: Re: If I use a real location for the setting of my book - Do I have to use existing schools or can I make them up? I'm writing a book and want to set the story in an existing location, such

@Sims2267584

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It's a good idea to invent a school name if your story presents the school in a bad light. For example, if you are writing a fictional story about someone being sexually abused in class, and the school officials do nothing about it, you are moving in dangerous territory. Regardless of any disclaimer at the start of your book, people may think the events are true.

Another potential problem with a real school is that you then need to be extra careful with character names. Say you create a hypocritical teacher, Mr Jones, or a mean student named Jen White, it might cause legal issues for you if, coincidentally, the names match real people, and your novel embarrasses them.

If your novel ever gets turned into a movie or TV series, lawyers will go through every name and check whether or not they are real. If they are, they often have to be changed so the production can get insurance.

You don't need to be too paranoid about it. There may be good reasons to use a real location—in which case, be careful what you say about it. Usually, though the best practice is to drop in some neutral references to real places to set the scene, and invent a plausible sounding school.

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