# Real place with fake stuff. What do?



## Conker (Feb 1, 2015)

So I've started the next writing project, and this one takes place in reality! Or in America anyways. I've set the story in a real city in Iowa, and I've done a bit of research in terms of where things are and where people will go. It's not hugely important in some regard, but I do want a real setting here. Like, the dad teaches at a school, so I made sure to find an area that's actually hilly for plot reasons, and then I found a school that would be within driving distance for work.

ANd then I started writing and the little details are tripping me up. Like, story opens with a girl checking the radio to see if school is canceled via a storm. I wrote through it and realized that the station I created probably doesn't exist in that city. Same with the radio DJ's (though the story takes place in 2006 so that might not be an issue).

Is fudging that kind of detail alright? I'm not sure. At a certain point, some supernatural shit is gonna happen, so it's not like this is real real, but if the devil is in the details...

First time attempting something like this. Normally I'm far in teh future or in some fantasy land where no one gives a fuck if I make shit up since that's the point.


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## Drexel97 (Feb 1, 2015)

Well I don't know if the return is worth the effort put in to finding that information. HOWEVER for what its worth I think it would be extremely cool if the little details like that were accurate. I am a detail oriented person myself, and I actually have looked to see if cities in which a book I'm reading exist, and if it has locations within that city are there too. I may not be the norm, so take that with a grain of salt I guess Haha. I don't know, you do you, if you get the details, that's cool, that's great. If you don't, I don't blame you, not many people would notice


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## Conker (Feb 1, 2015)

I feel like the line is: if i get too many details and then break away a bit, that's almost more noticeable than making something up.

"Oh, that radio station exists. Cool! But oh...no, the DJs wouldn't ever talk that way. Ever." kind of thing.


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## ForgetLilliet (Feb 1, 2015)

Conker said:


> I feel like the line is: if i get too many details and then break away a bit, that's almost more noticeable than making something up.
> 
> "Oh, that radio station exists. Cool! But oh...no, the DJs wouldn't ever talk that way. Ever." kind of thing.



The DJs could be made-up people, and your story could be a sort of alternate world with real places but with people who don't exist in real life.

..._If_ that makes sense at all.


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## TriSAR (Feb 2, 2015)

ForgetLilliet said:


> The DJs could be made-up people, and your story could be a sort of alternate world with real places but with people who don't exist in real life.
> 
> ..._If_ that makes sense at all.



This one is quite agreeable. Ultimately, the imagination of the surroundings and details are left up to the readers alone. You only are able to effectively convey certain sensors like smell eg. the choking stench of a city rife with exhaust fumes (lol I think I went overboard here). In my opinion, if you limit the readers too much by spoon-feeding them with too much detail, it would cause a lack of immersion or involvement of them within that story.

So too much detail I believe is no good, neither is too little. Just keep it moderated and let them take the reins in your story  They'll stop reading it and actually living it.

[sub]Just suggestions though[/sub]


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## SkyeLansing (Feb 2, 2015)

Word of warning with using real brands/companies:

There are legal implications for this. I am not a lawyer (obviously), however this sort of stuff _can and has_ gotten people Cease and Desists before. Especially if the story ends up associating the brand/company with something the owner finds objectionable. I don't think it is particularly likely you'll get into trouble by any means, but if you ever intend to publish the work as something you can sell it is a headache I'd want to avoid entirely and change up the name somewhat.


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## Kookyfox (Feb 2, 2015)

I think you should use real and accurate geographical and political context but all the elements that actually interact with the characters should have different names than the real ones. 
For instance of the radio she listens to plays a big part in the story then make it fictional, if it's just anecdotic and/or serves as descriptive background then use the real name.


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## Chuchi (Feb 2, 2015)

SkyeLansing said:


> Word of warning with using real brands/companies:
> 
> There are legal implications for this. I am not a lawyer (obviously), however this sort of stuff _can and has_ gotten people Cease and Desists before. Especially if the story ends up associating the brand/company with something the owner finds objectionable. I don't think it is particularly likely you'll get into trouble by any means, but if you ever intend to publish the work as something you can sell it is a headache I'd want to avoid entirely and change up the name somewhat.





Kookyfox said:


> I think you should use real and accurate geographical and political context but all the elements that actually interact with the characters should have different names than the real ones.
> For instance of the radio she listens to plays a big part in the story then make it fictional, if it's just anecdotic and/or serves as descriptive background then use the real name.


I agree with these guys: In the long run, it's great to pull inspiration and reference from an existing place, because it's real and tangible and therefore it's easier to describe it because we can see it. We can interact with it, research it, etc. However, then, as you've already discovered, you can get tripped up in details, even minor ones regarding a radio station, or perhaps even landmarks and common locations. 

