I've started a second story that I will be fully working on when my first one is finished (Their not connected) and I know sooner or later I will be using names of real things, but the story isn't quite Non-fiction it's more like a story of a dream that the real world effects, so my question is, should I give the real name of things and people, or change them in a way people know what and who I'm talking about?
Hi Antoinette,
I think you should be OK referencing other reading material by name within your novel - Roald Dahl did this when writing Matilda where he explains the vast range of material that Matilda had read and lists the classic works.
Can you say, 'She read Harry Potter and the complete works of Tolkien by the time she was five' probably. I wouldn't suggest copying chunks from another author's work into your book to illustrate that a character was reading the book as then you would probably have some issues with copyright.
In terms of place names, if they are absolutely integral to your story keep them in. No point saying:
'She traveled to Dinmak and Seeden' if you really want to say Denmark and Sweden.
I agree with Louise about mentioning people.
I hope this helps...
Thanks for the answer, I guess to make it clear is I will no doubt want to talk about the Harry Potter books, but should I keep the name since I'll only be talking about it, or should I change it to a name that sounds the same due to copyrights?