writer gotchas. - Page 3

ZodWallop · 05-02-2018, 10:29 AM

How about writers that incorrectly quote aphorisms? I'd complain more about it, but the point is mute.

pwalker8 · 05-02-2018, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

How about writers that incorrectly quote aphorisms? I'd complain more about it, but the point is mute.

funny man.

mrscoach · 05-02-2018, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

How about writers that incorrectly quote aphorisms? I'd complain more about it, but the point is mute.

My husband and son actually say it that way. Drives me crazy. I think they do it just to mess with me, now.

ZodWallop · 05-03-2018, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrscoach

My husband and son actually say it that way. Drives me crazy. I think they do it just to mess with me, now.

One that doesn't bother me is 'to the manor born'. It is wrong. the correct phrase is 'to the manner born', but 'manor' manages to communicate the same message, unlike a point being mute.

DNSB · 05-03-2018, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

One that doesn't bother me is 'to the manor born'. It is wrong. the correct phrase is 'to the manner born', but 'manor' manages to communicate the same message, unlike a point being mute.

I liked To the Manor Born though I think my son was a touch out of it when he gave me the complete series on DVD a couple of Christmases back.

FizzyWater · 05-03-2018, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

Confusion of lie/lay drives me crazy.

I have to admit: this is one I never remember correctly.

Pulpmeister · 02-02-2019, 02:02 AM

Putting together an elderly ebook for the Library recently, I came across reference to a mysterious handgun type, to wit, an "automatic revolver".

An amazing number of writers of action/crime stories in the olden days (my youth) don't seem to know anything about guns. (At least I know what a Walther PPK is, and what PPK stands for. And what makes it different from a Walther PP.)

Movie makers often don't know either. I recall years ago watching a US Civil War western where the guys were all toting Colt Peacemakers, which were introduced in 1873. And a world war 2 movie set in North Africa, in which the officer's staff car was a 1949 Ford. With whitewall tyres.

issybird · 02-02-2019, 07:11 AM

I ran across one recently where the murder victim, an orphan, was a boy who was an Hon. I kept thinking that the resolution of the story would have something to do with inheriting the title the honorific derived from, but no. Well into the book it was stated that he had no living relatives other than a maternal uncle.

Not possible. And this was a Golden Age mystery where the author really, really must have known better.

fjtorres · 02-02-2019, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

An amazing number of writers of action/crime stories in the olden days (my youth) don't seem to know anything about guns. (At least I know what a Walther PPK is, and what PPK stands for. And what makes it different from a Walther PP.)

The internet in general, and youtube specifically, can be very useful for research purposes. Especially on weapons. There's a *lot* of material on contemporary and historical weapons and armor. You just have to be careful to keep some salt handy; not all sources are as knowledgeable as they pretend to be.

As for "automatic revolvers" there really was such a thing.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_revolver

Quote:

A standard revolver is a manually operated weapon, using the action of cocking the hammer to advance the cylinder in a single-action, or the action of pulling the trigger to advance the cylinder and cock the hammer in a double-action. The idea behind an automatic revolver is to automate both actions, removing the need to manually cock the hammer between shots while retaining the lighter trigger pull of the single-action.

This is accomplished by use of a reciprocating slide on the upper part of the frame, the motion of which is used to rotate the cylinder and cock the hammer in much the same way as is used in the majority of semi-automatic pistol designs.

The period between 1880 and 1910 saw a vast array of "experimental" designs for both semi-automatic and full automatic weapons, many weird, and some made it to the real world in quantity. Earlier attempts existed but were rare and most often failures and one-of-a-kinds.

Depending on the story and the time period, the author might have done his homework properly...or just been careless in his phrasing. Hard to tell.

pwalker8 · 02-02-2019, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

Putting together an elderly ebook for the Library recently, I came across reference to a mysterious handgun type, to wit, an "automatic revolver".

An amazing number of writers of action/crime stories in the olden days (my youth) don't seem to know anything about guns. (At least I know what a Walther PPK is, and what PPK stands for. And what makes it different from a Walther PP.)

Movie makers often don't know either. I recall years ago watching a US Civil War western where the guys were all toting Colt Peacemakers, which were introduced in 1873. And a world war 2 movie set in North Africa, in which the officer's staff car was a 1949 Ford. With whitewall tyres.

One sees a lot of revolvers with silencers, Civil War era westerns with Winchester 1873's and Patton tanks in WW II movies. Accuracy wasn't one of the goals in B-grade flicks.

