Revisions are at the heart of any writing. We write to rewrite.
Currently, my first book, “Unearthing Christmas” is under revisions for its third publication. To date, it’s received remarkably good reviews on Amazon. The first publication included some glaring typos, much to my horror, but those were corrected while in publication. The second version was improved upon by removing unnecessary adverbs and correcting a few typos that escaped further scrutiny. I’m left wondering how many pairs of eyes it takes to get a mistake-free manuscript.
“Unearthing Christmas” is now being professionally proofread for a third publication, either independent or traditional. My goal is to get the revised version republished this fall since I already have one book signing scheduled in December at a local independent bookstore.
While going through the final draft, yet again, I decided to do a little further fact checking. In the last two publications, I mention a Hanukkah bush. It’s in a line of dialogue with no other reference. Recently, I met with a new colleague, a Rabbi that I’ve had two zoom meetings with due to our common field of working with homeless populations. I posed a couple of questions to her about the Jewish faith and she was very helpful. Right before we left our brief get together, I asked what would be on a Hanukkah bush in 1955. She looked away for a moment as if thinking it through, and finally said, “There wouldn’t be one in 1955. They didn’t come about until the early 1960s.” At first, I thought she might be mistaken. How silly of me to doubt, right? She started wondering about the first Hanukkah bush, so she googled the date and showed me the results. The first Hanukkah bush appeared in 1959. Wow, was I grateful for the accurate time reference, especially since I’m about to republish the novel.
Yes, this is only one instance, but my point is made! Do your research! Here I thought something like a Hanukkah bush would have existed in 1955, but I didn’t check into it. I made an assumption.
When it comes to movies and stage plays, one would hope the set designer does his or her homework. I cringe when I see something–a hairstyle, wardrobe piece, or furniture—that doesn’t accurately represent the time period. Authenticity is crucial, even if it’s reimagined, like in the series “Downton Abbey.” I’ve seen a museum display of the actual wardrobe items from the ultra-popular show that brought millions to Sunday night viewings. Although the characters didn’t wear any antique clothing, the dresses and suits were reminiscent of the times, circa 1912 through the Roaring Twenties. No doubt, the wardrobe designers had a field day in recreating the retro fashions. Such fun!
Another of my pet peeves is accuracy in dialogue. When I’m drafting a story or screenplay, I always check a word or phrase’s etymology and origins. If it hasn’t been created before the time and place in my story, I won’t use it. Yet I’ve seen movies, more so recently, that use modern day expressions which don’t sound right for the depicted era. Phrases like “don’t go there” or “say what?” are not germane to conversations of the mid-twentieth century. There are many more examples that escape me, but I know it when I hear it, and the uttered words take me out of the time and space of the story.
Many film critics claim that total accuracy in historical genres isn’t necessary for fictional stories. In most cases, it’s impossible to recreate an episode of history without some creative license. I disagree to some extent. Of course, story is always the highest priority, but accuracy in the created world is just as important, unless it’s being reimagined for a specific reason of distorting reality.
A few years back, I took away a lesson from an author’s workshop. One of the authors talked about accuracy and how he was completely turned off by a bestselling author for making a reference to something that had not yet been invented! The timeframe was 1952. Either he already knew or had his doubts and checked into it. He said he’d never read another book by that author. Now, that may seem extreme, but authors need to do their homework. I’m guilty of slacking off because in an instance when I don’t think I need to do a fact check.
Do your homework. Check the facts and then get creative. The heart of your story is in your characters so don’t make them fight against any inaccuracies. Happy writing!