Just the Facts
“Hurry, man, we got to get there before they kill her!”
I hit the siren and lights and headed north on Broadway while Rick called it in. We headed north on Broadway, turned left onto Park and then right onto Thirty-Seventh, slowing when I saw the flashing blue lights in front of a white Cape Cod with its doors blown wide open.
Exciting stuff.
This past year I had the privilege of judging manuscripts for three different literary competitions. I looked for all the usual items: well developed, engaging characters; well defined settings, strong conflict, plot, a character arc for our lead character, error free mechanics, and last, but not least, no anachronisms or factual mistakes. Nothing stops me short more than seeing people spending pesos in Morocco, or dinars in Mexico; or like, the example above, mixed up geography.
You might write a great story, but if you make me stop and think about a fact to the point I have to go look it up on Google or in my home dictionary/encyclopedia, then you aren’t going to win that round in my book.
When I am editing, if I have an inkling that a fact may be inaccurate, I will look it up and let the author know he/she’s made a mistake and needs to check the facts. When I’m judging, I don’t have that ability; I can only go by what I’m reading. Your great story will miss the boat if you haven’t taken the time to get the facts straight.
And believe me, I’m checking. Always checking.
In my own books, especially the period pieces, I spend more time researching the eras than I do writing the stories. I can’t have characters staying at a hotel that didn’t exist when my characters lived; nor can they use transportation in advance of their time. On the same note, they wouldn’t use a horse and buggy in the 21st century unless they were Amish or reenacting.
So, if you’re planning to submit your work, please, check your facts.
P.S. Right after writing the blog I picked up one of the freebies on Kindle, Murder in the South of France, because I loved my time there and I enjoy murder mysteries. Within the first couple of pages the protagonist made a phone call in the early afternoon to her home in Atlanta (USA) where it was "eight in the evening." Grrr. While I might finish the book, it eliminated itself from any competition it might enter that I'd be judging.
Veronica H. Hart is a Regional Director with the Florida Writers Association, author of five books through Double Edge Press and Champagne Books, as well as one self-published. You can read more about her work at www.veronicahhart.com. Comments welcome. How do you judge a book?
I hit the siren and lights and headed north on Broadway while Rick called it in. We headed north on Broadway, turned left onto Park and then right onto Thirty-Seventh, slowing when I saw the flashing blue lights in front of a white Cape Cod with its doors blown wide open.
Exciting stuff.
This past year I had the privilege of judging manuscripts for three different literary competitions. I looked for all the usual items: well developed, engaging characters; well defined settings, strong conflict, plot, a character arc for our lead character, error free mechanics, and last, but not least, no anachronisms or factual mistakes. Nothing stops me short more than seeing people spending pesos in Morocco, or dinars in Mexico; or like, the example above, mixed up geography.
You might write a great story, but if you make me stop and think about a fact to the point I have to go look it up on Google or in my home dictionary/encyclopedia, then you aren’t going to win that round in my book.
When I am editing, if I have an inkling that a fact may be inaccurate, I will look it up and let the author know he/she’s made a mistake and needs to check the facts. When I’m judging, I don’t have that ability; I can only go by what I’m reading. Your great story will miss the boat if you haven’t taken the time to get the facts straight.
And believe me, I’m checking. Always checking.
In my own books, especially the period pieces, I spend more time researching the eras than I do writing the stories. I can’t have characters staying at a hotel that didn’t exist when my characters lived; nor can they use transportation in advance of their time. On the same note, they wouldn’t use a horse and buggy in the 21st century unless they were Amish or reenacting.
So, if you’re planning to submit your work, please, check your facts.
P.S. Right after writing the blog I picked up one of the freebies on Kindle, Murder in the South of France, because I loved my time there and I enjoy murder mysteries. Within the first couple of pages the protagonist made a phone call in the early afternoon to her home in Atlanta (USA) where it was "eight in the evening." Grrr. While I might finish the book, it eliminated itself from any competition it might enter that I'd be judging.
Veronica H. Hart is a Regional Director with the Florida Writers Association, author of five books through Double Edge Press and Champagne Books, as well as one self-published. You can read more about her work at www.veronicahhart.com. Comments welcome. How do you judge a book?
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