novel set in a small town--authenticity vs fiction

blackink · Mar 31, 2010

My novel is set in an actual town, and because of the setting I have to name this particular town. It is about 8,000 people. It is likely to be sold in that particular town, marketed as fiction by "local authors".

The novel is represented by an agent, but I haven't submitted the final version yet, and I haven't asked her yet about those issues, if they are issues.

I preserved some of the topography, but I never wanted to be 100% true to it.

My characters meet at a bar, and I preserved the real name of that bar. But what they see out the window is somewhat different.

My antagonist's business got a different name. Characters are fictional, but of course there must be a guy / a gal who owns such a business.

Then another issue. There's this person in town, who is the town's clown, so to speak. Always dressed up in a certain way, always present at events and functions.

I do have such a person in my novel. He appears briefly, at an event. In real life, I don't know who he is, what his motivations are, but in the novel I give him some sort of an explanation. But I don't call him his real name--I slightly changed it.

Is any of this a problem? Ways to go around this?

backslashbaby · Mar 31, 2010

People will wonder who you mean, and they will read more into it than you expect. I got that as advice from a very famous author who wrote about his small town near where I live.

I'd definitely change the clown-guy's name completely. Locals will think you mean the local regardless.

Cheers

AlekT · Mar 31, 2010

I wrote a novel that takes place in a town much like the one I live in. I changed the name of the town and the names of people and businesses. Local people reading the novel (they won’t as I’ve shelved it) would definitely recognize the locale and might recognize several of the characters. Of course, Sherwood Anderson did this with his novel Winesburg, Ohio, but the townspeople saw through it. Others, notably Thomas Wolfe (Look Homeward, Angel), have done the same.

Partly I changed things around because I wanted the town in the novel to appear somewhat larger than the real town as some of the events in the novel (organized crime) would come off as more realistic in a larger venue. Partly I did this because I didn’t want anyone to think I was writing about or poking fun at anyone in particular.

Sometimes I wish that I kept the name and geography of the town identical because of historic events that happened here; I could have included them in the novel and possibly any sequels I had planned.

I certainly wouldn’t use the names of real townspeople and would change their appearance or occupations slightly to avoid embarrassment or even libel. Good luck with your writing.

Have you posted excerpts?

jana13k · Mar 31, 2010

Do you have to use the name of the real town? I use real places for my settings but name them something different, and it's a really good thing I did. Hurricane Rita completely destroyed the official town of my first book.

Too many things can change even from purchase to publication. I also think you run risks using the exact bar name. Even if you write characters completely from your mind, someone will see themselves in there - especially if your character happens to share a dirty secret or habit with a real person - and then they'll think you're outing them.

I don't know. It just seem to be loaded with issues when the simple solution is to give the town the same location but a different name.

blacbird · Mar 31, 2010

jana13k said:
Do you have to use the name of the real town?

Echo this question. "Authenticity" in fiction is not equivalent to "factuality". Assuming you want to sell bazoogles of your novel, and are successful in doing so, most of your readers won't have a clue about the "factuality" of this town, but they will want to be satisfied with the "authenticity" of your story, that is, the adherence to real life experiences, desires, foibles, vices, covetings, perversions and conflicts of your characters, things with which any reader can identify.

caw

blackink · Mar 31, 2010

Thank you for all the replies.

There's only one town in that general location. Even if I name it something else, if I want to preserve the location (and I want to, it is almost the basis for the novel), it will be very clear which town it is anyway. There's also some of the town's history in the novel.

I don't mind if people wonder and think more of it than there's, but yes, I'm worried about libel. Characters are not based on real people of that town, but I can see people thinking differently.

I will give the "clown" a different nickname, and maybe will dress him differently.

Gillhoughly · Mar 31, 2010

Is the town "clown" necessary to the plot?

If not, then you can lose him as a character.

Otherwise make sufficient changes and/or present him in a way or form that won't make trouble for you down the road.

You also don't have to explain why he does what he does. A little mystery is good for a story.

"Why does he do that?"
"Y'know, people have been trying to figure that one out for years. Let's get a beer."

kaitie · Mar 31, 2010

I definitely agree that you should be changing the clown's name a lot rather than a little. Anything that might be taken negatively should be changed. People will still speculate, but as long as nothing is really obviously based on someone you should be more okay.

