Author's Must Be True To The Story

Posted by Postado por Dulce on às 17:27 | |

Author's Must Be True To The Story

Author's Must Be True To The Story

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:34 PM PST

I feel like I'm walking a tightrope with this one but then again, maybe I'm not. I'm sure many of you have heard or read that 'Huckleberry Finn' has received a makeover. This new edition has been released, for the lack of a better term, in the name of political correctness. You see, the main change was the substitution of a word that many find very offensive with the word 'slave'.

Now, I am not about to write that I agree with the use of certain words. There are some words that need be erased from humanity; however, I cannot see the logic in rewriting a book for the simple fact that it has language in it that many don't agree with. Are there reasons to rewrite a book? I'm sure there are but that decision should remain with the author. What if the author has died? Then, in my opinion, his or her work should remain as is for the simple fact that the book is part of the lasting memory the author gifted to us. If an author went back and revised his/her book because it was historically out of line or there was a major mistake in the timeline so be it. I have no problem with that. This situation is different; a person who owns the rights to 'Huckleberry Finn' has taken it upon himself to rewrite a story that many have read and enjoyed. In an effort to 'make it better and more accessible' he has changed the voice of a classic. Before I go further I should point out that other words were substituted not just the one (the one in particular is garnering the most attention).

Where do we go from here? I don't know how many of you feel about being politically correct but I just don't see how it fits into the publishing world. I imagine in some situations it will work but I haven't come across many books that were completely politically correct. I mean at the core of most books we profile one character or group as bad and the other character or group as good. I know, that is a weak example but you see my point. I believe, that more to the point, we as authors must stay true to a few aspects of life that will lend to the readers being absorbed by the story. What are they?


  • Emotions - Certain actions, words and situations elicit certain emotions. This should not change because if it does then the story is not believable. Yes, the characters in the book feel these emotions but the readers will feel a stirring of those same emotions.
  • Language - Depending on the time and location your story takes place will dictate the type of language you use. Let's face it, if you wrote a book set in the Victorian age in France but your characters spoke everyday English lingo then that is going to send up a bright red flag. The same holds true to 'Huckleberry Finn'; it took place in the south during the time of slavery. There was certain slang used during that time. For a book to be true to its day and time setting it must stay true to this.
  • Character relationships - Certain people just don't mix. Oh I know, that is terrible of me to say but it is true. We can use England as an example here. Can you see the Queen walking along the streets and talking to a complete stranger in a fast food restaurant? It's possible, but not probable and if any read that they would instantly wonder about the book.


These are but a few examples and while being 'politically correct' may have merit it is difficult and dangerous to a story. Attempting to walk the politically correct line while writing may prove to be a difficult task and one that will impact your voice, flow, plot and character development.

As I said before, some words need to vanish from the tongues of humanity; however, if you are writing during a time where these words were used often and regularly then you have a decision to make - stay true to the time period or risk the believability of your story. Can the other aspects of a story make up for that decision? I don't know.

If you're wondering if all of this holds true for fantasy, SciFi, and fiction of that nature; yes it does. We as humans will always make a connection to things in our life and/or memories when we get absorbed in a book. That is, of course, the main reason why we get pulled in.

In closing, I would not recommend using the more colorful language we have become accustomed to unless it is an absolute need. Even then I would use it sparingly.

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