
1 hour ago














No. Unless you want to make a name for yourself as a two-bit talentless hack, who doesn't do their research à la Dan Brown.

– Arbiter Elegantiae
1 hour ago





No. Unless you want to make a name for yourself as a two-bit talentless hack, who doesn't do their research à la Dan Brown.

– Arbiter Elegantiae
1 hour ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















9














Is it okay? Well, it's legal (if the person is long dead anyway, and probably even if they're alive). You can do it. You might even get it published.



For a large number of readers, the answer is that, no, it's not okay. Though what percentage of that really depends on the details. Fictionalization of historic events is extremely common and things get really bungled.



Take the excellent book Hidden Figures, about black women employed by NASA as mathematicians and engineers as the first space flights were planned then executed. The author interviewed the actual women involved (those still alive) and many others who lived through that time period.



The book is nonfiction and, as far as I know, pretty accurate. Then it was made into a movie. The movie is wonderful and worth watching but, for those of us who read the book, it involves a lot of handwaving. They took characters that worked in different decades and made them all similarly aged friends in the same year. They completely changed character arcs to aid in the drama. For example, one movie character fought for years to become a supervisor (the white woman in charge refused to allow her) then finally got her promotion in the late 60's at the end of the movie. The real person with that character's name had been a supervisor starting in the 40's.



This sort of distortion is extremely common in movies, whether based on books or on historical research. Sometimes involving huge changes like putting together events that actually were a couple hundred years apart. It's not as common in books, but it happens.



So is it "okay" for you to do this? Well, yes and no. The question is, what can you get away with and who are you pissing off? If you add in scandal or things that might be libelous were the people still alive, you could be in trouble, even if legally you're in the clear. I mean, don't write a novel about Princess Di's early life as a pole dancer.



But a work about William Shakespeare in a relationship (that never really happened) with a woman who disguises herself as a man so she can take female roles in his plays only ever played by men (also never happened). YAWN Been there, done that.



I am one of those readers that hates inaccuracies like that but I still loved those two movies. I'm stricter about the books but often read and enjoy them anyway. It depends how—and why—it's done.



Make your choices meaningful. Don't change things because you're too lazy to research. Change them because they work better that way for your story.






share|improve this answer






























    5














    Shakespeare did it. Richard III was not a homicidal maniac killing young princes. He was an able king.



    The movie Fatherland presents an alternate history where WWII never happened, Hitler is an able leader and JFK is an aging US President. It all works well because it had a purpose. History did not quite suit the needs of the story, so history changed.



    If A is the focus and you change him/her from respected figure in history to raving lunatic, you might have a problem. Depending on how far back in history your figure is, there could be descendants who feel the need to defend the family honor from defamation.



    If you change that A never met B and C, that is not a problem. Historical fiction is fiction with sometimes just the gloss of history on it.



    Do enough research on A that he/she is recognizable as A. If I were writing about Napoleon and depicted him as a slacker with zero ambition and very little intelligence, I might as well create a new character since we know he was driven, intelligent and ambitious.



    If you want to create a scenario where A is clearly A but different, ask yourself what traits are essential to A being A. If you take my example of a stupid Napoleon, intelligence must be returned to him to keep from breaking reader immersion. Napoleon might remain a talented general but never take the throne, never become Emperor.



    What makes A who he is? What changes do you wish to make? Might said changes be served by creating an observer character who comments on events?



    What are the limits? You set those, but if he has living descendants, be careful of defamation as heirs have been known to defend the reputation of the dead.






    share|improve this answer






























      0














      Getting your facts straight is one of the rules of literature. As with the other rules of literature, it is one thing to know your facts, and to then openly present a different version of reality in order to serve the story. It is quite another thing to act as if the facts are either not important, or that you have rejected the facts because it does not suit you to accept them.



      If you want your story to have an element that contradicts the best-supported version of events in the historical record, you should make it very clear (in some way) that you know what the record really says, and that you made this choice in order to explore a story with different conflicts in play.



