The Tiffany Problem & Your Readers

Have you run into the Tiffany Problem in your writing? What even IS the Tiffany Problem? Today, we talk about the frustrations and falsities of writing for audiences who "know what they know."

Sep 17, 2024

Photo by Héctor J. Rivas on Unsplash

When I was workshopping my WWI-inspired fantasy novel, one reader pointed out how she didn’t like a certain part where I mentioned a dress being “two years out of fashion.” She questioned whether fashion should even be considered in wartime. Shouldn’t everyone be starving and wearing burlap and shoes made of rags and rope?

I hadn’t expected this small detail to pull my reader out of the story, but when I thought about it further, I realized I was running into the Tiffany Problem.

What is the Tiffany Problem?

The term “the Tiffany Problem” was first coined by science fiction and fantasy author Jo Walton in 2019. It perfectly describes the dilemma so many writers face when introducing edgier concepts into their stories that readers assume are false.

Let me explain.

Tiffany is a name we often associate with modernity. We think of that girl we went to high school with or the iconic Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It would feel historically inaccurate to place the name Tiffany in a story set in, say, 1356 A.D. However, the name Tiffany was quite popular in the 12th C. It is a derivative of the Greek name Theophania, a combination words theos (god) and phainein (to appear).

But because readers perceive Tiffany as a modern name, if you did dub your female protagonist Tiffany in your novel set in the Middle Ages, you run the risk of pulling your readers out of the story and questioning the historical accuracy of your book because of their assumptions about “how things were back then.”

Fantasy writers are not off the hook, either. As I said earlier, my fantasy world was loosely based on the political climate in Europe during WWI. And in real life, fashion did, in fact, play a huge role during both the First and Second World Wars.

In England, women saw it as a way of being patriotic and “keeping up good spirits.” Fashion designers were kept busy designing clothing that used minimal fabric for civilians (because many textile factories were being used to make military uniforms, tarps, parachutes, etc., for the war.)

(Image from: Library of Congress: LC-DIG-fsa-8b08080)

Due to fabric rationing, hemlines became shorter. New patterns emerged. There were drives for women to donate their silk and nylon stockings to be remade into parachutes. Thus, the stockingless woman began drawing the stocking hems on the back of their calves with eyeliner to give the appearance they were still wearing nylons.

Also, interestingly, 2/3rds of the big couture houses in Western Europe remained open and in business throughout the war.

I know this might seem strange, but it does add a layer of realism to fiction, even if it isn’t what you’d expect to happen.

I wanted to include some of these details in my novel, too. Still, I ultimately decided that because it is a fantasy novel and its purpose is not to make a commentary on historical accuracies, I chose to remove them from the final draft.

Still, I didn’t make my characters wear burlap. Lines must be drawn.

A Few More Examples of the Tiffany Problem

“Victorians didn’t have nipple piercings.” False. I was actually shocked when I learned that nipple piercing was a craze with the upper classes during the Victorian era. Sometime the truth is stranger than fiction. Source Webite: The Vintage News
“The name Chad is a modern name.” False. The name Chad first gained prominence through 7th century figure, Saint Chad of Mercia.
“Flappers in the 1920s were sexually promiscuous.” False. Of course, as with any period throughout history there were those who experimented, but this has been found to be a broad and inaccurate assumption about the Greatest Generation. Youth at the time were, in fact, still rather conservative in this area and not as loosey-goosey as their seniors feared—or as modern films like to depict. Source: The 1920s: American Poplular Culture Through History by Kathleen Drowne and Patrick Huber.

Have you run into the Tiffany Problem in your own writing? I’d love to hear about them!

September’s “Golden List” for Writers

A hand-curated list of writing opportunities (and FREE resources)! This list is updated and revised each month. Stay tuned for October’s list!

Traditional Publishers Currently Open to Unagented Authors

The Lantern and the Pen - is a faith-based publishing company with submissions currently open for an MG anthology!