As for naming the town...you could just as easily make up a name. Your local townspeople will no doubt recognize their town and the locations and will probably even be looking for it, but there's no law saying you can't use a fictional town entirely. All you have to do is say something like "Mason was a small town in Nebraska" and you would still have your locale.

blackink · Mar 31, 2010

Gillhoughly said:
Gillhoughly said:

Is the town "clown" necessary to the plot?

If not, then you can lose him as a character.

Otherwise make sufficient changes and/or present him in a way or form that won't make trouble for you down the road.

Click to expand...

The town has its character, and the "clown" is part of that character. If legally necessary, I'll cut him. I don't want any trouble, obviously. But I feel helps to pain the town and its atmosphere.

You also don't have to explain why he does what he does. A little mystery is good for a story.

"Why does he do that?"
"Y'know, people have been trying to figure that one out for years. Let's get a beer."

Click to expand...

This is more or less how it's done. A line of speculation, not a massive amount. The speculation fits the story.

Cyia · Mar 31, 2010

Within the last year or two, there was a case of a woman who "inspired" a character written by someone she knew when she was young. Different name, different appearance, but the essence of the character was so similar that anyone who read the book knew her on "sight". She sued - and won - damages for it.

blackink · Mar 31, 2010

kaitie said:
I definitely agree that you should be changing the clown's name a lot rather than a little. Anything that might be taken negatively should be changed. People will still speculate, but as long as nothing is really obviously based on someone you should be more okay.

I just realised I could make him the opposite of what he represents, so to speak. This will make him less obvious. Thanks.

As for naming the town...you could just as easily make up a name. Your local townspeople will no doubt recognize their town and the locations and will probably even be looking for it, but there's no law saying you can't use a fictional town entirely. All you have to do is say something like "Mason was a small town in Nebraska" and you would still have your locale.

There is only one town of that size / infrastructure in that locale. I will go with what my agent advises, but I wanted to discuss it here first, so I get a better idea of the issues. Thank you for all the input and the perspective.

blackink · Mar 31, 2010

Cyia said:
Within the last year or two, there was a case of a woman who "inspired" a character written by someone she knew when she was young. Different name, different appearance, but the essence of the character was so similar that anyone who read the book knew her on "sight". She sued - and won - damages for it.

Good to know. Fortunately no one in my novel was inspired by a real person to the extent that the essense would be there. There's a lot of mix and match--this is what I love about writing fiction. Well, the "clown" was inspired by the clown, but I only saw him twice, not enough to figure out his essence.

HistorySleuth · Mar 31, 2010

My is set in a small town too. I use the actual name of the town and the creek name, but everything else is different. I figure why not use the real name? So many books are set in Chicago, New York City, Los Angles, etc why not a small town? All my characters are fictitious though. Plus I made the town bigger and more of a tourist spot then it really is. However the essence of the area is accurate. Including all the cows.
(I do have a paragraph blurb in the front explaining that too.)

willietheshakes · Mar 31, 2010

I've done this. Change the name of the town -- it's tremendously freeing.
And you can cop to it entirely -- I wrote an entire essay that was published along with TWMFoW which basically boiled down to "Henderson [fictional] occupies the same physical space as Agassiz [actual], but a vastly different psychic space. Henderson isn't Agassiz, except that it is, turned a quarter turn".

kaitie · Mar 31, 2010

Even if it's the only town in that particular area you can still just give it a different name. Yes, the locals will basically get what you've done, but for most of us readers it won't really matter what the name of the place is called. Even if everyone knew it was based on a particular location, it doesn't really matter. Think of Castle Rock, Maine. I have no doubt that Castle Rock is influenced by real locations, but it's still essentially a fake town.

shaldna · Apr 1, 2010

blackink said:
My novel is set in an actual town, and because of the setting I have to name this particular town. It is about 8,000 people. It is likely to be sold in that particular town, marketed as fiction by "local authors".

Is it? In my experience 'local authors' are markets as local only in thier hometowns.

Is any of this a problem? Ways to go around this?

Not really. To be honest, the only people who are likely to get annoyed or anal about it are the locals in the town you are writing about. And even then they will forgive alot so long as the feel is right.