      If the historical record is well-known, and there aren't already an army of cranks who are pushing an alternate version of things, it may not be necessary to explicitly state that you are presenting an alternate history; everyone will grasp it readily enough. For instance, if Confederate States of America wins the American Civil War in your novel, everyone will know you are writing an alternate history and don't have a fringe agenda.



      On the other hand, if the topic is already the target of politically-driven revisionism, you definitely should make it clear that the version of events in the tale should be seen as fiction. For instance, if you want to write a novel in which the Holocaust did not happen, do not fail to stress to the reader that you believe the Holocaust abso-filtered-lutely did happen. In a similar vein, if historians have not reached a consensus on what happened, be sure to point this out.



      In another case, it may be that the facts as known to history are familiar only to historians. So if your story has Julius Caesar married to a woman named Desdemona, someone unfamiliar with Roman history may "learn" this to be the case, and you should take the time to prevent misunderstandings.



      Another case that requires a warning is when historians are honestly divided on what actually happened, non-historians are pretty much ignorant of this fact, and your story presents one of the versions vying for acceptance. In that case you would also want to advise the reader that the version of events you present is not the only reasonable interpretation of the historical record.



      As to where you put this caveat lector, a brief author's note at the beginning should suffice.






      share|improve this answer






























        -1














        Absolutely yes. You said why. It's fiction.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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        • Hi Randy, welcome to WritingSE. You haven't taken the Tour yet, so maybe you're unaware that our site's purpose is "to build a library of detailed answers to every question about professional writing" [my emphasis]. Perhaps you'd consider editing your post to provide a more nuanced response? For further guidance, see How to Answer. :-)

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          1 hour ago












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        4 Answers
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        4 Answers
        4






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        active

        oldest

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        9














        Is it okay? Well, it's legal (if the person is long dead anyway, and probably even if they're alive). You can do it. You might even get it published.



        For a large number of readers, the answer is that, no, it's not okay. Though what percentage of that really depends on the details. Fictionalization of historic events is extremely common and things get really bungled.



        Take the excellent book Hidden Figures, about black women employed by NASA as mathematicians and engineers as the first space flights were planned then executed. The author interviewed the actual women involved (those still alive) and many others who lived through that time period.



        The book is nonfiction and, as far as I know, pretty accurate. Then it was made into a movie. The movie is wonderful and worth watching but, for those of us who read the book, it involves a lot of handwaving. They took characters that worked in different decades and made them all similarly aged friends in the same year. They completely changed character arcs to aid in the drama. For example, one movie character fought for years to become a supervisor (the white woman in charge refused to allow her) then finally got her promotion in the late 60's at the end of the movie. The real person with that character's name had been a supervisor starting in the 40's.



        This sort of distortion is extremely common in movies, whether based on books or on historical research. Sometimes involving huge changes like putting together events that actually were a couple hundred years apart. It's not as common in books, but it happens.



        So is it "okay" for you to do this? Well, yes and no. The question is, what can you get away with and who are you pissing off? If you add in scandal or things that might be libelous were the people still alive, you could be in trouble, even if legally you're in the clear. I mean, don't write a novel about Princess Di's early life as a pole dancer.



        But a work about William Shakespeare in a relationship (that never really happened) with a woman who disguises herself as a man so she can take female roles in his plays only ever played by men (also never happened). YAWN Been there, done that.



        I am one of those readers that hates inaccuracies like that but I still loved those two movies. I'm stricter about the books but often read and enjoy them anyway. It depends how—and why—it's done.



        Make your choices meaningful. Don't change things because you're too lazy to research. Change them because they work better that way for your story.






        share|improve this answer



























          9














          Is it okay? Well, it's legal (if the person is long dead anyway, and probably even if they're alive). You can do it. You might even get it published.



          For a large number of readers, the answer is that, no, it's not okay. Though what percentage of that really depends on the details. Fictionalization of historic events is extremely common and things get really bungled.



          Take the excellent book Hidden Figures, about black women employed by NASA as mathematicians and engineers as the first space flights were planned then executed. The author interviewed the actual women involved (those still alive) and many others who lived through that time period.



