Fact Versus Fiction
Last Sunday’s Academy Awards caused quite a stir in my online writing group, especially in regard to The Hurt Locker winning best picture. One of my group members, Ken (www.bulletwisdom.com), is a Major in the US Army and has done tours in Iraq. His chief complaint (though he did itemize for us) was that the film was unrealistic and disrespectful. On the one hand, I get it. For him, the film was personal and tapped into his recent life experience.
But to be fair, this isn’t a new complaint about films. How many movies come out where the history is less than accurate? (Braveheart and Gladiator come to mind immediately.) Police commonly argue that the speed with which Hollywood solves crimes would have every criminal behind bars in a fraction of the time an investigation really takes. Doctors wish they could perform medical miracles at the rate film and television makes it happen. Hollywood makes those careers look simple, which makes the people who really do the job appear less than their Hollywood counterparts.
The thing is the movies and television shows in question don’t purport themselves as fact. Documentaries give us facts. The rest of what Hollywood sends out is entertainment. Even if it is “based on” whatever, it’s fictionalized. That’s because, with some rare exceptions, straight facts don’t sell tickets. Things need to be spiced up in order to draw viewers, and like it or not, Hollywood is in the business of making money.
This problem isn’t unique to film though; publishing receives its own share of backlash regarding “truth”. The first example that comes to mind is The DaVinci Code. Regardless of what you may think of Brown’s writing ability, the book sold a lot of copies and was under a great deal of scrutiny. Reportedly, people left the Catholic Church because of what Brown presented in The DaVinci Code. I would argue that those people were just looking for a reason to leave.
You see, right on the front of the book it has these two very important words: “A Novel”. By definition, a novel is fiction (as agents like to remind us, “fictional novel” is redundant and a no-no). Those who speak most vehemently against The DaVinci Code bring up the page where Brown mentions the “facts” he used in his research. Those “facts” have been rebutted time and again.
Here’s the thing. Regardless of whatever facts he might have gotten wrong, The DaVinci Code was published as a work of fiction. My work is fiction too, and I’m sure I’ve gotten things wrong. The animal rooms in the biology building at Purdue might not be in the basement. They might not even do research of the type I use in my novel. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. It is a work of fiction, and no matter how much we, as authors try to get our facts right, we’re allowed leeway because of that fact.
So, yes, The Hurt Locker may well be the most inaccurate depiction of the war in Iraq ever put on film, but it didn’t claim to be a documentary any more than The DaVinci Code claimed to be non-fiction. And to tell the truth, when I go to the movies, I want my heroes to have issues, I want my action larger than life, I want to see people do stupid things that lead to bigger problems. I want fiction.
I mean, there have been a lot of films about teachers too, but as a former high school science teacher, trust me when I say that you wouldn’t want to watch something about a real week in the life of a teacher. Or writers. Or…
Posted: March 13th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
Comments
Comment from Danielle La Paglia
Time March 13, 2010 at 2:23 pm
I read for the same reason I go to the movies– to be entertained. I certainly understand how it could offensive to a person in that actual profession, be it soldiers, teachers, or doctors, but I also see the entertainment value in many of the shows and movies out right now. As a writer, I would hope to portray a realistic version of any profession that I present in my work, but as a writer of fiction, I also take creative liberties to add to plot, characters and motivation. I take measures to not be offensive, but, at the same time, you can’t please everyone. And, it is, after all, fiction.
Comment from Michelle
Time March 13, 2010 at 6:48 pm
I’m weird about this, I don’t think things need to be 100% accurate, unless they’re supposed to be. I don’t like most historical fiction, I just don’t. I’m a history major and I can’t turn that part of my brain off and it doesn’t relax me, it annoys me (Braveheart makes me gnash my teeth). However if I’m reading a book and there are location details wrong, it doesn’t bother me. I’m not going to be that picky–I only get annoyed if it’s supposed to be accurate and then isn’t.
Comment from julie
Time March 14, 2010 at 1:13 pm
But the question becomes who decides if they are “supposed to be”? As a movie-goer (and reader), I don’t expect my fiction to be fact. It bothers me when simple things that don’t really affect the plot are wrong, but generally not enough to *care*.
For example, I critiqued a piece once that had green Uranium. The color of the Uranium didn’t really affect anything – at least in the chapter I read – so I informed the author that elemental Uranium didn’t come in green 
My hope is, because it was a simple thing, she either changed the color or changed it to a compound. But at the end of the day, I would probably just shake my head if it was published that way and keep reading.
As a science major, almost every sci-fi movie made should make me bristle, but I choose to ignore the ridicu-science and just enjoy the film.
Now, as I said before, if something is presented as a documentary/non-fiction, my opinion changes dramatically. But who chooses where to draw that line between accuracy and entertainment when something is fiction?
Comment from Michelle M
Time March 14, 2010 at 3:07 pm
They call it fiction for a reason. The goal of the author is to make everything SEEM as real as possible. Maybe not perfect, but the reader has to read with suspension of disbelief. Dan Brown just happened to hit a raw nerve. It’s been done throughout the history of publishing. Many former books than hit a nerve were banned: Lord of the Flies & Go Ask Alice immediately come to mind. And remember when some parents were in an uproar over Harry Potter? The claimed it was teaching children witchcraft.
Fiction – it’s all subjective and each to their own.
Comment from Gareth
Time March 14, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Its catch 22. If you were to stick to everything as it should be you’d never get another film, book or even TV entertainment. If I wanted real life I’ll look out the window or talk to people. I want escapism from the drudgery of life be it in a book, a film or even musically whilst they try to keep a certain amount of stuff realistic can you imagine watching a film if it were based on real life?
Lets take Braveheart as an example. Now from the scene where he fights the English and gets the army together to march on York. Lets look at it. OK, Ol Billy has come from Scotland on foot, sacked York and buggered off home after. That’ll be come back in X amount of weeks for the next part. Hence why things are speeded up etc. LOL
Comment from DianeG
Time March 14, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Fiction can sometimes use facts to aid the story. I’d say it’s not a good thing to get the facts wrong unless it’s a very minor detail and is an unintentional error.
The blog is much easier to read now.
Comment from Nicole
Time March 15, 2010 at 4:56 pm
I have no problem with fiction being fiction. My problem is when fiction tries to masquerade as fact, and then gets the facts WRONG. So, to use your DaVinci Code example: it is fiction. It says so. And then it goes on to say, “BUT this is true, and these people really exist, and… and… and…” And then it gets some of those facts wrong. THIS is the part of fact in fiction I have an issue with.
Comment from D.B.Reynolds
Time March 16, 2010 at 2:20 pm
I’m one of those who couldn’t finish Da Vinci Code because it the plot became so ridiculous, but I give props to Dan Brown for the first 2/3 of his book … total edge of the seat, must turn the page writing of the plot. The characters, of course … 
But, yep, I’m one of those who enjoys the FICTION that the story just MIGHT be true. And a good writer/filmmaker sprinkles enough veracity in his/her project to let me believe that, for just a little while.
DBR
Comment from Michelle
Time March 23, 2010 at 1:30 am
My big problem is when they use real people, real events and then totally mess with how it went. Little changes don’t bother me, it’s when they totally throw historical accuracy out the window. Braveheart makes me grind my teeth mainly because of the subplot with Isabella. I can handle all the other innacuracies, but that huge one bothers me, especially since it was also pretty meaningless.
Comment from angela addams
Time March 13, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Very true…I’ve often thought what it would be like to write a novel that accurately details a week in the life of someone with my job…it wouldn’t be terribly interesting, which is why I write fiction!