When a fictional story is created
In film or in writing, it is clearly stated
That any resemblance to people or events real
Must be considered purely coincidental
But the backdrop or setting should generally be
Believable for the place and time period of the story
Therefore storytellers research for periods of time extended
To set their stories correctly, not make factual errors unintended..
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Sometimes the narrators deliberately deviate
From facts, what they portray is inaccurate
In the spirit of artistic license, facts can be
Distorted or bent to better suit the story
Sometimes it is done in such a subtle way
That only someone familiar with the subject can discover it anyway
At other times the anomaly is glaring enough
And discovering it is not for anyone tough
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The practice of resorting to artistic license
Often comes under criticism intense
Some even find it irresponsible indeed
To deviate from facts, in can mislead
The audience into accepting artistic depictions to be true
For a work of historical fiction, this can have serious consequences too..
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My take on this is that fiction involves
Imagining something new, a story unfolds and evolves
In the creator’s mind at its own pace
To expand freely, a story needs space
That should not be constrained by facts hard and cold
Therefore the spirit of artistic license I uphold..
Passion...unbridled 