          The book is nonfiction and, as far as I know, pretty accurate. Then it was made into a movie. The movie is wonderful and worth watching but, for those of us who read the book, it involves a lot of handwaving. They took characters that worked in different decades and made them all similarly aged friends in the same year. They completely changed character arcs to aid in the drama. For example, one movie character fought for years to become a supervisor (the white woman in charge refused to allow her) then finally got her promotion in the late 60's at the end of the movie. The real person with that character's name had been a supervisor starting in the 40's.



          This sort of distortion is extremely common in movies, whether based on books or on historical research. Sometimes involving huge changes like putting together events that actually were a couple hundred years apart. It's not as common in books, but it happens.



          So is it "okay" for you to do this? Well, yes and no. The question is, what can you get away with and who are you pissing off? If you add in scandal or things that might be libelous were the people still alive, you could be in trouble, even if legally you're in the clear. I mean, don't write a novel about Princess Di's early life as a pole dancer.



          But a work about William Shakespeare in a relationship (that never really happened) with a woman who disguises herself as a man so she can take female roles in his plays only ever played by men (also never happened). YAWN Been there, done that.



          I am one of those readers that hates inaccuracies like that but I still loved those two movies. I'm stricter about the books but often read and enjoy them anyway. It depends how—and why—it's done.



          Make your choices meaningful. Don't change things because you're too lazy to research. Change them because they work better that way for your story.






          share|improve this answer

























            9












            9








            9







            Is it okay? Well, it's legal (if the person is long dead anyway, and probably even if they're alive). You can do it. You might even get it published.



            For a large number of readers, the answer is that, no, it's not okay. Though what percentage of that really depends on the details. Fictionalization of historic events is extremely common and things get really bungled.



            Take the excellent book Hidden Figures, about black women employed by NASA as mathematicians and engineers as the first space flights were planned then executed. The author interviewed the actual women involved (those still alive) and many others who lived through that time period.



            The book is nonfiction and, as far as I know, pretty accurate. Then it was made into a movie. The movie is wonderful and worth watching but, for those of us who read the book, it involves a lot of handwaving. They took characters that worked in different decades and made them all similarly aged friends in the same year. They completely changed character arcs to aid in the drama. For example, one movie character fought for years to become a supervisor (the white woman in charge refused to allow her) then finally got her promotion in the late 60's at the end of the movie. The real person with that character's name had been a supervisor starting in the 40's.



            This sort of distortion is extremely common in movies, whether based on books or on historical research. Sometimes involving huge changes like putting together events that actually were a couple hundred years apart. It's not as common in books, but it happens.



            So is it "okay" for you to do this? Well, yes and no. The question is, what can you get away with and who are you pissing off? If you add in scandal or things that might be libelous were the people still alive, you could be in trouble, even if legally you're in the clear. I mean, don't write a novel about Princess Di's early life as a pole dancer.



            But a work about William Shakespeare in a relationship (that never really happened) with a woman who disguises herself as a man so she can take female roles in his plays only ever played by men (also never happened). YAWN Been there, done that.



            I am one of those readers that hates inaccuracies like that but I still loved those two movies. I'm stricter about the books but often read and enjoy them anyway. It depends how—and why—it's done.



            Make your choices meaningful. Don't change things because you're too lazy to research. Change them because they work better that way for your story.






            share|improve this answer













            Is it okay? Well, it's legal (if the person is long dead anyway, and probably even if they're alive). You can do it. You might even get it published.



            For a large number of readers, the answer is that, no, it's not okay. Though what percentage of that really depends on the details. Fictionalization of historic events is extremely common and things get really bungled.



            Take the excellent book Hidden Figures, about black women employed by NASA as mathematicians and engineers as the first space flights were planned then executed. The author interviewed the actual women involved (those still alive) and many others who lived through that time period.



            The book is nonfiction and, as far as I know, pretty accurate. Then it was made into a movie. The movie is wonderful and worth watching but, for those of us who read the book, it involves a lot of handwaving. They took characters that worked in different decades and made them all similarly aged friends in the same year. They completely changed character arcs to aid in the drama. For example, one movie character fought for years to become a supervisor (the white woman in charge refused to allow her) then finally got her promotion in the late 60's at the end of the movie. The real person with that character's name had been a supervisor starting in the 40's.



