Advice on fiction/biography

volvilla

Hi, I am by no means experienced in this field but I would appreciate some insight from someone who is

Regarding fiction, the list is presumably endless in relation to what topic you can write about. However, I am curious about the category "based on a true story/fiction" In other words, a semi biography with an element of fiction. As it happens the biography would be about someone who has since deceased and I an curious as to whether there is somewhere that I could get more information on what is/isn't acceptable standards when writing on such a topic.

I want to avoid spending months on something only to be told, well you never had the 'write' to be 'righting' about this!

any help appreciated

EileenG

The same rules apply as writing any sort of fiction.

You don't need permission to write about anyone. If you did, the newspapers would be empty ("May I have your permission to write in the newspaper that you've been arrested for murder?" "No, **** off")

The same rules apply to BOATS as to all fiction. It must not be libellous. That doesn't mean it can't dish the dirt, it just means you can prove whatever dirt you write.

How acceptable or otherwise the story is, is likely to depend on how you write it, rather than the subject or genre.

There is a lot of BOATS/fictionalised novels out there, and the general rule is that when there are known facts, you must stick to those, but anything you can't find evidence for, you can make up.

So let's say you are writing a BOATS novel about Oscar Wilde. Some things are well known, like his work and the trial etc, but you can get as creative as you like with the sex scenes.

volvilla

EileenG wrote: »

The same rules apply as writing any sort of fiction.

The same rules apply to BOATS as to all fiction. It must not be libellous. That doesn't mean it can't dish the dirt, it just means you can prove whatever dirt you write.

There is a lot of BOATS/fictionalised novels out there, and the general rule is that when there are known facts, you must stick to those, but anything you can't find evidence for, you can make up.

So let's say you are writing a BOATS novel about Oscar Wilde. Some things are well known, like his work and the trial etc, but you can get as creative as you like with the sex scenes.

Thanks Eileen, that certainly helps but there is still an area of confusion. Surely, in a BOATS/fictionalised novel, an author deemed to be libel for x,y or z can say x,y or z is just the fiction part even if using the real name i.e. Oscar W for e.g..... BOATS/F'd novels don't (must not be obliged) to put a disclaimer up front outlining exactly whats fiction and whats not so surely the case for libel would generally weak (non existent) and surely much weaker than the newspapers example you used?

EileenG

You can libel someone even in pure fiction. If you write something that a reasonable person would say could refer to them, and it's libelous, then you could be sued. Let's say you wrote a novel about a Northside T-shock with a novelist daughter, who was accepting bribes to build sub-standard houses, you can put as many declaimers as you like on it, it's still going to be libelous and you are going to get sued.

You can't turn around and say the novelist daughter bit was BOATS but the bribes were fiction.

However, if you take the Oscar Wilde example, and you write about him having wild monkey sex with six people at a time, that's not actionable.

At this stage, I'd write the book the way you see it, and then go looking for a publisher. There's a good chance your publisher will have ideas about what is okay and what should be cut. Write it all now, and then review it when it's finished.

EileenG

And of course, someone has to be alive to be libelled. Dead people can't sue, which is why there is always a slew of books come out as soon as a celeb dies.

However, if there are other people still alive who are featured in your story, you need to be careful what you write. If everyone is dead, you have pretty much free rein, though if you depart too much from accepted facts, you'll get slated by the historians.

baalthor

EileenG wrote: »

And of course, someone has to be alive to be libelled. Dead people can't sue, which is why there is always a slew of books come out as soon as a celeb dies.

However, if there are other people still alive who are featured in your story, you need to be careful what you write.

That's what happened with "The Damned United". Clough had died before the novel was published but Johnny Giles sued for libel.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/leeds-united-legend-wins-apology-from-author-1-2170300#