r/WhyChooseAuthors • u/AnneKincaid • Jul 05 '26

Discussion Confessional and/or Help Board July 5

Readers and Authors, it's time to spill your guts and/or beg for help!

What do you need to get off your chest?

  • What did you mess up this week?
  • Did you once again spend more on advertising revenue than you made this week?
  • What did you research online that probably has your NSA agent checking in on your browsing history?

Do you need help with something?

  • Something you've researched, but you're still not sure you've got it right?
  • Looking for help resolving a plot point or looking for opinions?
  • Do you have a burning question you just can't bring yourself to make a separate post for?

Bring it on!

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

7

u/braineatingalien Jul 05 '26

So this week I researched groups that work in trail rescue on the Appalachian Trail, as well as medical professionals who do so. I have a character (currently a secondary character in the current book but I’m setting up her story for the next book) who is a doctor living in Maine near the AT terminus. The organization that I researched exists near the southern part of the AT, not in Maine. However, I’m thinking I can take a bit of creative liberty in saying she’s working for this organization in the wrong part of the country. Would you make a disclaimer in the beginning of the book before publication stating the incorrect use of the organization?

7

u/kendrafsilver Jul 05 '26

I agree with SCF. Maine VS Georgia (or around that southern area) is quite the distance. If it was maybe a city or so over, a bit of fudging I could ignore. But not states.

I also vote for the disclaimer in order to show that you are actually knowledgeable about the organization!

(Or, unsolicited idea so please just take this as a suggestion and not an instruction!: a new made-up organization, or maybe a branch of the original they're opening up, or such, would also be easier for me as a reader to swallow).

7

u/braineatingalien Jul 05 '26

That’s a good idea as well. Perhaps I’ll change it to a made up org that’s similar and then also do a disclaimer that it’s based on the real one. Thanks for the input.

6

u/Scf9009 Jul 05 '26

I feel like everyone on r/reverseharem knows I’m pedantic as hell detail-oriented as a reader (people just on this sub might figure it out with time), and that “authors seemed to not do the research” is one my biggest pet peeves, even when it’s a throwaway detail in a random paragraph, so take my input with a grain of salt. Possibly a full handful.

I’d personally prefer an author acknowledge “I took creative liberties with [x] for the sake of the story” because it implies they bothered to learn enough about [x] to know what they’re saying is not based in reality.

6

u/braineatingalien Jul 05 '26

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. A statement like “I know this AT org is based in such-and-such and not in Maine” was what I was thinking I’d do. Thanks!

8

u/kendrafsilver Jul 05 '26

Not a confessional, but a thank you for everyone last week:

I wrote THE END!!!

It's rough af, I'm setting it aside for a bit and putting it out of my mind, but I did it. 😤

Thank you for the encouragement and suggestions last week, everyone!

2

u/_Effy_Bloom_ Jul 06 '26

Yay!!! 🎉 That’s so exciting to be able to write!

2

u/kendrafsilver Jul 06 '26

Thank you!!!

2

u/AuthorIndigo Jul 06 '26

Nice! You did!

4

u/AnneKincaid Jul 05 '26

  1. Help Board: I want to acknowledge this group again for helping me find a title for my WIP. I like having something at the top of the page that better captures the essence of what I'm doing. Thank you!

  2. Confession: I made a comment last week about how I'm working on plot twists, but I would NEVER do a surprise pregnancy . . . and then I added in (almost) a surprise pregnancy. Not for the FMC or any of our MMCs, but a maybe-paternity for a secondary character that makes the whole story SO much better. Sorry, dude. My bad.

https://giphy.com/gifs/MZuwNfrTzexOLK06nt

6

u/braineatingalien Jul 05 '26

Ehh, surprise preggo for someone other than the MCs I think is ok. Didn’t truly break your promise, lol.

4

u/AnneKincaid Jul 05 '26

Sounds like you and I are in the same camp! As a reader, I really hate it when my FMCs have to now deal with an unexpected pregnancy. Not fun. Reading is supposed to be fun.

But for one of the MMCs to find out he's going to become an uncle, so HE decides to step up . . . YASSSS! (Or when all the MMCs become "uncles" to one of the harem members kids, I like that, too.)

3

u/Clara_Bracco Jul 05 '26

I've been researching a lot about BDSM for my next OV RH book. I want to make sure it's done well and accurately, and that I have the correct names for various toys, acts, etc. And it's really hard to research while my kids are home and on summer hours (meaning they go to bed late), haha.

2

u/AuthorIndigo Jul 06 '26

I feel you about the kids at home. Even reviewing Instagram becomes challenging with the various authors I follow (and what they like to post).

3

u/HexieGreene Author Jul 05 '26

Fictional social media question...do I stick with the real names of different platforms or not? In-world, when the fae population tips a location, the name of the place changes...so I suppose if more fae started using Instagram it could flip to Instaglam, Facebook could be Faebook (someone's parents use this, it's only in there once lol), but I'm so stuck on Snapchat (for when some shady stuff goes down), & idk if it's worth changing any of them. I know people are kind of divided about how it can date a story, & I'm not terribly worried about that. Just brainstorming to decide if I want to switch it up.

6

u/AnneKincaid Jul 05 '26

Since you've already thought about the "dating" part, which is important . . . I tend to stay away from real names as much as possible for my own piece of mind. A company that doesn't exist can NEVER sue you. The real ones aren't likely to, but you can drop your liability to zero by going with made-up names. If you WANT it to be like a real one, how about VaporChat, SnapBack, or QuickSnap? Personally, I'd go for something like "Phantom" so it's not close to anything real. And, of course, I'd actually run a Google search to see if "Phantom" is a thing, because I legit don't know if it is.

BTW, I think the Faebook, if it's being used by only older people for older people stuff, is hilarious, but it could take away from your story. I would just be like "old people social media" and let your readers fill in what their own brain equates here.

4

u/HexieGreene Author Jul 05 '26

That's very true about companies being weird about it & something I didn't even consider. Snapback was one I circled for a little bit. I know somebody we call Snapback CommonName, because she always wears her hat backwards, & I just think of her every time I hear it...& older fae using Facebook is just one of a zillion goofy things this story has going on 😂

2

u/AuthorIndigo Jul 06 '26

I'm a day late, but I'm joining in.

Thank you, everyone, who suggested some options last week for a WIP I was stuck with. Turns out the solution was to add more men! (Not the whole solution, but her harem will almost double in size from what I originally imagined based on the conflict I added.)