A good editor is hard to find

[rapmarks]

I was watching a rerun of CSI Miami. A man was killed in a hit and run and they were able to trace the car from an impression the front license plate made on his briefcase. The trouble is, florida cars don't have front license plates, only back plates. They kept showing the abandoned Floria car with a front plate, but other cars did not have front plates.

This brought to mind the Stuart Woods novel I just finished. In it Stone Barrington does a favor for a friend whose brother was beaten,robbed of his identification, car keys, etc. , and left with amnesia. Stone gives him a set of his clothes and drives him to the address that was identified through his fingerprints. When they reach the house, the man reaches in his pockets and pulls out the key to the house. The only problem is, he is wearing Stone Barrington's clothes and lost all his own belongings.
Or am I just being picky?

 

[rickandcindy23]

Editing is truly a problem in television shows lately, and especially everything the old WB, now CW network does. I have been watching the CW with a discerning eye of late, just to see the errors. It's not unusual to see an actor with a broken left leg in one scene, then see the cast on the right leg a few minutes later.

 

[laura1957]

I was watching a rerun of CSI Miami. A man was killed in a hit and run and they were able to trace the car from an impression the front license plate made on his briefcase. The trouble is, florida cars don't have front license plates, only back plates. They kept showing the abandoned Floria car with a front plate, but other cars did not have front plates.

This brought to mind the Stuart Woods novel I just finished. In it Stone Barrington does a favor for a friend whose brother was beaten,robbed of his identification, car keys, etc. , and left with amnesia. Stone gives him a set of his clothes and drives him to the address that was identified through his fingerprints. When they reach the house, the man reaches in his pockets and pulls out the key to the house. The only problem is, he is wearing Stone Barrington's clothes and lost all his own belongings.
Or am I just being picky?

No, you are not just being picky. I have had a really hard time enjoying a few books that had very obvious "mistakes". It is hard to enjoy watching or reading when I keep looking for more.

One big one comes to mind - Kramer vs Kramer, 2 main characters going on their first joint vacation decide on Fire Island - because neither one had ever been really "done" Fire Island, and the sharing of a home there, the whole party scene...

Problem was - that was how these two MET the first time in the book - at a party on Fire Island when they were both had shares in separate houses. It was just so hard for me to continue that book without looking for something else stupid!! How could something that major get by the author AND the editor?

 

[Jaybee]

I agree with Laura. I've noticed a couple of glaring errors in Nora Roberts books. One, in particular, was so incredibly ignorant, it bothered me a lot. I can't remember the name. It was one of a series about a family, some of whom had a boatyard. They built sailboats, yet when one of them takes his lady out for a sunset sail, he eventually realizes he'd better head back before the sails "start reefing themselves".

Having had the unpleasant experience of helping to reef a few mains in my life, reading that was almost laughable.
Research, research, research!

 

[falmouth3]

My husband hates it when I watch movies and pick out the flaws.

I also find errors in books. I remember one in the "Bicentennial" series from the '70's. One character claims to only vaguely remember another character. The only problem with that is the first character was born on the night that the other character died. Oops.

 

[laura1957]

I agree with Laura. I've noticed a couple of glaring errors in Nora Roberts books. One, in particular, was so incredibly ignorant, it bothered me a lot. I can't remember the name. It was one of a series about a family, some of whom had a boatyard. They built sailboats, yet when one of them takes his lady out for a sunset sail, he eventually realizes he'd better head back before the sails "start reefing themselves".

Having had the unpleasant experience of helping to reef a few mains in my life, reading that was almost laughable.
Research, research, research!

As a huge Nora Roberts fan - I didnt catch that one, but I know nothing about sailboats (luckily I guess) That was probably the Quinn family in the Chesapeake Bay series - one of my favorite of her families.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Elevator Anachronisms.

A WW2 espionage series I enjoy has folks going up & down in self-service elevators.

Back then, weren't all the hotel & skyscraper elevators driven by real people -- you know, Elevator Operators ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[wackymother]

A WW2 espionage series I enjoy has folks going up & down in self-service elevators.

Back then, weren't all the hotel & skyscraper elevators driven by real people -- you know, Elevator Operators ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

I think so, but it wasn't rocket science. I mean, James Bond can fly a helicopter, he can probably run a freight elevator.

What books are those, Alan? Just curious.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Floor, Please ?

What books are those, Alan? Just curious.

The preposterous I can accept -- willing suspension of disbelief, etc.

Little details added for realism, however, interrupt my willing suspension if they're anachronistic.

The automatic elevator anachronisms are in some of the W.E.B. Griffin WW2 espionage books co-authored by Mr. Griffin's son, William E. Butterworth IV.

I assume junior is responsible for the automatic elevator scenes, rather than the old man. But I'm surprised the old man or 1 of the editors didn't catch it.

That must mean that these days even the editors are youngsters who've never ridden in an elevator piloted by a uniformed operator.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[falmouth3]

The preposterous I can accept -- willing suspension of disbelief, etc.


I completely accepted ET, but I didn't like the flying bicycles.

 

[wackymother]

I've done some elevator research. Push-button elevators were apparently not uncommon during WWII. This is from a history of Otis Elevators. It's pretty interesting, if you want to find out more.

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Otis-Elevator-Company-Inc-Company-History.html

It's a bit hazy about when operators really began to disappear, but it seems entirely possible that you might have been able to get into an elevator in 1945 that did not have an operator.

Even before World War II push-button elevators were common in apartment houses, private residences, and small office buildings for many years. In 1948 Otis introduced the improved Autotronic system for commercial installations....

Mind you, I remember being in department stores in the 1960s that still had an elevator operator, but I think that was more of an "elegant" touch than a necessity. Even today there are fancy apartment buildings in NYC where an operator pushes the button for you!

 

[Jaybee]

Laura, Thank you...you are right, it was the Chesapeake Bay series. I love her books, (as well as the JD Robb books), and I'm always a little sad when a series ends. I get so caught up in the characters. But when I'm so absorbed, and see a glaring error, it jars me back to reality, and it's a bit upsetting...However, I'm happy to report that I was able to recover, with no scars. LOL!

As a huge Nora Roberts fan - I didnt catch that one, but I know nothing about sailboats (luckily I guess) That was probably the Quinn family in the Chesapeake Bay series - one of my favorite of her families.