worst factual error you've ever written?

[KeithD]

Well, now, this is an intriguing peek a little deeper into your personality. I'm interested in the relationship between religious experience and S&M. But I've never brought it up here because my sense is that religion is so out of style that there just wouldn't be any people who knew what I was talking about. Do you?

In college I headed a state youth religious organization, which put me on the national board of that organization and thus into the center of an anti-Vietnam war movement as well as a women's rights movement. This gave me early-on experience in activities I delved deeper in later in life. My national religion organization duties put me into the formal job of editing their national magazine, from which I was fired for letting the women's movement take over the magazine for one edition. That gave early publishing training to me, though. I also headed up several state and a few national conferences, mostly on international relations topics, which, in addition to my drama training, led to me producing and directing plays most of my life. It also steered my main career to international relations. The intel angle came because it was the family business and I was recruited.

One thing tends to lead to another.

I only dropped formal religion about five years ago. The evangelicals did me in.

I don't think any of this has much to do with S&M, though.

 

[lovecraft68]

Well, now, this is an intriguing peek a little deeper into your personality. I'm interested in the relationship between religious experience and S&M. But I've never brought it up here because my sense is that religion is so out of style that there just wouldn't be any people who knew what I was talking about. Do you?

Old school-I mean way back-Catholicism reeks of S&M, mostly the M. Its not hard to research and see the connection. I mean...self flagellation?

 

[CalebZhass]

Duh.. Facts.. For what I write, I need no facts. That's a fact. oh, wait, wut?

 

[TheRedChamber]

There's a joke that's probably as old as dirty minds: "My girlfriend doesn't have her virginity anymore. That's alright though: she kept the box."

The less savory version of that joke is 'Why is a woman like KFC?' - 'After you've nibbled on the breasts and thighs, all your left with is a greesy box to put your bone in' Sorry, apologies to anyone who wanted to write sensual erotica this afternoon, I know I probably just ruined that for you.

Time in the Kumquatverse is a bit ropey, but that doesn't explain how characters drink a certain rum and have played a certain console game, about 5 years before each existed. I knew about the latter but didn't want to change it; only realised the former recently.

Ok, as a video game nerd I have to ask which one? (and then fight off the urge to tell you which non-anachronistic equivalent you should have gone with)

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

I'm not sure it it's "worst" but this probably at least my funniest:

I used "A leopard never changes its spots" in a story. Some time later, I'd forgotten that and used it again, only this time, typing too fast and not thinking straight, I went with "A tiger never changes its spots." I got some humorous flack for that in the comments section.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Ok, as a video game nerd I have to ask which one? (and then fight off the urge to tell you which non-anachronistic equivalent you should have gone with)

The Lego Movie game. Sadly didn't yet exist in Feb 2010 when the story had to be set for plot reasons. The offending text:

"... I used to like the racing games and the silly stuff, Sonic, Super Mario, and that."
"Want to come up and play? I've got the new Lego Movie game - it's plenty silly. Or racers."
"They made a game? So, what - you're a Lego guy running round picking up Lego stuff...?"
He nods. "Yeah! And all the coins you get are Lego studs - the little round flat pieces? It's really cute."
"Eh, why not? ..."

I couldn't figure out a game that would have the obvious recognition, but I imagine there must have been some form of Mario recently out?

 

[AG31]

In college I headed a state youth religious organization, which put me on the national board of that organization and thus into the center of an anti-Vietnam war movement as well as a women's rights movement. This gave me early-on experience in activities I delved deeper in later in life. My national religion organization duties put me into the formal job of editing their national magazine, from which I was fired for letting the women's movement take over the magazine for one edition. That gave early publishing training to me, though. I also headed up several state and a few national conferences, mostly on international relations topics, which, in addition to my drama training, led to me producing and directing plays most of my life. It also steered my main career to international relations. The intel angle came because it was the family business and I was recruited.

