Sunday, October 2, 2011

You can't go wrong with this rule

I was once reading a novel that took place in Chicago and the author referred to Mayor Charles Daley instead of Richard Daley. Even though it was a work of fiction, I didn't trust the author from that point on.
Dorothy Garlock, the great historical fiction writer who lives in Iowa, once wrote a book with a Louisiana setting. She called a state police post in Louisiana to find out what color uniforms the officers wore. Now that's attention to detail.
No matter what you're writing, don't guess. As one literary agent told his author, "You've got to know in which direction the sun rises and sets and you have to get it right."
Here's the rule of writing that works every time: When in doubt, leave it out.

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