I say go the King route (Derry, Maine, Jerusalem's Lot, Castle Rock, etc.), and personally that's my method when writing things into our existing world; draw your inspiration from the real, but make it fiction so that you have a lot of flexibility with locations, people, etc. 

Hope this helps! c:


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## Conker (Feb 2, 2015)

SkyeLansing said:


> Word of warning with using real brands/companies:
> 
> There are legal implications for this. I am not a lawyer (obviously), however this sort of stuff _can and has_ gotten people Cease and Desists before. Especially if the story ends up associating the brand/company with something the owner finds objectionable. I don't think it is particularly likely you'll get into trouble by any means, but if you ever intend to publish the work as something you can sell it is a headache I'd want to avoid entirely and change up the name somewhat.


I can't imagine having a character drink Coke and use an iPod would be an issue. I'ts one thing to namedrop a real brand and another to paint Steve Jobs as a serial rapist.

But ya'll have been helpful, and as of now, I'm gonna try not to worry about this too much until I'm done with the first draft. If I get stuck n teh details, I might not finish


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## BadRoy (Feb 2, 2015)

I would decide how much the accuracy of your details means to you and to the story. IT will take time to get all those details collected and in order. Is the project worth that?

Secondarily, will real-life accuracy truly aid the story? How incidental will these details be? Personally I wouldn't care if an author included an actual past radio personality in a story.


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## SkyeLansing (Feb 3, 2015)

Conker said:


> I can't imagine having a character drink Coke and use an iPod would be an issue. I'ts one thing to namedrop a real brand and another to paint Steve Jobs as a serial rapist.
> 
> But ya'll have been helpful, and as of now, I'm gonna try not to worry about this too much until I'm done with the first draft. If I get stuck n teh details, I might not finish



You have a point, but on the flip side some brands are more reactionary than others. For example, Disney works VERY hard to maintain its image as a family friendly and safe place to bring kids. By the same token a local coffee shop might not like the suggestion that supernatural beings lure regular people to their establishment in order to perform ritualistic sacrifices.

In fact, this is one major reason why all movies and professionally published books have the disclaimer that it is a work of fiction and that "any resemblance to persons or places, living or dead, are purely coincidental". Including a similar notice may help, but then such a notice still doesn't stop someone from trying anyway under the assumption that you will not be able to afford a legal defense. You might think such a thing is rare, but in fact it is so common it has its own name: SLAPP suit. It stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation and is frequently used by both businesses and wealthy individuals to stop anyone from hurting their feelings.


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## Conker (Feb 3, 2015)

SkyeLansing said:


> You have a point, but on the flip side some brands are more reactionary than others. For example, Disney works VERY hard to maintain its image as a family friendly and safe place to bring kids. By the same token a local coffee shop might not like the suggestion that supernatural beings lure regular people to their establishment in order to perform ritualistic sacrifices.
> 
> In fact, this is one major reason why all movies and professionally published books have the disclaimer that it is a work of fiction and that "any resemblance to persons or places, living or dead, are purely coincidental". Including a similar notice may help, but then such a notice still doesn't stop someone from trying anyway under the assumption that you will not be able to afford a legal defense. You might think such a thing is rare, but in fact it is so common it has its own name: SLAPP suit. It stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation and is frequently used by both businesses and wealthy individuals to stop anyone from hurting their feelings.


Huh, well I'll certainly keep that in mind. It really might be better to do a fictional city based on one instead of the other way around, I guess. I dunno. We'll see how important landmarks actually become as the thing progresses though. Might not end up being an issue.


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## SkyeLansing (Feb 4, 2015)

Honestly I would go with what you want to do in any case. If you are concerned you can simply change the names slightly, but for anything you're going to do I doubt it matters. I just wanted to put in a "the world is full of assholes doing asshole things" warning.


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## Conker (Feb 4, 2015)

SkyeLansing said:


> Honestly I would go with what you want to do in any case. If you are concerned you can simply change the names slightly, but for anything you're going to do I doubt it matters. I just wanted to put in a "the world is full of assholes doing asshole things" warning.


The plan with this is to self publish it alongside a bunch of other novellas/short stories/poetry. My stuff goes on too long for me to really think actual publication will hold it, and I tend to experiment and get strange with the writing. I'm too in my own head, so at the end of the day, like six people will probably read this stupid thing.


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## Fopfox (Feb 4, 2015)

Keep in mind, if it's a city you've never visited before, no matter how much research you do you'll get natives pointing at something you wrote and chuckling at how off it is; and even if you do visit the place you'd still probably get that. I wouldn't worry too much about the research, but it's a good effort you're putting in to learn about it.


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