Author Insights: What annoys you the most in fiction?

L. J. Bonham: There are several things, from poor story arc to underdeveloped characters, but what sends me screaming into the night are technology gaffs.

AI: What would you say is the most common area that authors get wrong?

LJB: Weapons. Without a doubt people screw up most when it comes to weapons and military technology. Although airplanes and cars take a close second.

AI: What sorts of errors do you see most?

LJB: The list far exceeds the space available in this interview. Let me share a few recent problems I encountered. A bestselling author of Urban Horror, who is an accomplished shooter and should know better, misstated the number of cartridges that a particular handgun holds. It seems minor but later in the story that extra round in the gun became crucial to a scene. It tore me from my state of willing disbelief, and the author had to work hard to keep me in the story past that point.

A science fiction manuscript that I reviewed depicted a crossbow that could shoot bolts with enough force to imbed in solid granite. No. That can’t happen, sorry. If this was a fantasy work with magical world rules, then I suppose I could accept it but this book's world operated on standard physics. One thing that does amaze me is the number of very successful authors whose work is filled with technical errors. I can only conclude that their readership either doesn’t know enough, or just doesn’t care. However I care.

AI: Why do authors consistently do such things?

LJB: As a writer I know that some things just slip out onto the paper and don’t get checked. Writers are human. However, I think the biggest culprit is inexperience or unfamiliarity; they’re just not interested in the subject. Most authors I know have seldom, if ever, even picked up a weapon much less used one. That doesn’t mean you have to join the 101st Airborne Division to write about their gear and actions, but as Dirty Harry put it in “Magnum Force”, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” If I delve into an unfamiliar subject that is necessary to my story, I research the area as much as possible. I try to read some good fiction that is known to handle that subject well. I get as much reference material as I can, and I seek out people with direct experience. People who have been there, done that are a writer's most valuable resource.

AI: Are there any good reference guides out there?

LJB: Yes, many: the Jane's guides, Guns and Ammo Magazine, J.E. and W.H.B. Smith's "Small Arms of the World", and books by Jeff Cooper, to name a few. Also, I understand that Sky Warrior Books will publish a writer's guide on this subject soon which was written by a soldier and a police officer. Also, your humble author is working on a writer's guide to aviation.