            This sort of distortion is extremely common in movies, whether based on books or on historical research. Sometimes involving huge changes like putting together events that actually were a couple hundred years apart. It's not as common in books, but it happens.



            So is it "okay" for you to do this? Well, yes and no. The question is, what can you get away with and who are you pissing off? If you add in scandal or things that might be libelous were the people still alive, you could be in trouble, even if legally you're in the clear. I mean, don't write a novel about Princess Di's early life as a pole dancer.



            But a work about William Shakespeare in a relationship (that never really happened) with a woman who disguises herself as a man so she can take female roles in his plays only ever played by men (also never happened). YAWN Been there, done that.



            I am one of those readers that hates inaccuracies like that but I still loved those two movies. I'm stricter about the books but often read and enjoy them anyway. It depends how—and why—it's done.



            Make your choices meaningful. Don't change things because you're too lazy to research. Change them because they work better that way for your story.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 8 hours ago









            CynCyn

            16.1k13376




            16.1k13376





















                5














                Shakespeare did it. Richard III was not a homicidal maniac killing young princes. He was an able king.



                The movie Fatherland presents an alternate history where WWII never happened, Hitler is an able leader and JFK is an aging US President. It all works well because it had a purpose. History did not quite suit the needs of the story, so history changed.



                If A is the focus and you change him/her from respected figure in history to raving lunatic, you might have a problem. Depending on how far back in history your figure is, there could be descendants who feel the need to defend the family honor from defamation.



                If you change that A never met B and C, that is not a problem. Historical fiction is fiction with sometimes just the gloss of history on it.



                Do enough research on A that he/she is recognizable as A. If I were writing about Napoleon and depicted him as a slacker with zero ambition and very little intelligence, I might as well create a new character since we know he was driven, intelligent and ambitious.



                If you want to create a scenario where A is clearly A but different, ask yourself what traits are essential to A being A. If you take my example of a stupid Napoleon, intelligence must be returned to him to keep from breaking reader immersion. Napoleon might remain a talented general but never take the throne, never become Emperor.



                What makes A who he is? What changes do you wish to make? Might said changes be served by creating an observer character who comments on events?



                What are the limits? You set those, but if he has living descendants, be careful of defamation as heirs have been known to defend the reputation of the dead.






                share|improve this answer



























                  5














                  Shakespeare did it. Richard III was not a homicidal maniac killing young princes. He was an able king.



                  The movie Fatherland presents an alternate history where WWII never happened, Hitler is an able leader and JFK is an aging US President. It all works well because it had a purpose. History did not quite suit the needs of the story, so history changed.



                  If A is the focus and you change him/her from respected figure in history to raving lunatic, you might have a problem. Depending on how far back in history your figure is, there could be descendants who feel the need to defend the family honor from defamation.



                  If you change that A never met B and C, that is not a problem. Historical fiction is fiction with sometimes just the gloss of history on it.



                  Do enough research on A that he/she is recognizable as A. If I were writing about Napoleon and depicted him as a slacker with zero ambition and very little intelligence, I might as well create a new character since we know he was driven, intelligent and ambitious.



                  If you want to create a scenario where A is clearly A but different, ask yourself what traits are essential to A being A. If you take my example of a stupid Napoleon, intelligence must be returned to him to keep from breaking reader immersion. Napoleon might remain a talented general but never take the throne, never become Emperor.



                  What makes A who he is? What changes do you wish to make? Might said changes be served by creating an observer character who comments on events?



                  What are the limits? You set those, but if he has living descendants, be careful of defamation as heirs have been known to defend the reputation of the dead.






                  share|improve this answer

























                    5












                    5








                    5







                    Shakespeare did it. Richard III was not a homicidal maniac killing young princes. He was an able king.



                    The movie Fatherland presents an alternate history where WWII never happened, Hitler is an able leader and JFK is an aging US President. It all works well because it had a purpose. History did not quite suit the needs of the story, so history changed.



