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!"                

Running late cos a bitty day

8 November

I’m running well late today, simply because I had an appointment at the Walsgrave for a nerve conductivity test. Firstly, it’s not a pleasant test; they fix pads to your feet and send a short sharpe electric pulse through your leg. The result is that messages are not getting through to my never endings, which I already know anyway. The doctor said that it’s basically down to my diabetes. So there yer go … … …

After we went for a drink and visited the New Inn in Bulkington for a change. For as long as I can remember I have really, really hated screaming, or misbehaving kids. There was one in the pub but she didn’t start up until for around 10 minutes after we settled with our drinks. When she did is screaming and banging a plastic dish on the high chair the pub supplied. But you know what? It wasn’t her fault. She was sat on the end of a couple of tables where her family were sat and they were all so wrapped up in what they were doing and saying that the girl was being ignored. Can anyone blame her? I can’t. It got worse when their meal was served. To me it showed what Bed’th and Bulko folk are renowned around here; gobby selfish and uninterested in anyone else!

SO we left there and cos I fancied having a meal out, we called into the Crows Nest. It’s just been through a refurb and we wanted to have a look anyway. Since Jan’s stroke she finds it hard to swallow so now she tends only to have a pudding when we’re out. Last time we were in there I saw something on the menu that I fancied, so today I had it. Seasoned herby potatoes, pulled pork in hickory sauce, grated cheese and a fried egg on top – and it was really nice.

The dish full beat me though, and I left about a third of it. Mind you, I don’t eat much these days anyway. Add the curry I had with Kile yesterday afternoon and I can see it being Tuesday before I have anything substantial again. As it is, Jan is due out on Tuesday evening so I shall probably have a cuppa-soup and a couple of slice of dried toast.

Bit of a scare when we got it. I went to get changed and couldn’t find my wallet. So I went back out with a torch and looked in and around the car for it, nothing. So I got online and phone the Crows Nest cos that was where I remembered seeing it last. No, not there. Jan went through to get changed and she found it safe and sound beside my bed. Great, I wasn’t looking forward to cancelling all my cards and so on. Jan wasn’t feeling well after that. The panic in looking for it set off a bit as an asthma attack and she had to sit and have a couple puffs on her spray thingy. She’s OK now though.

So folks, sorry for the lateness of this one, and here’s the reason why …

Today’s funny …Kid’s don’t you just love ‘em …

Sarah goes to school, and the teacher says, "Today we are going to learn multi-syllable words, class. Does anybody have an example of a multi-syllable word?" Sarah waves her hand, "Me, Miss Rogers, me, me!" Miss Rogers says, "All right, Sarah, what is your multi-syllable word?" Sarah says, "Mas-tur-bate." Miss Rogers smiles and says, "Wow, Sarah, that's a mouthful." Sarah says, "No, Miss Rogers, you're thinking of a blowjob."           

All very taxing ...

7 November

It’s Remembrance Weekend and kicks off tonight with the annual Festival at the Royal Albert Hall. In the morning, if we can’t get to a service somewhere, then we should all be watching the one on telly Whitehall in London. I really must get my medals sorted out and then I shall be able to take a more involved role next year perhaps.  

Well, now a feel tad daft. Jan and Kile are back on the Wii so I’ve put a disc on to play – and got nowt. I hunted about looking for the fault and then I noticed the headphone jack wasn’t in place … derrrrrrrr

Oh yes, Kile is here and is going home today and not Sunday as he normal does. That’s partly because I have a hospital appointment tomorrow over at the Walsgrave in Coventry, just a follow-up on the Parkinsons thing the other week. But the things is, now I’m all over the place with the days now because we are not used to him arriving on Thursday and going back on Saturday.

This test I’m having tomorrow – it’s a nerve and conductivity test and it should take an hour to conduct. An hour testing, waiting time and so on, is likely to make it an expensive appointment to keep, solely because of parking fees. As it is, we need some shopping so Jan will drop me off at the main entrance and then drive the two miles back to Asda and get it done. Then she can sit in the café and wait for me to call and let her know I’m ready … of yes, better make sure me phone is fully charged.

Hospital parking charges are big issue all across the UK unfortunately. We patients are the ones picking up the cost, it really is a tax on illness, no matter what they all claim. There’s a lot of patients and we are being treated as a cash cow. The Walsgrave is a fairly new hospital and part of the parking contract promised a certain income for the management company. To begin with that level wasn’t reached, so the hospital had to make up the difference, and that was really way out of order and must have impacted on patient care somewhere along the line, no matter what they say.

The NHS and money will be an ongoing issue for years to come simply because of our growing and longer lived population. And that’s the thing isn’t it? If we want a national health service free at point of delivery, as it first promised, then we need to pay for it. And it’s no good moaning about it, we HAVE to stump up the dosh in our taxes. Of course, most of us don’t have any choice do we? It’s stopped from our pay before we see it. The growing number of companies and individuals who are fiddling their taxes need to be clamped down on hard.

Yet are our taxes being spent wisely though? Now that is just as big an issue as the tax cheats too. I’m sure we all have our favourite issues where dosh should and shouldn’t be spent. Was it wise to build to new aircraft carries when there are no airplanes to fly off them? Do we really need a new Trident system? And what of HS2, who will we will really get the best from it? Are the time savings really worth the cost of building it? And what can we do about it? Very little methinks. Lot of questions there; tomorrow I shall be asking even more … … …

Today’s photo … 

The Hussy statue at the main car entrance, which alone is waste of dosh cos you can hardly see it as you enter and leave the site. I have to get a better shot of it at some time.

Today’s funny …

A girl asks her father, "Why does it rain? Is it God sweating or crying?" "No," says her father, "it rains to make the plants grow. Do you understand?" "Not exactly," says the girl. "Why does it rain on the sidewalk?"