The Devil is in the Details

I just proofread a novel that involved numerous badasses, all of whom carried various types of guns and engaged in just as many gunfights. Bullets were flying all over the place, but for me, the scenes weren’t believable because the author got a lot of the details wrong. I truly believe that the secret to getting the reader to “buy into” the fantastic elements of a story—be they fantasy, science-fiction, or paranormal—is the attention to detail given to the realistic parts of the story. This means that if you’re dealing with a real city in your story, or a real type of weapon, or an actual historical era, then you better do your research and get it right.

When it comes to guns, if you’re going to use semi-automatics in your story, or revolvers or shotguns, find out at least the very basics of how these weapons work, and don’t depend on what you see on TV for your facts. Know the correct terminology. For instance, the terms bullet, casing, cartridge, and shell all have specific meanings and are not interchangeable. Know how many rounds a particular kind of gun holds. If your character is firing a revolver, don’t have him firing off a dozen shots in a gun battle without reloading. Know how a gun loads and unloads. And don’t assume that all guns have an external safety. I don’t know how many times I’ve read a character clicking the safety off a Glock. Glocks don’t have external safeties.

Now maybe there aren’t a lot of readers who will know whether or not your facts are correct, but some will. And readers can be merciless when they’re displeased. The author may never hear about it, but believe me, the publisher will get an email. And perhaps the author will get a lesser rating when the reader gives his or her review. What review? Book reviews don’t just come from review sites. More and more, readers are expressing their opinions on sites like Amazon and Goodreads.

Many details about guns can be learned by a few simple Internet searches. When it comes to learning how a police department works, some authors really do their research and attend citizen academies or participate in police ridealongs.

So what else can a writer do to learn the inner workings of weaponry and police departments? Coming…a solution. 


~~Jaye