If you're writing a story, should it follow the actual laws of real life? For example, if my terminally ill character wants to keep her lottery winnings from her husband, should I still write it even though actual law in real life says a spouse cannot legally keep their lottery winnings from their married spouse.
I suppose I'm worried about critics correcting me. lol.
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Hi Nikki,
I find that realism in books helps the reader feel connected to the character with an honest feel for their emotional situation. And like real life there are always loopholes for making the scene work the way you want.
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That's true! I want to stay as real as I can get, but I'd love to be able to find a loophole to take advantage of.
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Hi Nikki,
Without knowing the context of your story it's difficult to say but what if they aren't legally married? (For example, one of them could secretly be a bigamist) They wouldn't be legally married and that kind of plot twist could work as comedy or drama, or add some levity to a drama.
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As a rule of thumb, I suggest not to go too much against "normal" laws unless there's a specific reason (maybe the genre is magical realism or so). If, in a realistic story, the audience understands that what's happening could not happen in reality, it breaks the suspension of disbelief and prevents them from fully identifying with the characters.