One thing tends to lead to another.

I only dropped formal religion about five years ago. The evangelicals did me in.

I don't think any of this has much to do with S&M, though.

You exhaust me!

I'm sorry you let the evangelicals hi-jacke what sounds like an admirable journey.

 

[AG31]

The less savory version

Is this a Freudian slip?

 

[Rob_Royale]

I referred to Cocoa Beach, Florida as being on the west coast of the state.

 

[Zootonius]

My first story included events at a swinger's party at a nice home. I got numerous comments about not knowing about the subject. I guess they thought I was writing a documentary.

 

[darkride]

*nervous laugh*

I'm sure I... err... have never...

I was worried writing my latest chapter, with the description of 2 bodies coming together, and the movements of the woman, atop the man, and the direction that appendages were moving, and positions of certain anatomy, and... I think it worked... I think it was logical and believable and not impossible...

Must have been too darn long since I performed the act myself.

 

[lc69hunter]

Wrote a story based in the late 70's, early 80's. and had the MC pull out his cell phone

 

[RetroFan]

I use lots of different references to deliberately date my stories with past settings to these eras. One I have often used is menstruation especially in stories with female narrators and main characters, and may include attitudes to periods and the type of feminine hygiene products used. For example, I have written stories set in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and the girls have worn sanitary belts and associated pads to manage their periods.

In general, I am very careful not to make anachronisms in my work - for example setting a story in New York in the year 1961 where characters see the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and listen to the Beatles on the car radio on the way back - but one time with periods in a story set in the late 1980s I stuffed up. In the story mention was made of using winged period pads, when in fact sanitary napkins with wrap-around wings didn't come onto the market until the mid-1990s. Nobody picked up this error, but regardless it was an anachronism on my part.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

In my first story, I had the FMC arriving at Los Angeles Air Force Base in May 1985 but it only became a base in September 1987.

In my defense, I remembered it as a base because I left in 1989 when it was a base and forgot it was only a station when I arrived.

 

[darkride]

Wrote a story based in the late 70's, early 80's. and had the MC pull out his cell phone

I did it the other way! I wrote a story in 2007, which had a great (IMO!) character introduction, very physical and humorous. My lecturer read it and says - That wouldn't happen; he would have just used his cell to call the person instead of going all the way to their house, just to tell them that 1 thing. And I immediately knew he was right.

It's stupid things like that, that you can easily miss as a writer because you get blinded by your own story.

 

[TheRedChamber]

The Lego Movie game. Sadly didn't yet exist in Feb 2010 when the story had to be set for plot reasons. The offending text:

"... I used to like the racing games and the silly stuff, Sonic, Super Mario, and that."
"Want to come up and play? I've got the new Lego Movie game - it's plenty silly. Or racers."
"They made a game? So, what - you're a Lego guy running round picking up Lego stuff...?"
He nods. "Yeah! And all the coins you get are Lego studs - the little round flat pieces? It's really cute."
"Eh, why not? ..."

I couldn't figure out a game that would have the obvious recognition, but I imagine there must have been some form of Mario recently out?

Oh, Kumquat, you had a choice of Lego Star Wars (Prequels and Original), Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Batman!

And yes, 2010 would have gotten you Super Mario Galaxy 2, still the greatest ever 3D Mario game, although not till May

(Whether it gets you into ladies' panties even in a Literotica story is debatable - they would have had fun though)

 

[NotWise]

There are probably worse, but the one that galls me is a translation error rather than a factual error. In "Watch Me!" a character told the MC that his sister was "tonto," which I thought translated from Spanish as "crazy." It does, in a way, but it means a silly or flippant sort of crazy, and I intended it to mean that she was insane.

 

[Devinter]

I named February 12th as Valentine's Day. In a Valentine's Day competition story. But I learned a valuable lesson from this mistake; always fact-check things even when your brain insist you 'already know the answer'.

