I Read...

a lot.  Sometimes the picking is not so good.  I've just finished a book. I shall not name it.  It was an enjoyable read until I came to one spot.  "They singed the chicken in preparation for plucking."

I have pucked many a chicken and I have never singed one BEFORE I plucked.  What did they do?  Set the chicken on fire?? When "dressing" a chicken first pull the big feathers out and then light a paper bag or newspaper and singe or burn the pen feathers off.

It took me at least twenty pages to get past this.  I guess that is why you should research what you write if you're not writing what you know.

This book was pretty good. Set in Southern Georgia and spanned a few generations.  They no longer had slaves but they had paid servants. 

This was my second aggravation.  One of the servants said, "I get ta t'at trekkly."  About three chapters later, she said trekkly again.  Okay, the use of this word implied "dreckly" should have been used as in "I will get that done directly (right away)".  Not to mention that after being a house servant for years you might learn to speak correctly.

Now, I understand my hubby's frustration when a six-shooter on a western fires nine times. 

Sadly, I will remember the mistakes far longer than I will remember the story.

Moral of this long windy story:  Write what you know!