Four Professionals That Are Needed For Fiction Writing

 Daria Głodowska from Pixabay 

 Writing a book might sound easy but it is not a walk in the park. We can only imagine the hours that have gone into the creation of some of our favorite books. However, have you ever noticed that there are certain “thank yous” in books? For example, James Patterson is known for thanking law enforcement officers who have helped with the Women’s Murder Club series. So, are there certain professions that are useful in the world of fiction writing? Here are some of the top helpers to fiction writers.

This is a collaborative post

Doctors

The patient is suffering from a cardiac arrest and needs 50cc of adrenaline, stat! Sound familiar? This might be a familiar line from a lot of different books and TV shows, but it would not have been possible without the help of a doctor. When it comes to medical issues in books, there is only so much information that can be put on the page as part of the story. However short this information might be, it still needs to be accurate. 

This can be an opportunity for doctors to give a little information that could save someone’s life in an emergency, or give a common symptom that is overlooked in certain deadly diseases. Although there is a desire to keep the information fairly accurate, there is always a chance that an author will go off the beaten track with the information that they have been given.

Lawyers

Crime dramas are filled with legal jargon and courtroom scenes. As an outsider, we can only assume that information that is being played out in front of our eyes is accurate. The only time that most people get to speak to a lawyer is when they need to use tenured personal injury attorneys after an accident. When it comes to what is happening in a story, it is important that the information is fairly accurate as you don’t want people getting the wrong idea with what is being put on the page. 

The unfortunate thing is that the courtroom is often a lot different and can be very boring compared with some of the action that is laid out on a page. It is rare that things get heated and the judge loses their cool. Don’t get us wrong, it can happen, just not as often as crime novels would have us believe. 

Law enforcement

When it comes to tackling crimes, the police force are the guys that you turn to. In the event of an imaginary crime, they can still help with the details. The thing is, law enforcement covers a large range of skills and areas.  From standard procedures to an overview of what might happen during s terrorist attack, these guys can help with many different details. Of course, there is only so much information that they can dish out. 

They cannot reveal all of the police department's secrets. This applies across a lot of departments but some stories do like to go into a little bit of detail. The Bones books by Kathy Reichs have a lot more information than the standard novel because Kathy Reichs was a forensic anthropologist and did attend crime scenes.

Scientist

We are using a very broad term because it would be impossible to list every form of science that could be useful in a novel. You have probably noticed during books and movies, there is that moment when a scientist steps in to explain something so that we are not left behind with what is happening. The explanation that they give is normally a highly simplified version of what is actually happening although there is a growing trend to complicate the language to make it more accurate in recent times. 

We mentioned in the previous point, Kathy Reichs, but there are many other scientists that have used their expertise to create fantastic fiction. Carl Sagan was an influential scientist and wrote around 20 books. Scientists tend to work on science fiction novels but they have been known to help with thrillers and even horror stories.

As you can see, there are a few different professions that can help make the world of fiction a little more real. However, it is important to remember that what is on the page will not be entirely accurate. For legal reasons, it can’t be. For example, there cannot be an accurate description of a bomb because someone might use the description to make a real one. So, if you have a friend that shouts at the screen for something being wrong, just remember, it is wrong for a reason.