I got Halloween and Walpurgisnacht mixed up. Disastrous for my Goth cred.

Not that strange, considering they are two sides of the same coin in so many ways. I highly encourage more nations to embrace the traditions of Walpurgisnacht / Beltane, because one witchy holiday celebration per year simply isn't enough!

 

[Bramblethorn]

Oh, Kumquat, you had a choice of Lego Star Wars (Prequels and Original), Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Batman!

Not to mention *shudder* Lego Island and Rock Raiders, if we go back a decade further.

Not that strange, considering they are two sides of the same coin in so many ways. I highly encourage more nations to embrace the traditions of Walpurgisnacht / Beltane, because one witchy holiday celebration per year simply isn't enough!

I never know whether I ought to be reversing the dates of those seasonal celebrations here in the Southern Hemisphere. But that story was set in generic Europe, so I can't claim that as an excuse.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Oh, Kumquat, you had a choice of Lego Star Wars (Prequels and Original), Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Batman!

Those came out before the Lego Movie and its game??? I'm familiar with them all, they're downstairs...

And yes, 2010 would have gotten you Super Mario Galaxy 2, still the greatest ever 3D Mario game, although not till May.

Ah, well, couldn't have that, then.

(Whether it gets you into ladies' panties even in a Literotica story is debatable - they would have had fun though)

The two people speaking are both male...

The night before, the game-owner responded to an ad the other guy's friend posted: 'Single guy desperate to suck cock - quitting smoking means he needs something long and smooth in his mouth. Excellent blow job if you can get here ASAP. SE1 3TU.' He lived in the same apartment building, so is very kindly helping our protagonist be distracted from smoking the next morning, too.

They do end up playing a fair few games, partly to annoy game-owners' flatmate's nightmare girlfriend:

She's doing my head in.
She thinks I'm fucking Scottish.
She has no idea of the existence of Northern Ireland.
And you know what? I'm too busy steering my wee Lego guy round his wee Lego landscape to bother trying to enlighten her. Smashing Lego walls and making bricks fly everywhere is more fun than you could possibly imagine.

We'll have to assume they're playing Lego Star Wars, instead.

 

[YDB95]

In a story set on the day President Kennedy was assassinated, I had several mentions of what time of day it was and how long JFK had left to live (it's a time travel story, so our protagonist from the present day knew what was coming). On one of those mentions, I got the time zones backwards and got the time wrong. You'd probably have to be a pretty big history buff to catch it, but I catch it every time I re-read it.

 

[oneagainst]

I got a Tuesday confused for a Thursday somewhere in all of Wonderland. It stings, but I'm past it now. Good luck finding it

 

[TheRedChamber]

Those came out before the Lego Movie and its game??? I'm familiar with them all, they're downstairs...

Yep, the Lego Star Wars game was the first in the series about a decade before, just as it was the first real licensed property (I think )

The two people speaking are both male...

In which case I'm writing you up an official ticket for the 'Women writing Men' thread. Guys don't talk about games like that, not even gaymers.

 

[MelissaBaby]

In a story set on the day President Kennedy was assassinated, I had several mentions of what time of day it was and how long JFK had left to live (it's a time travel story, so our protagonist from the present day knew what was coming). On one of those mentions, I got the time zones backwards and got the time wrong. You'd probably have to be a pretty big history buff to catch it, but I catch it every time I re-read it.

In the U2 song, Pride (In the Name of Love) they sing about the assassination of Martin Luther King:

Early morning, April four
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky.
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride.

Rev. King was killed in the evening, as he left his room to go to supper.

 

[AG31]

There are probably worse, but the one that galls me is a translation error rather than a factual error. In "Watch Me!" a character told the MC that his sister was "tonto," which I thought translated from Spanish as "crazy." It does, in a way, but it means a silly or flippant sort of crazy, and I intended it to mean that she was insane.

Were the writers of the Lone Ranger stories being more racist than we thought?????