I
just stumbled on the following phrase in a murder mystery I’m reading: “woolen
black cotton suit.” And stumbled is the right verb to use. It threw me right
out of the story. If the suit was cotton, it could not have been woolen.
Conversely, if the suit were woolen, it could not have been made of cotton.
It
might be fiction but those small details should be correct. When an author takes
his time (and the reader’s time) to describe loading and firing a flintlock
long gun, that description should be accurate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn7lxMP_qBc
A
bush hog or brush hog mows, it doesn’t dig. The beautiful hibiscus flower has
no scent. And you don’t use a silencer on a revolver.
You
can buy something identified as a silencer for revolvers, but as a former
police officer once described them—“They’re as useless as tits on a bull.” And
for those of you who do not know…bulls do have teats, but they serve no useful
purpose.
If
you’re a writer and don’t know first-hand about something, look it up, ask
someone who knows, use something else that you do know about.
Think
about it.
