This post was originally published on this site.
One of the commonly-heard “rules” of writing is to write about what we know, and it’s not bad advice. Of course if we can only write about what we know firsthand, our stories would be fairly limited in scope. So The Snarky Editor likes to point out that it’s just as important to know what we write about — in other words, to do the necessary research to get it correct. When we’re talking about legal or medical matters, and especially when we’re writing about characters who are legal or medical professionals, it’s even more important that we (and they) get things right.
We’ll need a bona fide change of custody….
Since this character is an experienced cop, he’d probably know that the correct phrase is chain of custody — the legal requirement to prove that evidence has been properly handled and therefore can’t have been tampered with.
… the immigration lawyer he hired pro bono got her green card renewal approved.
Pro bono means “for the public good,” and the phrase is commonly used to describe when an attorney works without a fee in the pursuit of a greater cause. So this attorney wouldn’t have been hired so much as he or she would have volunteered to help Mrs. Braganza get her paperwork in order — without collecting a fee.
… had died and donated his entire will, everything he possessed….
A will is only the document that’s used to detail what happens to someone’s possessions after death. The possessions — whether money or material goods — are the individual’s estate. This artist signed a will which donated his entire estate to an animal shelter.
She could be carrying the dreaded measles bacteria inside her right now…
Measles is caused by a virus, not a bacterium. Since this story is set in the 1880s, The Snarky Editor thought long and hard about whether this is an author’s error or a representation of knowledge of the time — and she ended up deciding that a random woman in the 1880s, one with no special training, probably wouldn’t know about bacteria either. The point is that she spent more time thinking about the question than enjoying the story — which leads her to suggest that the simple solution would be to drop the term and just say She could be carrying the dreaded measles inside her right now.
A bullet… entered between the third and fourth metacarpals!
Since the third metacarpal is the middle finger and the fourth metacarpal is the ring finger, this poor guy got shot in the hand. A painful injury to be sure, but probably not fatal unless the bullet went on to puncture his torso as well. It seems odd that the main injury cited in this case is not actually the fatal one. The Snarky Editor wonders if the author really mean to say ribs, or vertebrae, instead.
I have more more year of pre med and then I do my residency.
The Snarky Editor will not be trusting this doctor with her care, since he or she seems to be intending to skip medical school altogether, going straight from undergrad to professional practice.
… heart problems, a swollen prostrate….
Though urinary issues may prostrate a guy, the male gland which causes so many issues is the prostate.
The Snarky Editor comes out of hiding occasionally to comment on the awkward, silly, and sometimes hilarious editing errors found in published books.
#snarkyeditor #everybodyneedsaneditor
Leigh Michaels is the award-winning author of more than 100 books, including historical and contemporary romance, non-fiction books about writing, and local history. More than 35 million copies of her books are in print in 27 languages and more than 120 countries. She is also a writing coach and book editor, though she promises to be snarky only in regard to published books.
To find out more, check out https://leighmichaels.com
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