Adventures in editing. 

I have another opportunity to share a blunder in my writing. I have mentioned before about how meticulous I am about research, yet I’ve made an error in something so simple I never considered looking into it.

In the recent reposting of my installment of Here Lies a Soldier: The Letters and the Locket, I describe my characater Meredith making a cup of tea. I am a tea drinker, have a pot, a strainer and a collection of loose tea, therefore I had Meredith make the tea the way I would … in the United States. *buzzer sound* 

One of my dear friends, who is English, pointed out to me that in England, everyone uses an electric kettle not a stove top kettle. Additionally, it would be far more realistic for Meredith to use a tea bag for a quick ‘cuppa’ not the loose tea that I described.

This might not seem like a big deal, it’s a little detail not even important to the plot. So why make a fuss? Because it is one of those tiny brush strokes on the larger canvas that can add to or detract from the larger picture. I will be returning to that section and editing accordingly. 

This is the kind of thing that makes blogging and its community of writers so absolutely priceless –getting feedback like that. I for one, am eternally grateful!