How important is technical accuracy to the writer of fiction?

Question by afreshpath_admin: How important is technical accuracy to the writer of fiction?

I read a lot of fiction. I find that most well read authors are very good at telling a story but some don't always have a technical review.

A couple of recent items just got my curiosity up about things. In one story a villian was using a ".357mm" pistol and in another an US Navy Ensign was commanding a cruiser. Both are completely out in left field but the story was still a good one.

So, just how important would these errors really be to the author?
One of the authors was Clive Cussler. A very well respected author! He was the one who used an Ensign to command a cruiser.




Best answer:

Answer by curmudgeon
Lazy authors with lazy editors. But it happens a lot. I've seen TV dramas where the names of streets are pronounced wrong, and stuff like that.

What do you think? Answer below!