                    If A is the focus and you change him/her from respected figure in history to raving lunatic, you might have a problem. Depending on how far back in history your figure is, there could be descendants who feel the need to defend the family honor from defamation.



                    If you change that A never met B and C, that is not a problem. Historical fiction is fiction with sometimes just the gloss of history on it.



                    Do enough research on A that he/she is recognizable as A. If I were writing about Napoleon and depicted him as a slacker with zero ambition and very little intelligence, I might as well create a new character since we know he was driven, intelligent and ambitious.



                    If you want to create a scenario where A is clearly A but different, ask yourself what traits are essential to A being A. If you take my example of a stupid Napoleon, intelligence must be returned to him to keep from breaking reader immersion. Napoleon might remain a talented general but never take the throne, never become Emperor.



                    What makes A who he is? What changes do you wish to make? Might said changes be served by creating an observer character who comments on events?



                    What are the limits? You set those, but if he has living descendants, be careful of defamation as heirs have been known to defend the reputation of the dead.






                    share|improve this answer













                    Shakespeare did it. Richard III was not a homicidal maniac killing young princes. He was an able king.



                    The movie Fatherland presents an alternate history where WWII never happened, Hitler is an able leader and JFK is an aging US President. It all works well because it had a purpose. History did not quite suit the needs of the story, so history changed.



                    If A is the focus and you change him/her from respected figure in history to raving lunatic, you might have a problem. Depending on how far back in history your figure is, there could be descendants who feel the need to defend the family honor from defamation.



                    If you change that A never met B and C, that is not a problem. Historical fiction is fiction with sometimes just the gloss of history on it.



                    Do enough research on A that he/she is recognizable as A. If I were writing about Napoleon and depicted him as a slacker with zero ambition and very little intelligence, I might as well create a new character since we know he was driven, intelligent and ambitious.



                    If you want to create a scenario where A is clearly A but different, ask yourself what traits are essential to A being A. If you take my example of a stupid Napoleon, intelligence must be returned to him to keep from breaking reader immersion. Napoleon might remain a talented general but never take the throne, never become Emperor.



                    What makes A who he is? What changes do you wish to make? Might said changes be served by creating an observer character who comments on events?



                    What are the limits? You set those, but if he has living descendants, be careful of defamation as heirs have been known to defend the reputation of the dead.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered 8 hours ago









                    RasdashanRasdashan

                    8,9591156




                    8,9591156





















                        0














                        Getting your facts straight is one of the rules of literature. As with the other rules of literature, it is one thing to know your facts, and to then openly present a different version of reality in order to serve the story. It is quite another thing to act as if the facts are either not important, or that you have rejected the facts because it does not suit you to accept them.



                        If you want your story to have an element that contradicts the best-supported version of events in the historical record, you should make it very clear (in some way) that you know what the record really says, and that you made this choice in order to explore a story with different conflicts in play.



                        If the historical record is well-known, and there aren't already an army of cranks who are pushing an alternate version of things, it may not be necessary to explicitly state that you are presenting an alternate history; everyone will grasp it readily enough. For instance, if Confederate States of America wins the American Civil War in your novel, everyone will know you are writing an alternate history and don't have a fringe agenda.



                        On the other hand, if the topic is already the target of politically-driven revisionism, you definitely should make it clear that the version of events in the tale should be seen as fiction. For instance, if you want to write a novel in which the Holocaust did not happen, do not fail to stress to the reader that you believe the Holocaust abso-filtered-lutely did happen. In a similar vein, if historians have not reached a consensus on what happened, be sure to point this out.



                        In another case, it may be that the facts as known to history are familiar only to historians. So if your story has Julius Caesar married to a woman named Desdemona, someone unfamiliar with Roman history may "learn" this to be the case, and you should take the time to prevent misunderstandings.



                        Another case that requires a warning is when historians are honestly divided on what actually happened, non-historians are pretty much ignorant of this fact, and your story presents one of the versions vying for acceptance. In that case you would also want to advise the reader that the version of events you present is not the only reasonable interpretation of the historical record.



                        As to where you put this caveat lector, a brief author's note at the beginning should suffice.






