A character in a short story I'm working on has two remaining fingers. That's how it's phrased - he examins his two remaining fingers. A thumb and the pointer finger. Is it okay to call them remaining fingers when one is a thumb? Or will readers get technical and think well one's a thumb and a thumb isn't a finger.
Finger and thumb. I would say like in the pincher movement of a crab, still pretty handy for picking up things though. Otherwise it might confuse the reader.
Well, the trouble is one of the fingers doesn't last long anyway - here's the opening sentence- John examined his butchered hand, the left, wondering which of his remaining fingers to cut off now; The thumb or pointer finger? He tried to imagine each gone leaving behind a patchy scar above a knobby knuckle. It sounds gruesome but it's actually a semi-humorous sci-fi story.
cog beat me to it!... that's what i'd suggest, too... or simply leave that part out, as it's clear enough without labeling the parts: that best of all writer's axioms, 'less is more' applies here... also note the corrected punctuation and no capital letter for 'the'...
What if instead of "John examined his butchered hand, the left, wondering which of his remaining fingers to cut off now; The thumb or pointer finger?" you wrote John examined his butchered left hand, wondering which to cut off next: the thumb or the pointer finger?
Thanks guys - you've given me the same advice I've dished out and forgotten myself - cut to the point!
