Cross-contamination

Some writers, more likely the new writers than the experienced, avoid books when they are actively writing. They are afraid that something will rub off.

I didn't have that fear. I wonder, though. Writing in narrative voice can be difficult at times. First Person is practically defined by having a distinctive voice. It is Penny's verbal ticks and manners that hit me worst out of all the travails of writing in First Person. Seconded by her habit of covering up what she really feels.

And I don't have a story bible for it. I've always sort of thought that was a thing you did when you created a distinctive character voice. This one does not use contractions. This one is enamored of sesquipedalian verbiage.

Penny, though, I just write the stuff. I go into her head and I jot down what comes out. And two times out of three, what she chose to say didn't work for the story or the audience or was just too weird and I have to go back and delete it.

It is all instinct. I've nothing written down. So, yeah, I got suspicious when I archive-binged the first season of Wednesday and noticed that Penny seemed to be getting more snarky than usual.

Alexis Carew clinched it for me. Penny keeps wanting to say things like "I would admire it were it done promptly" and I have to stop her. Instanter.

I've got her getting a blood draw at the FOMC at Holloman AFB, part of the 49th Medical Group. "Perseverance Prevails," their motto, and I'm having to hold Penny back from muttering something about how many sea anemone are enemies of her. Oddly enough, I tried my local medical supply guy on it and he pronounced it no problem.

No, I didn't ask him about my medical questions. He doesn't do that. He'll sell you a wheelchair. He doesn't do medicine.

I was able to pull up enough data to figure out what kinds of tests these guys could be running on Penny to ward off what she calls her potential to turn into her own nightlight. She means glowing in the dark. And so far nobody has admired her clever turn of phrase (she keeps hoping). It also works out very well for my purposes, because half of it can be done by any lab, and the other half gets mailed off to the CDC regardless of who does it.

I do wish I has some internal photographs or video of the place. But more than that, what kind of procedures they might have, how they might act. Ah, well. I've pretty much given up on strict accuracy. If someone reads the book on the flightline and sends in an angry review -- it will be one more review than I ever expect to get. For this book or for the last, either.

Also, Reacher did it for me at last on accuracy. Dan Brown was bad enough. Lee Child makes fewer mistakes, but a big part of the books is how Reacher is always thinking and doing the math and working out just how far the bad guy drove or why the cafe has to be part of a money-laundering operation.

And its wrong. Weirdly wrong. I mean...there are a hell of a lot of guns in these books and I swear that at least one of the pistols was loaded with shells. There might have even been a clip...