: Re: Can I use real presidents (past and present) and real companies in a fictional story? I'm not sure if I want to use real people and companies or make up an entirely different world with different

Live "Presidents" should be "minor characters" (in your fiction), performing a "public" act. For instance, in one screenplay, I featured a film clip of President George H.W. Bush (father) declaring war on Iraq in order to set a "backdrop" for early 1991.

On the other hand, you should not feature a real President e.g. seducing the heroine (and thus playing a major role in your fiction). That goes beyond "public figure" into the "private" realm and may expose you to a charge of libel.

If the President is a major character, you should change the name. "Primary Colors" was about a Presidential candidate who could have been Bill Clinton, so they renamed him "Jack Stanton." They also changed the Presidential election year to 1998, thereby creating a "parallel universe" with a timeline that could not have been real.

Load Full (0)

: What exactly is "fair comment?" From what I understand, truth is a defense against a charge of libel. More to the point, I've been told that a statement need not be true if it represents

@Jennifer354

Load Full 3 Comments

: What are the correct terms regarding (this literary) technique? An example comes from a cartoon where there is a woman talking to her boyfriend. There's a "cloud" that comes from her mouth,

@Jennifer354

Load Full 1 Comments

: Can your current work of fiction be influenced by a sequel? Most works of fiction are influenced by back stories. Can that also be true for envisioned sequels? I was working on a screenplay

@Jennifer354

Load Full 3 Comments

: Are there times when delayed character development is acceptable in fiction? In my screenplay, I have my female protagonist wear Prada, and perhaps drop other hints of her character, but not

: Re: Can I use real presidents (past and present) and real companies in a fictional story? I'm not sure if I want to use real people and companies or make up an entirely different world with different

More posts by @Jennifer354

: What exactly is "fair comment?" From what I understand, truth is a defense against a charge of libel. More to the point, I've been told that a statement need not be true if it represents

: What are the correct terms regarding (this literary) technique? An example comes from a cartoon where there is a woman talking to her boyfriend. There's a "cloud" that comes from her mouth,

: Can your current work of fiction be influenced by a sequel? Most works of fiction are influenced by back stories. Can that also be true for envisioned sequels? I was working on a screenplay

: Are there times when delayed character development is acceptable in fiction? In my screenplay, I have my female protagonist wear Prada, and perhaps drop other hints of her character, but not

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top