Creative License

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SpazzTheBassPlayer

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Dec 16, 2014
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Ive been reading many posts in this thread about historical inaccuracies , and I just wanted to respond to all of them, so I thought to create this thread

In the "Revival" thread, I pointed out how inaccurate to say "A rhythm guitarist always works" is because Im a life-time working musician and I know this to be false, BUT I also added that I grant Creative License to Mr King

I think readers granting Creative License to Mr King - or any author, for that matter - is an important responsibility for us readers, otherwise its going to detract from enjoying what can be potentially great story-telling

Its one thing if an author writes about something that's physically impossible - such as a gas giant planet orbiting between Venus and Earth - that can deter a reader, but when it comes to nitpicking-- such as saying "Rhythm Guitarists always work" in a field I have personal expertise in -- I have to let it slide, take it as a story-based "Truth" and go from there

I dont think its fair to any author to nitpick inaccuracies, especially one so clouded in controversy as the JFK Assasination: its impossible for any one man or woman to know the details about every subject in the Encyclopedia Universica, and I think you are just setting yourself up for "Reader Failure" if you cant let it go

Just my $.02
 

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
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Apr 11, 2006
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When I read, I give all creative license to the author. ALL. It is their world. It is their imagination. it is anything and everything they want it to be. So, a gas giant planet orbiting between venus and earth is perfectly fine with me. It's called science fiction, or a future thousands of years away. Who am I to know what will or won't be possible.

The only time i get thrown out of a story (and that's if i even catch it) is when someone says an inaccuracy. For instance,

"Standing in the Walmart, I saw my neighbor Danny shoplift an onion."

If that turns into: I walked up to him in that K-mart and slapped his hand.

That's when I get thrown out of a story. Again though, only if I catch it.
 

SharonC

Eternal Members
Jul 9, 2007
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Canada
When I read, I give all creative license to the author. ALL. It is their world. It is their imagination. it is anything and everything they want it to be. So, a gas giant planet orbiting between venus and earth is perfectly fine with me. It's called science fiction, or a future thousands of years away. Who am I to know what will or won't be possible.

The only time i get thrown out of a story (and that's if i even catch it) is when someone says an inaccuracy. For instance,

"Standing in the Walmart, I saw my neighbor Danny shoplift an onion."

If that turns into: I walked up to him in that K-mart and slapped his hand.

That's when I get thrown out of a story. Again though, only if I catch it.
But if you were in Walmart, and it was across from the onion section of K Mart in your sightline, in an alternate timeline, in another dimension, it wouldn't throw you off at all! Just sayin!
 

SpazzTheBassPlayer

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2014
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. So, a gas giant planet orbiting between venus and earth is perfectly fine with me. It's called science fiction, or a future thousands of years away. .

But if you were in Walmart, and it was across from the onion section of K Mart in your sightline, in an alternate timeline, in another dimension, it wouldn't throw you off at all! Just sayin!

and this is all part of my point too, although I didnt really describe it that way in my OP

No matter how you slice it: Any Fictional author is writing about a Parallel Universe....Think about it: Stephen King is very highly influential on Western Culture and impacted it greatly....yet, how many times does he write about neighborhood kids calling the mean neighborhood dog "Cujo"?...another words: How many times does he write about how he himself impacted our culture in his stories? (besides the Dark Tower series ;) )
 

SharonC

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Jul 9, 2007
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and this is all part of my point too, although I didnt really describe it that way in my OP

No matter how you slice it: Any Fictional author is writing about a Parallel Universe....Think about it: Stephen King is very highly influential on Western Culture and impacted it greatly....yet, how many times does he write about neighborhood kids calling the mean neighborhood dog "Cujo"?...another words: How many times does he write about how he himself impacted our culture in his stories? (besides the Dark Tower series ;) )
With fiction, historical inaccuracies are not a problem for me. When I read, I read for entertainment. I don't nitpick. If I wanted accuracy and information I would only expect it from fact based non-fiction.
 