Literary Pearl’s “Seasons of Romantasy Anthology” - is open to high fantasy story subs! But hurry it closes September 21st!

Skyhorse Publishing currently has a small window open for various non-fiction topics including but not limited to: True Crime, House and Home, and History, Humor and Animals.

Sky Pony Press is an imprint of Skyhorse specializing in picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA fiction and nonfiction. It is currently open to submissions from unagented authors.

Entangled Publishing is a reputable, midsized publisher with almost a dozen imprints in the romance, fantasy, teen, and historical genres, many of which are currently open.

North Star Editions is currently accepting submissions for their following imprints.

Flux — accepting YA fiction submissions
Jolly Fish Press — accepting middle-grade and YA fiction submissions
Press Box Books — accepting sports nonfiction submissions

Twisted Road Publications is now accepting submissions for their upcoming “Survivors” series. They are looking for both full-length manuscripts (fiction and non-fiction) and shorter works (essays and short stories) for inclusion in anthologies.

Kensington Publishing Group publishes a range of popular genres such as thrillers, romance, historical fiction, cozy mysteries, and non-fiction, as well as true-crime, western, sci-fi, and speculative fiction titles.is open to unagented submissions, but they have very specific needs at this time. Please review guidelines thoroughly.

Adobe Press Chapbooks submissions is currently open for submissions and will close on November 30th! Seeking Poetry = up to 30 pages and Hybrid and Fiction = up to 60 pages. Abode Press mission dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices.

Golden Scales Publishing is a new publisher established in 2024. They are ready to accept our first submissions for fantasy, romance, or paranormal genres.

Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers has published high-quality books for over 25 years. They are currently open. Check out their imprints to learn the best placement for your specific genre.

Annick Press is currently open to easy readers, picture books, YA, and comics.

Charlesbridge is currently open to picture book and YA submissions.

Austin Macauley Publishing accepts manuscripts — fiction and nonfiction in almost every category.

Aethon Books is accepting all genre fiction, focusing on Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Enclave Publishing is accepting adult and YA manuscripts for Christian speculative fiction.

Awards Submissions for Published Works

Reader Views - For independently published books. The submission title must have a copyright date of 2024 to be eligible. The contest ends in December 2024.

Contests to Submit to for Unpublished Works

The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction - familiarize yourself with the rules via the link. Contest ends September 30th.

2025 Claymore Award Submission Entry – KillerNashville - for best first 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript, play, or screenplay. Submission Deadline: April 1, 2025.

500 Flash - a novel opening & synopsis competition! Entries close on 31st October 2024.

Headline Publishing - a novel opening competition. They welcome published, self-published, and unpublished novelists. The only stipulation is that the entry must be unpublished. This is an annual competition: entries close on 31st October 2024.

Novel Fair 2025 - The Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair is an annual literary competition that awards twelve first-time novelists to sit down and pitch their novels to leading publishers and agents. Deadline: September 30, 2024

Unleash Press Book Prize - $1,000 advance and standard contract from Unleash Press for one winning manuscript. Novels, poetry collections, short story collections, and creative nonfiction manuscripts are accepted. Submissions will be accepted until December 1, 2024.

FREE Webinar

How to Write a Picture Book Children Will Love (and Parents Will Buy) in this free training with Miriam Laundry & Jack Canfield you’ll discover:

How to write a children’s picture book that sells (even if you’re not an author and haven’t written anything since college!)
3 common mistakes first-time authors make when writing picture books for kids (and how to AVOID them).
The unconventional publishing option you haven’t considered yet (and the roadmap to get your children’s book written, published & marketed on YOUR timetable).

A Personal Note

I am now 37 weeks pregnant with our third child. I can’t tell you how excited I am to meet this little human who has been kicking my bladder into oblivion for the past nine months.

I plan to continue sending out regular newsletters with fresh Golden Lists and some personal updates, but expect the next few newsletters to be shorter than usual as I focus on what truly matters—snuggling and obsessively smelling this new baby's sweet head.