Legit Tip #137
Don’t make bold claims about a character’s abilities if you, the writer, aren’t prepared to do the research and back up those claims within the narrative.
That is, don’t claim that your character is a brilliant military strategist if you have zero knowledge of strategy and aren’t prepared to do the research needed to prove your character’s ability in the text. If your character is meant to be a con artist, you need to do enough research on cons to at least somewhat realistically portray what this character does - or else your reader is going to completely drop their suspension of disbelief as they wonder how the heck your character hasn’t been arrested yet.
You don’t have to become an expert. What you do need is enough of an understanding to hint at your character being as gifted/skilled/well-trained as you’re telling the audience they are.