RichardX

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2006
1,737
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I tend to think of "creative license" as accepting things like vampires and werewolves in a book or having your characters make the trip to Dracula's castle just before dark instead of in the morning when they would have plenty of time before Dracula wakes up. Getting basic facts wrong doesn't fall into that category, but I agree it's not a big deal in a work of fiction. It would be difficult to impossible to get everything absolutely correct when writing about another era. With that said they are mistakes, and then there are MISTAKES. If an author is making factual MISTAKES that a casual reader can pick up, then it's sloppy and distracting. I don't think King, however, made any such errors in this book. And I kind of enjoy reading about any minor errors without considering that necessarily to be intended as a criticism of the book.
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
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dublin ireland
Ive been reading many posts in this thread about historical inaccuracies , and I just wanted to respond to all of them, so I thought to create this thread

In the "Revival" thread, I pointed out how inaccurate to say "A rhythm guitarist always works" is because Im a life-time working musician and I know this to be false, BUT I also added that I grant Creative License to Mr King

I think readers granting Creative License to Mr King - or any author, for that matter - is an important responsibility for us readers, otherwise its going to detract from enjoying what can be potentially great story-telling

Its one thing if an author writes about something that's physically impossible - such as a gas giant planet orbiting between Venus and Earth - that can deter a reader, but when it comes to nitpicking-- such as saying "Rhythm Guitarists always work" in a field I have personal expertise in -- I have to let it slide, take it as a story-based "Truth" and go from there

I dont think its fair to any author to nitpick inaccuracies, especially one so clouded in controversy as the JFK Assasination: its impossible for any one man or woman to know the details about every subject in the Encyclopedia Universica, and I think you are just setting yourself up for "Reader Failure" if you cant let it go

Just my $.02
Well said. It's called fiction for a reason.
 

staropeace

Richard Bachman's love child
Nov 28, 2006
15,210
48,848
Alberta,Canada
Ive been reading many posts in this thread about historical inaccuracies , and I just wanted to respond to all of them, so I thought to create this thread

In the "Revival" thread, I pointed out how inaccurate to say "A rhythm guitarist always works" is because Im a life-time working musician and I know this to be false, BUT I also added that I grant Creative License to Mr King

I think readers granting Creative License to Mr King - or any author, for that matter - is an important responsibility for us readers, otherwise its going to detract from enjoying what can be potentially great story-telling

Its one thing if an author writes about something that's physically impossible - such as a gas giant planet orbiting between Venus and Earth - that can deter a reader, but when it comes to nitpicking-- such as saying "Rhythm Guitarists always work" in a field I have personal expertise in -- I have to let it slide, take it as a story-based "Truth" and go from there

I dont think its fair to any author to nitpick inaccuracies, especially one so clouded in controversy as the JFK Assasination: its impossible for any one man or woman to know the details about every subject in the Encyclopedia Universica, and I think you are just setting yourself up for "Reader Failure" if you cant let it go

Just my $.02
I found some things he said in The Library Policeman in regards to drop-in places for the streetpeople were a bit off because this is what I have personal knowledge about from working in this field. I like finding things a little off and I think it is precious. I agree with the need for a little creative license.
 
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Aloysius Nell

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Apr 1, 2014
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OP - also grant that in Jamie's experience, a rhythm guitarist always works. In yours, that's not the case, but it doesn't make it untrue in his region of the country. Or, maybe he's better than he thinks he is, so HE always works!
 

ALOT

Banned
Jun 10, 2011
130
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Canada
Putting my own spin on this, I kinda like finding small errors in books that other people haven't .

I love detailed oriented people like yourself, and it's useful in real life, but it has no real place in reading a story unless you're an editor.

The author could say the moon was green, and it's up to the individual reader to decide if they're going to go on that journey with the writer, or not.

I tend to think of "creative license" as accepting things like vampires and werewolves in a book or having your characters make the trip to Dracula's castle just before dark instead of in the morning when they would have plenty of time before Dracula wakes up. Getting basic facts wrong doesn't fall into that category, but I agree it's not a big deal in a work of fiction. It would be difficult to impossible to get everything absolutely correct when writing about another era. With that said they are mistakes, and then there are MISTAKES. If an author is making factual MISTAKES that a casual reader can pick up, then it's sloppy and distracting. I don't think King, however, made any such errors in this book. And I kind of enjoy reading about any minor errors without considering that necessarily to be intended as a criticism of the book.
 
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