Car makes/models

I don't see why not. But what is the reason for mentioning the name, just out of curiosity?

Is this question any different from the question in this thread?

It seems like this question gets asked very, very frequently here. I'll talk with the mods about maybe posting a general FAQ about this sort of thing.

ShadowCat said:

So, can I write the cars make/model in fiction?

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Yes.

You'd have to make falsely negative statements presented as facts to make it libel (so far as I understand the definition). If you're merely using the vehicle in your story it's more along the lines of brand-naming, which is something done a lot in fiction.

Maybe your editor just doesn't like brand names in writing? Could it be an aesthetic thing? Either way, if you have good reasons to leave it in, present those arguments to those being critical.

Did they say why they thought you should remove them? It might be they felt it didn't fit the character/story.

ShadowCat said:

The Lonely One - In answer to your question, put in the cars and especially the motorcycle as to show more of the character without actually going into details, like, um, someone who drives a silver Ferrari you know immediately that their favorite color is silver, they like speed and aren't exactly poor. And in some cases the car/bike will play an important role later on.

Anyway, thank you again. You have set my mind at rest.

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As a car guy I totally get this. And it's quite a clever way of showing character, IMO. Obviously not all "expensive sports cars" are Ferraris. In fact NO expensive sports cars are Ferraris

I definitely show model/makes to personify character, so it's not uncommon.

Tri

Re: Brand names.

The major principle is: It must carry something meaningful to the story.

Ferrari v. Volkswagen Beetle? Yeah, says something. Ford v. Chevy? Probably not.

Jack Daniels v. Laphroaig 16-year single malt? Yeah, says something. Laphroaig 16-year single malt v. Oban 16-year single malt? Probably not.

Carhartt v. Versace? Yeah, says something. Gucci v. Versace? Probably not.

If it doesn't mean anything, why use it?

caw

It can alienate a lot of readers, who don't know the car you are refering. It can also quickly date your novel, just like mentioning things like Ipod can date your novel. Read a novel from the ninties that uses a lot of specifics. Funny stuff.

If my character is a manly supercool action dude then I am sure as hell mentioning the make of his ride and the make of his hand-gun, 'cause they matter to him. His enemies feel the same about their cars and guns. It's a whole big manly supercool action dude thing.

So for me it depends on characters and genre. How do your favorite authors write this stuff? Do what they do.

-Derek

Mark me down as a car person too. A well-maintained secondhand Saab, a Hummer II with all the options, or a leased Lexis say as much about a character as a Vizla vs. a Havanese, or a Glock 17 vs. a Desert Eagle .50.

Admittedly, cars aren't a detail that speaks to everyone. Some people just won't notice a car unless it's something like a late-50s DeSoto FireFlite Sportsman, or a Rolls-Royce that's been converted into a pickup truck -- which is no doubt why those very distinctive vehicles are driven by their respective characters.

I'm in favor of specifying make and model, if it's not done too awkwardly or indiscriminately. It makes your fictional world more real and particular. Readers who do get cars will appreciate the extra detail, and those that don't will just skip past that bit.

There's no copyright or trademark issue present. In general, you'll do well to assume that you can mention anything but song lyrics.

I'm guessing that your editor and your beta readers aren't car people. That's their privilege. However, they ought not be chopping out significant details without querying you, or at least noting that they've done it and why. It may not matter all that much if they cut out the make and model of cars in your current work, but if they feel free to delete any details they don't understand, someday they'll delete details that do matter, and then it will be a problem.

I once wrote a story in which I misidentified a sports car as a Chevy Firebird. (Of course anyone with a lick of car sense knows that it's made by Pontiac.) The story was published with that error.

In the next story I had the MC make the same error, but that time he got dope-slapped by a friend who said, 'Damn it! Learn your cars! It's a Pontiac Firebird!'

I was not sued by either Chevrolet or Pontiac. The meticulous editors at the publishing house did not pick up my error.

I think you need to research the particular car you're writing about, at least a little. Become an expert on it? Not unless it's integral to the story.

Stephen King did it in Christine. The title character was a 1957 Plymouth. Ian Fleming and the Aston-Martin.

Architectus said:

It can alienate a lot of readers, who don't know the car you are refering. It can also quickly date your novel, just like mentioning things like Ipod can date your novel. Read a novel from the ninties that uses a lot of specifics. Funny stuff.

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No, and no. Readers aren't dunces, and they'll probably know any car you do, and likely more. And trying not to date a novel is impossible, if it's set in the real world.

You may find a novel from the nineties that uses specifics funny, but, thank God, most readers do not, or historical novels wouldn't exist, and no one would ever read the classics, including classics from the twentieth century.

Even discounting what readers actually keep reading, a novel with specifics is a heck of a lot better than a novel with generic this, that, and the other, that makes me think the writer doesn't even live on the same planet I do.

And, of course, apply this same logic to movies. How about all those generic cars we see on the screen, or the generic restaurants we see in the background. Yep, makes me never want to watch The French Connection again because it's dated.

I don't get the concept about stories being 'dated.' I recently read a novel written in - and placed in - the year 1999 and yep, it was just like I remembered 1999. There were references to the changeover to the year 2000 and the anxieties some people felt at the time. Cell phones were still sort of new (not every teenager carried one) and 911 (the terrorist attack in NYC) hadn't happened yet.

Every novel eventually gets dated somewhat. Doesn't mean readers can't still enjoy them - and the detail we put into our work today will be interesting (and meaningful) to future readers.

I would agree with the ones that say if it adds to the character, keep it. My first work the MC talks about his cars, he's a car guy, and proud of it. So I have it in there, with detail. If you don't know about the car, try a test drive, even a virtual one. It will help with the details. People who read your book and don't care about cars will skip it. I'd leave it in, but I'm into cars.

I don't see what's wrong with it, especially if it helps to define your characters. Product choices can tell you a lot about a person. It's even more effective if it tells your reader something about the character that is not obvious, especially if this side of them is going to emerge later on in the story.

Maybe your beta didn't see this connection, which may indicate to you that its usage wasn't as effective as you thought.

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One Broken Wing

Use it. But have other indications of character, too, for those of us who don't know the brands or makes or songs.

Movies have to show the car. If a writer says he has a sexy sports car is in the drive way, I know what that is, but if they only mention the name of the car without any other description, I might not be able to visualize anything because there are tons of cars I don't know by name. A few have been mentioned in this thread.

I also put a brief description of the car if I mention it by name. I do the same for weapons, unless the weapon is well known like an AK-47, but I will still give some details about it by how it fires and how it's heald.

I like blacbird's analogy that the use needs to have a purpose. A Lexus may not have much implication from a generic luxury car. A Bentley Mulsanne is probably another story.

I once had an argument with someone about the reference of brands in relation of characters' personalities/styles. I quoted James Bond, disguised as a banker, driving an Aston Martin and drinking (say) Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996 champagne. He obviously detested the idea of using brands and changed them to driving a sports car and drinking champagne. I was like, this isn't James Bond; this is Felix. So I guess it matters about the story and characters.

But I also like what Browne and King commented on "brandname repetition" in their book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers:

But when all your characters glance at their Rolexes, then hop into their Maseratis to tear out to the house in the Hamptons, where they change out of their Armanis and pour themselves a Glenlivet--that you've gone too far.

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