Apache · 02-02-2019, 11:08 AM

Next time you watch Sergeant York (1941 Howard Hawk movie starring Gary Cooper) watch the scene he empties his rifle and does not have time to reload.He pulls out his pistol and kills the German Soldiers charging him. The pistol in Gary Coopers hand is a German Luger P-08. Alvin York carried a Colt M1911 during WWI. Also Gary Cooper is shooting a Springfield 1903 during battle. Alvin York was actually issued a US version of the British Lee Enfield rifle.
Apache

pwalker8 · 02-02-2019, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apache

Next time you watch Sergeant York (1941 Howard Hawk movie starring Gary Cooper) watch the scene he empties his rifle and does not have time to reload.He pulls out his pistol and kills the German Soldiers charging him. The pistol in Gary Coopers hand is a German Luger P-08. Alvin York carried a Colt M1911 during WWI. Also Gary Cooper is shooting a Springfield 1903 during battle. Alvin York was actually issued a US version of the British Lee Enfield rifle.
Apache

I watched Sargent York a couple of months ago. I noticed the Luger rather than the 1911. I figured that maybe he had picked one up from a prisoner. In general, I thought that non officers generally didn't carry hand guns.

Apache · 02-02-2019, 01:25 PM

He did carry a 1911. He emptied his rifle and, if I remember correctly, 6 Germans charged him thinking they could overrun him before he reloaded. He popped up with his 1911 and fired 8 times killing all 6. He was also a Corporal at the time, but he was called Sergeant more than once, while clearly wearing Corporal insignia.
Apache

binaryhermit · 02-02-2019, 03:09 PM

I have to say, amateurish spelling and grammar errors and finding out that the author is a major jerk. Both happened to me regarding a certain well-known indie author recently.

Pulpmeister · 02-02-2019, 07:55 PM

Automatic revolver.

Could have been a Webley-Fosbury then, introduced 1901. The time period fits. I have heard the name Webley-Fosbury as a pistol before, but in the book it was un-named. Obviously the extra complication and weight wasn't worth the advantage offered by automatic cocking and revolving of the cylinder, because they never made the mainstream.

Author 1, me 0.

02-02-2019, 07:11 AM	#38
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,210 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	I ran across one recently where the murder victim, an orphan, was a boy who was an Hon. I kept thinking that the resolution of the story would have something to do with inheriting the title the honorific derived from, but no. Well into the book it was stated that he had no living relatives other than a maternal uncle. Not possible. And this was a Golden Age mystery where the author really, really must have known better. Last edited by issybird; 02-02-2019 at 07:13 AM.

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05-02-2018, 10:29 AM	#31
ZodWallop Gentleman and scholar Posts: 10,981 Karma: 108309641 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Space City, Texas Device: Clara HD; Nook ST w/Glowlight, (2015) Glowlight Plus, Paperwhite 3	How about writers that incorrectly quote aphorisms? I'd complain more about it, but the point is mute.

02-02-2019, 02:02 AM	#37
Pulpmeister Wizard Posts: 2,502 Karma: 28893796 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle	Putting together an elderly ebook for the Library recently, I came across reference to a mysterious handgun type, to wit, an "automatic revolver". An amazing number of writers of action/crime stories in the olden days (my youth) don't seem to know anything about guns. (At least I know what a Walther PPK is, and what PPK stands for. And what makes it different from a Walther PP.) Movie makers often don't know either. I recall years ago watching a US Civil War western where the guys were all toting Colt Peacemakers, which were introduced in 1873. And a world war 2 movie set in North Africa, in which the officer's staff car was a 1949 Ford. With whitewall tyres.

02-02-2019, 11:08 AM	#41
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,132 Karma: 89858112 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	Next time you watch Sergeant York (1941 Howard Hawk movie starring Gary Cooper) watch the scene he empties his rifle and does not have time to reload.He pulls out his pistol and kills the German Soldiers charging him. The pistol in Gary Coopers hand is a German Luger P-08. Alvin York carried a Colt M1911 during WWI. Also Gary Cooper is shooting a Springfield 1903 during battle. Alvin York was actually issued a US version of the British Lee Enfield rifle. Apache

02-02-2019, 01:25 PM	#43
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,132 Karma: 89858112 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	He did carry a 1911. He emptied his rifle and, if I remember correctly, 6 Germans charged him thinking they could overrun him before he reloaded. He popped up with his 1911 and fired 8 times killing all 6. He was also a Corporal at the time, but he was called Sergeant more than once, while clearly wearing Corporal insignia. Apache

02-02-2019, 03:09 PM	#44
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,696 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	I have to say, amateurish spelling and grammar errors and finding out that the author is a major jerk. Both happened to me regarding a certain well-known indie author recently.

02-02-2019, 07:55 PM	#45
Pulpmeister Wizard Posts: 2,502 Karma: 28893796 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle	Automatic revolver. Could have been a Webley-Fosbury then, introduced 1901. The time period fits. I have heard the name Webley-Fosbury as a pistol before, but in the book it was un-named. Obviously the extra complication and weight wasn't worth the advantage offered by automatic cocking and revolving of the cylinder, because they never made the mainstream. Author 1, me 0.

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