E is for Eclipse

As a writer, I lean toward historical accuracy whenever I can, but when I really want a certain something to happen in a story, I make it up. That is the beauty of being a fiction writer…I get to make stuff up. There are many aspects of The Manx that hold true to the facts whether it is something that takes place today, or in the past. There are real people in the book like King Magnus and his family. The castles are all real too (Peel and Douglas in particular). But, there are also many instances that things come straight from my imagination.

Case in point; the lunar eclipse. I really wanted a lunar eclipse to happen at the same time as at least one of the motorcycle races. Through my extensive research (ok, I Googled it) I couldn’t make the eclipse sync with the TT. So, you got it, I put a lunar eclipse in there anyway. It is critical to the story, but not to history. I say to all you factoid fiends, “Suck it up.” I’m putting the lunar eclipse right where I want it. You may also cringe when I make up the names for any TT drivers, or when I put mermaids in places they shouldn’t be. I’m a fiction writer. I can do these things. 🙂

This post inspired by — E