tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139108380465924768.post5274041140722983733..comments2024-03-27T04:34:22.607-04:00Comments on Jade Varden Official Blog: Writing 101: Historical FiguresJade Vardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684439238295775063noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139108380465924768.post-26704588933273123172017-02-06T13:20:58.725-05:002017-02-06T13:20:58.725-05:00"you ought to know what they look like. Knowi..."you ought to know what they look like. Knowing something about their personality can't hurt, either" -- seriously?? Looks more important than personality? This is going to be some trashy, lightweight story. I bet most historical figures used in people's fiction would have hated it if they'd seen it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139108380465924768.post-54395533230580038452015-09-02T23:03:32.990-04:002015-09-02T23:03:32.990-04:00Sounds like an interesting plot, Jim! Sounds like an interesting plot, Jim! Jade Vardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10684439238295775063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139108380465924768.post-31181684058364579242015-09-02T19:48:12.730-04:002015-09-02T19:48:12.730-04:00....Hi Jade. Thank you so much for the reply.
So,.......Hi Jade. Thank you so much for the reply. <br />So, if I use a dead person as one of my characters, he or she can say anything about another dead person. For example, Jimi Hendrix could rip Nixon's character from here to Hades, and it's all good. Or a fictional character can say the most horrible things about Nixon, and all is fine. <br />I think the idea is to use real people who are dead. Which I have been doing throughout my story, anyway. Jim McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15524875246968205512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139108380465924768.post-63172561457220308902015-08-17T23:07:10.036-04:002015-08-17T23:07:10.036-04:00Jim, I've gone over your comment carefully, an...Jim, I've gone over your comment carefully, and I'll do the best I can to answer all your questions. <br /><br />Using Woodstock isn't a problem. The events there have been well-documented and authors always have freedom of choice with setting. <br /><br />When it comes to fictionalizing real people, the answers can be pretty tricky. What you're basically asking is if you can be held guilty of libel for using real people as book characters. The short answer is, probably not. Libel cases against authors are very rare. However, legally you can be accused of defamation if you use an actual person's name AND make defamatory and/or false statements about said acual person. OR, you may freely use the character to make disparaging and/or negative remarks about this person, BUT you must make an effort to hide their true identity. I wrote a post about the Roman a Clef, a wonderful little literary device that many authors have used in order to save themselves from a defamation suit. <br /><br />http://jadevarden.blogspot.com/2014/07/writing-101-roman-clef-or-how-to-beat.html<br /><br />BECAUSE, if you make signifigant assumptions about a real person's thoughts, deeds, private moments and so on, there is a chance that you can be legally held accountable for it. The definitions are somewhat vague and loose in defamation cases, purposefully so. Each case is treated on a case-by-case basis, and the matter is decided in court. <br /><br />HOWEVER, defamation and libel can ONLY be applied to the living. This is why books about Abraham Lincoln hunting vampires are possible. <br /><br />DISCLAIMER: I am in no way a lawyer, nor associated with law enforcement. I am not an expert on libel and will not help you if you get sued. <br /><br /><br />Further reading: <br /><br />http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/questions-and-quandaries/legal-questions/is-it-ok-to-write-a-fictional-story-about-a-historical-character<br />http://www.copylaw.org/p/libel-in-fiction.html<br />Jade Vardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10684439238295775063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1139108380465924768.post-35134362893649067702015-08-15T18:08:19.966-04:002015-08-15T18:08:19.966-04:00-- Hello Jade. I hope to use actual locations and...-- Hello Jade. I hope to use actual locations and actual people as characters in my latest novel, a work of fiction based on actual events. For example, Woodstock. Can I use Jimi Hendrix as a character? is there a problem using the location Woodstock? <br />How about the bombing at the U of Wisconsin in 1970? Can I write about the actual place using the names of the actual people, but fictionalizing much of their words and actions? <br />What about president Nixon? Many of my characters hate him and say awful things about him, just as people of the day did. Any problems there? <br />If the actual person is dead, can I legally use that person as a character and have him or her involved in imagined scenarios? Jim McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15524875246968205512noreply@blogger.com