James D. Macdonald · Apr 1, 2010

You might want to read this news story, then start Googling around with keywords you glean from it.

blackink · Apr 1, 2010

Something occurred to me as I went to bed last night. What if I have the town's "clown" there, but only described (accurately) but there would be no commentray as to why he does what he does. There will be no speculation, no interpretation, nothing known about him, but his actual and accurate physical discription? Would this be a problem?

Is this the same issue as having Barak Obama drive by your house in your novel--a non-issue?

Or because my particular "clown" is not a public figure it will be treated differently?

shaldna · Apr 1, 2010

blackink said:
Something occurred to me as I went to bed last night. What if I have the town's "clown" there, but only described (accurately) but there would be no commentray as to why he does what he does. There will be no speculation, no interpretation, nothing known about him, but his actual and accurate physical discription? Would this be a problem?

Is this the same issue as having Barak Obama drive by your house in your novel--a non-issue?

Or because my particular "clown" is not a public figure it will be treated differently?

I'm not really sure what you are asking ehre

James D. Macdonald · Apr 1, 2010

Your "town clown" is not a public figure and has quite a lot of privacy rights.

See also how the people of Gilmanton Ironworks felt about Grace Metalious, (Peyton Place).

Libbie · Apr 1, 2010

James D. Macdonald said:
You might want to read this news story, then start Googling around with keywords you glean from it.

You'd think a library worker would have more sense than to go with Publish America!

Anyway, PA aside, this thread does bring up some good points. I am planning on setting a future novel in a real town, and it will be interesting to see how it develops, and whether the story becomes something that will necessitate changing the town's name. I wouldn't want to get sued.

HistorySleuth · Apr 1, 2010

blackink said:
Something occurred to me as I went to bed last night. What if I have the town's "clown" there, but only described (accurately) but there would be no commentray as to why he does what he does. There will be no speculation, no interpretation, nothing known about him, but his actual and accurate physical discription? Would this be a problem?

Other then what Uncle Jim said, if there is no commentary as to why he does what he does, and no one discusses him, what then is his purpose as far as the plot? Does he do or say anything that is important to the story or is he just "there" in the background? Just thinking too, since it is fiction, why do you want an accurate physical description of the real person?

PGK · Apr 1, 2010

blackink said:
Something occurred to me as I went to bed last night. What if I have the town's "clown" there, but only described (accurately) but there would be no commentray as to why he does what he does. There will be no speculation, no interpretation, nothing known about him, but his actual and accurate physical discription? Would this be a problem?

Is this the same issue as having Barak Obama drive by your house in your novel--a non-issue?

Or because my particular "clown" is not a public figure it will be treated differently?

In other words, you put a real person in your story and describe him realistically (physically and his actions), but don't provide him with any ammunition to sue you because it will lack the commentary that could be construed as derogatory?

No. It doesn't matter if you think you're not defaming him, he still might. He's not a public figure and therefore his life is private to himself and should not be used openly in a work of fiction. Besides, just by your own words we are all referring to him as the "town clown." What if he doesn't see himself like that? What if another novelist sees you like that and writes about you without masking your identity. Would you like to show up in someone's novel as the "town clown"?

I say change his name, his appearance, anything else that identifies him well enough for a judge to see the connection. It's fine to use him as inspiration, but it's not OK to blatantly put him in your book without permission.

Barack Obama is the president. His life is public (Bill Clinton taught us that very well) so he can be used freely (I will admit I don't know the legal complications of this specifically but you can even find a faux documentary about the assassination of George W. Bush).

shaldna · Apr 1, 2010

I find this whole issue interesting because, as ya'll know, I set all my novels in Belfast, which has a very small town feel.

PGK · Apr 1, 2010

I'd like to add that his existence in the novel might not be plot-necessary, but he seems to add a "quality" to the town. My town has someone similar (a drunk Jesus look-alike who goes from gas station to gas station buying lottery tickets all day) and so does my wife's former town (a homeless guy who commits crimes only when it gets cold so he can get thrown into jail and spend the night in a warm cell).

These figures add personality to the town and make excellent additions to novels. If we strip all non-plot-essential characters from our stories we'd be left with a rather lonely fictional world.

novel set in a small town--authenticity vs fiction

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