Accuracy vs Public Safety: It’s a Fine Point by Valerie Burns

All authors want to “get it right.” No one wants to get emails pointing out typos, incorrect grammar or worse of all, errors. Just like Mary Poppins, we would like to believe we’re practically perfect in every way. Unfortunately, writers (and editors) are human, and regardless of the number of times a manuscript is edited, sometimes mistakes happen. While I can’t speak for every author, I can say that most of us don’t mind when readers point out typos or grammatical errors that wheedled through rounds of editing to make their way into the final book. Sadly, if the author is traditionally published, there may not be anything they can do once a book makes its way to print. Although, indie authors have a bit more flexibility. However, I do think there may be a time when authors may choose errors over accuracy.

Before you panic, hear me out. Authors spend a lot of time researching. Chances are if you checked the browser history of your favorite crime writer, you would find some alarming things. You’d likely find research on poisons, bombs, guns, knives and other weaponry, not to mention details on corpses, insects and decomposition that would make your blood curdle all in an effort to provide credibility and realism to a story (and avoid being called out by the crime savvy reader). However, authors have to walk a fine line between getting it right and getting it too right. Today, authors need to take into consideration how someone will use the information. Thanks to the Internet, it’s possible to find detailed directions on things that a naïve soul or someone intent on evil and destruction could use to harm others. Recently, I saw a story about David Hahn, who at 17, attempted to build a breeder reactor in the shed behind his mom’s house in Michigan in 1991. Hahn was a Boy Scout who hoped this project would gain him his Eagle Scout badge. While he didn’t succeed in building a breeder reactor, he did manage to create a neutron source. Not sure what the difference is? Me either, but it’s on the Internet. Was this overzealous boy scout an intentional harbinger of death? Or were his actions the innocent mistakes of a misguided youth? Schlemiel, schlimazel. It was still radioactive and had to be cleaned up by The Environmental Protection Agency with the potential to cause a great deal of damage.

So, where do authors draw the line? What’s the balancing point between accuracy and public safety? Nobody can know how the information in a book will be used. However, sometimes in the interest of the public good, it may be best to omit a detail. Do readers need to know all of the ingredients that can be purchased on Amazon or your local supermarket to cook up an undetectable poison? Or, is it critical to the story to provide a shopping list of ingredients to make a breeder reactor (or nuclear source)? Ultimately, that decision will be up to the author. Keep in mind, savvy readers, there are times when a deliberate error or omission has its place, especially when it comes to crime fiction. Typos, not so much.