Writing in errors

9 November

We writers are a strange breed you know, even those of us like me, who are new to it all. It seems wherever we look we find someone willing to give us advice on how to be better writers. One such nugget, is to read, and then read some more, and when you’ve done that, read even more. The idea is that you pick up pointers as to where and how various writers have plotted and built their stories. That then links into another nugget; make sure your story is plausible and accurate. This is very important when writing historical fiction. I would also say that even in a modern up to date story we need to be correct when we write.

Take the paperback I’m reading now for instance. Long term readers of this blog will know that Jan and I are always on the move driving off here and there just to spend a few hours taking photos. The result is that know the roads around the UK fairly well. The story I’m reading then, tells us that after collecting a prisoner from HMP Long Lartin, they head off to North Wales, an area we do know seeing as we spent quite a few camping holidays up there. So they set off and get onto the M5 northbound, OK fine but then they take this route … M5>M54>A5 up to Betws-y-Coed, turn left onto the A470, so far so good, although I would take a different route. Then I get lost in the writers logic of route planning.

He describes driving towards Porthmadog over a single lane road that has a railway on one side and t’ther side is open fields where the tide floods as it rises twice every day. I know that road every well, it’s a toll road, one of the few that’s left in the UK. However, if the driver had gone that way, he would have added a fair old distance to where he wanted to go. From there it’s an easy run along the coast to Abersoch where they are due to spend just one night. That to me is a major booboo, although I’m still enjoying the book, as I have his others.

But it does show that we must make sure that we give correct information in our stories relating to today’s life. In an attempt to do that I currently have Shipshape out to a friend of friend who is reading through it to see if he can find any real howlers that I might have made in RN terminology and practice.

Thinking back to another of mine, House of Pain, I wrote something in there and later thought, hang on, is that bit right? It gave me and excuse for a Sunday day out to Cambridge to check it out. I was right to do so too; when I got home I altered that part of the story because of it. That same novel moves between Cambridge, Richmond in North Yorkshire, both places I know well, and here in Dorktown, which is given its correct name in the story. And yes, we did go up to Richmond for a few hours one time and great day out. It wasn’t really needed story-wise but we were due a day out anyway.

Of course, like I said the other day, every book you read will have a few errors in them, it’s just not possible to get all of them out, no matter how hard you work at it. All we can do is the best we can, and trust that our readers will forgive the few errors that remain.

Today’s photo then … 

A shot from Shell Island hwre we to go camping.

Today’s funny …

A boy is selling fish on a corner. To get his customers' attention, he is yelling, "Dam fish for sale! Get your dam fish here!" A pastor hears this and asks, "Why are you calling them 'dam fish.'" The boy responds, "Because I caught these fish at the local dam." The pastor buys a couple fish, takes them home to his wife, and asks her to cook the dam fish. The wife responds surprised, "I didn't know it was acceptable for a preacher to speak that way." He explains to her why they are dam fish. Later at the dinner table, he asks his son to pass the dam fish. He responds, "That's the spirit, Dad! Now pass the ***** potatoes!"