Constantine Stanislavski said “The truth in art is the truth of your circumstance.”
Stella Adler, a famous acting coach, once talked about the truth like this (paraphrased): The truth needs to come from the circumstances your character finds himself in. Hamlet is a royal prince of Denmark. His truth is a result of that circumstance. It cannot be found within the life of the actor. It must come from his circumstances.
As writers, we create the circumstances and context for our characters. We create the world. The setting. The characters themselves. Then we offer it all to our readers with an unspoken promise that the story and characters will be worth their time. This promise is an acknowledgment that we will do our research and write a story that is not full of errors, factual, grammatical or otherwise.
We promise to create the rules of our world and then operate within them. If the story takes place in our world, we ascribe to the laws that govern it. If we make up the world, we take on job of creating its laws, both scientific and societal. In doing so, we create a structure within which our story will take place and rules that will govern action.
Setting is part of that truth and, as such, it needs to be truthful too. But what does that mean? Simply put: You need to do your research. Even if you are creating a fantasy world, you need to create a world that follows some universal laws or clearly define the laws that do apply.
The reason we do this is for our readers. Only when we are truthful in our settings can they be assimilated by the reader. In other words, if the setting fits into the reader’s understanding of physics, society, human condition, etc., they will accept it more easily than a world devoid of any form of logic or reasoning the reader brings to the story and setting.
This is not to say that you cannot create a world that is wholly unique or one that follows its own set of laws, whether made of man or nature. Certainly, you can. But you have to create a set of laws to govern your world based on commonly understood principals of science and society, and then stick to them. It’s the least you owe your reader.
Most writing, though, is not fantasy. It takes place here on Earth, in our world or a reasonable facsimile of it that doesn’t require full-scale world-building.
What all this talk of truth comes down to is that you must know your setting. You must know it intimately—where the streets are, the houses, the skeletons under the floorboards. If you are basing your story in a real place, you must know it better than your readers. Why? Because readers are savvy. They will notice when the facts are wrong. Any little details is open to scrutiny and backlash. Think readers will forgive? Ask any author who bases their stories in Los Angeles how their readers take any incorrect directions or road names. [For some weird reason, all stories based in LA seem to include directions. I’m not entirely sure why this is, but it is.]
Historic novels in particular need to be correct. There is nothing quite as jarring as reading a historic novel and finding anachronisms—items or knowledge that could not exist in that time. Things that had not been invented or discovered yet. A smart phone in a flapper mystery. A medical device not invented at the turn of the century. Even a turn of phrase that came about after your story’s time period. Mistakes like these pull the reader out of the story.
Other types of novels bear this same burden: medical, legal, science-based books, and pretty much any book that includes facts or any kind, which is all books ever.
Now you may argue that getting something wrong is a mistake or failure to do research and does not rise to the level of a lie. You are right, of course. But readers take mistakes as a sign of poor writing, which results in you losing your credibility as an author. In effect, whether a mistake or a lie, it feels like a betrayal or incompetence in the readers’ minds. Neither option is good. So do you research and do it carefully. Unlike newspapers (at least newspapers of old) there is no one fact-checking you in fiction.
I remember reading a book when I was a teenager and flinging it against the wall when I found a mistake. It was an egregious mistake. A huge one that showed the author did absolutely no research at all. I never read the author again. You don’t want to have that happen to you.
Here are some tips for being truthful in your setting:
Get It Right
If you take the time to describe something, take the time to research it. If there’s a weapon in your book, it needs to be right. If you describe how to change a tire, be sure to learn how to do it yourself. Learn it all. Skydiving. Riding a motorcycle. Performing an autopsy. Conducting a police investigation. You get the point. The good news is that this is the fun part. You get to go out and explore and learn new things while you learn all for the sake of the story.
Use Context and Circumstance
Your character’s circumstances change everything, including mood and technique. Action comes from context too. Think about the difference between an assassin firing a gun versus a seasoned police officer versus a scared kid who is trying to defend himself against an intruder. Their circumstances determine how they handle the gun and pull the trigger. That is where you find the truth of your scene and the details. Explore context carefully before you layer in the details and action.
Find Experts
There are experts in everything. Heck, there are even associations for everything, including a Tongue Depressor Manufacturer Association (I kid you not). Seek these people out (not the tongue depressor people, unless it is vital to your story—which I can’t imagine). Ask questions. Talk to them. Read their books, manuals, instructions. There is so much information in our world, there is no reason to get something wrong. Of course, not all “experts” are the same. Be sure to find people who are reputable and double-source everything if possible.
Look at Maps
There is no better way to get directions right than to look at an actual map. It’s even better if you create a map for your character to follow. This is especially important when writing a series so you don’t accidentally move things from book to book. PRO TIP: Use the right preposition when talking about directions. Chicago is up from Dallas because it is north of Dallas. It is over from New York because it lies to the west. You cannot come down to Boston from Washington, DC.
Don’t Use Wikipedia
Remember what your teachers told you on this one. Don’t use Wikipedia or similar sites. Or if you do, check the links and resources at the bottom of the article and refer to those to verify your facts. Anyone can post material to Wikipedia and the material there is often wrong. It’s better to use primary sources (experts, books, historic documents, etc.) or reputable websites. Go for quality over easy to find. It’s better to get medical advice from the National Institutes of Health or the Mayo Clinic than some random person on YouTube. The same holds true when researching your novel. Look for credible sources.
Do It Afterward
A big issue with doing research is that it can take a long time. Many people start doing research for their novel and never finish it. They become experts in the subject, but don’t write a word or finish a draft. One way around this is to set aside a set period of time to do basic research (say two weeks or one month). Your goal is to get a foundational understanding of the subject and to feel comfortable writing a first draft. Then write. Highlight any portion that needs fact-checking and go back afterward to research those specific things. If you don’t know something while you are writing, you can either research it then or leave yourself a note to investigate that bit later. It all depends on whether you can keep writing or not. If the answer to your question will affect what is happening or will happen, then stop and do your research. Otherwise, leave a blank spot with a note about exactly what you want researched and why (it helps) and keep writing. Doing spot research is much quicker.
Keep Notes
Whenever you find a source for a fact in your book, take notes. You can do this on your computer or in a notebook. Just keep it all together so it is easy to find later. Be sure to include your source and where to find it (at the library, on your shelf, on the web, etc). If you did your research online, keep a copy of the URL. Do whatever you need so you can find the material again if you need to refresh your memory.
When in Doubt, Look It Up
This is a good axiom to live by as a writer. Look up words, items, actions—anything you are not absolutely positive is correct.