                        share|improve this answer



























                          0














                          Getting your facts straight is one of the rules of literature. As with the other rules of literature, it is one thing to know your facts, and to then openly present a different version of reality in order to serve the story. It is quite another thing to act as if the facts are either not important, or that you have rejected the facts because it does not suit you to accept them.



                          If you want your story to have an element that contradicts the best-supported version of events in the historical record, you should make it very clear (in some way) that you know what the record really says, and that you made this choice in order to explore a story with different conflicts in play.



                          If the historical record is well-known, and there aren't already an army of cranks who are pushing an alternate version of things, it may not be necessary to explicitly state that you are presenting an alternate history; everyone will grasp it readily enough. For instance, if Confederate States of America wins the American Civil War in your novel, everyone will know you are writing an alternate history and don't have a fringe agenda.



                          On the other hand, if the topic is already the target of politically-driven revisionism, you definitely should make it clear that the version of events in the tale should be seen as fiction. For instance, if you want to write a novel in which the Holocaust did not happen, do not fail to stress to the reader that you believe the Holocaust abso-filtered-lutely did happen. In a similar vein, if historians have not reached a consensus on what happened, be sure to point this out.



                          In another case, it may be that the facts as known to history are familiar only to historians. So if your story has Julius Caesar married to a woman named Desdemona, someone unfamiliar with Roman history may "learn" this to be the case, and you should take the time to prevent misunderstandings.



                          Another case that requires a warning is when historians are honestly divided on what actually happened, non-historians are pretty much ignorant of this fact, and your story presents one of the versions vying for acceptance. In that case you would also want to advise the reader that the version of events you present is not the only reasonable interpretation of the historical record.



                          As to where you put this caveat lector, a brief author's note at the beginning should suffice.






                          share|improve this answer

























                            0












                            0








                            0







                            Getting your facts straight is one of the rules of literature. As with the other rules of literature, it is one thing to know your facts, and to then openly present a different version of reality in order to serve the story. It is quite another thing to act as if the facts are either not important, or that you have rejected the facts because it does not suit you to accept them.



                            If you want your story to have an element that contradicts the best-supported version of events in the historical record, you should make it very clear (in some way) that you know what the record really says, and that you made this choice in order to explore a story with different conflicts in play.



                            If the historical record is well-known, and there aren't already an army of cranks who are pushing an alternate version of things, it may not be necessary to explicitly state that you are presenting an alternate history; everyone will grasp it readily enough. For instance, if Confederate States of America wins the American Civil War in your novel, everyone will know you are writing an alternate history and don't have a fringe agenda.



                            On the other hand, if the topic is already the target of politically-driven revisionism, you definitely should make it clear that the version of events in the tale should be seen as fiction. For instance, if you want to write a novel in which the Holocaust did not happen, do not fail to stress to the reader that you believe the Holocaust abso-filtered-lutely did happen. In a similar vein, if historians have not reached a consensus on what happened, be sure to point this out.



                            In another case, it may be that the facts as known to history are familiar only to historians. So if your story has Julius Caesar married to a woman named Desdemona, someone unfamiliar with Roman history may "learn" this to be the case, and you should take the time to prevent misunderstandings.



                            Another case that requires a warning is when historians are honestly divided on what actually happened, non-historians are pretty much ignorant of this fact, and your story presents one of the versions vying for acceptance. In that case you would also want to advise the reader that the version of events you present is not the only reasonable interpretation of the historical record.



                            As to where you put this caveat lector, a brief author's note at the beginning should suffice.






                            share|improve this answer













                            Getting your facts straight is one of the rules of literature. As with the other rules of literature, it is one thing to know your facts, and to then openly present a different version of reality in order to serve the story. It is quite another thing to act as if the facts are either not important, or that you have rejected the facts because it does not suit you to accept them.



                            If you want your story to have an element that contradicts the best-supported version of events in the historical record, you should make it very clear (in some way) that you know what the record really says, and that you made this choice in order to explore a story with different conflicts in play.



                            If the historical record is well-known, and there aren't already an army of cranks who are pushing an alternate version of things, it may not be necessary to explicitly state that you are presenting an alternate history; everyone will grasp it readily enough. For instance, if Confederate States of America wins the American Civil War in your novel, everyone will know you are writing an alternate history and don't have a fringe agenda.



                            On the other hand, if the topic is already the target of politically-driven revisionism, you definitely should make it clear that the version of events in the tale should be seen as fiction. For instance, if you want to write a novel in which the Holocaust did not happen, do not fail to stress to the reader that you believe the Holocaust abso-filtered-lutely did happen. In a similar vein, if historians have not reached a consensus on what happened, be sure to point this out.



                            In another case, it may be that the facts as known to history are familiar only to historians. So if your story has Julius Caesar married to a woman named Desdemona, someone unfamiliar with Roman history may "learn" this to be the case, and you should take the time to prevent misunderstandings.



                            Another case that requires a warning is when historians are honestly divided on what actually happened, non-historians are pretty much ignorant of this fact, and your story presents one of the versions vying for acceptance. In that case you would also want to advise the reader that the version of events you present is not the only reasonable interpretation of the historical record.



                            As to where you put this caveat lector, a brief author's note at the beginning should suffice.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered 3 hours ago









                            EvilSnackEvilSnack

                            84915




                            84915





















                                -1














                                Absolutely yes. You said why. It's fiction.






                                share|improve this answer








                                New contributor




                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                                • Hi Randy, welcome to WritingSE. You haven't taken the Tour yet, so maybe you're unaware that our site's purpose is "to build a library of detailed answers to every question about professional writing" [my emphasis]. Perhaps you'd consider editing your post to provide a more nuanced response? For further guidance, see How to Answer. :-)

                                  – Chappo
                                  1 hour ago
















                                -1














                                Absolutely yes. You said why. It's fiction.






                                share|improve this answer








                                New contributor




                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                                • Hi Randy, welcome to WritingSE. You haven't taken the Tour yet, so maybe you're unaware that our site's purpose is "to build a library of detailed answers to every question about professional writing" [my emphasis]. Perhaps you'd consider editing your post to provide a more nuanced response? For further guidance, see How to Answer. :-)

                                  – Chappo
                                  1 hour ago














                                -1












                                -1








                                -1







                                Absolutely yes. You said why. It's fiction.






                                share|improve this answer








                                New contributor




                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                Absolutely yes. You said why. It's fiction.







                                share|improve this answer








                                New contributor




                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                share|improve this answer



                                share|improve this answer






                                New contributor




                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                answered 5 hours ago









                                Randy ZeitmanRandy Zeitman

                                991




                                991




                                New contributor




                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                New contributor





                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                Randy Zeitman is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                Check out our Code of Conduct.












                                • Hi Randy, welcome to WritingSE. You haven't taken the Tour yet, so maybe you're unaware that our site's purpose is "to build a library of detailed answers to every question about professional writing" [my emphasis]. Perhaps you'd consider editing your post to provide a more nuanced response? For further guidance, see How to Answer. :-)

                                  – Chappo
                                  1 hour ago


















                                • Hi Randy, welcome to WritingSE. You haven't taken the Tour yet, so maybe you're unaware that our site's purpose is "to build a library of detailed answers to every question about professional writing" [my emphasis]. Perhaps you'd consider editing your post to provide a more nuanced response? For further guidance, see How to Answer. :-)

                                  – Chappo
                                  1 hour ago

















                                Hi Randy, welcome to WritingSE. You haven't taken the Tour yet, so maybe you're unaware that our site's purpose is "to build a library of detailed answers to every question about professional writing" [my emphasis]. Perhaps you'd consider editing your post to provide a more nuanced response? For further guidance, see How to Answer. :-)

                                – Chappo
                                1 hour ago






                                Hi Randy, welcome to WritingSE. You haven't taken the Tour yet, so maybe you're unaware that our site's purpose is "to build a library of detailed answers to every question about professional writing" [my emphasis]. Perhaps you'd consider editing your post to provide a more nuanced response? For further guidance, see How to Answer. :-)

                                – Chappo
                                1 hour ago


















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