![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Feb. 14th, 2005
(no subject)
Feb. 14th, 2005 01:15 pmDiscussion Topic:
Language in Fantasy and SF
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
crisi_83 was talking to me about her writing, since she and uncreativity are taking thier first steps towards being published novelists. Anyway, she was at a campfire scene and she wanted to know whether or not to call the thing the protagonist was cooking a rabbit. See, the story is set on another world, and the residents weren't natives -- there was no reason to think the wildlife would be similar. However, the creature she had in mind was basically rabbit/pika/cavy-like -- about that size and herbivorous and good-tasting, maybe without the rabbit-ears. And it wasn't that important to the story -- sometimes throwaway details add to the feel, but if you can't explain what a upil is when the heroes all know and it isn't urgently important that the reader know what exactly the difference is, it really is a waste of jarring paragraph space.
"Dates are rendered in the standard language of the Christian epoch, out of respect for everyone's sanity" -- Acknowledgements, The Engines of God, Jack McDevitt
Language in Fantasy and SF
crisi_83 was talking to me about her writing, since she and uncreativity are taking thier first steps towards being published novelists. Anyway, she was at a campfire scene and she wanted to know whether or not to call the thing the protagonist was cooking a rabbit. See, the story is set on another world, and the residents weren't natives -- there was no reason to think the wildlife would be similar. However, the creature she had in mind was basically rabbit/pika/cavy-like -- about that size and herbivorous and good-tasting, maybe without the rabbit-ears. And it wasn't that important to the story -- sometimes throwaway details add to the feel, but if you can't explain what a upil is when the heroes all know and it isn't urgently important that the reader know what exactly the difference is, it really is a waste of jarring paragraph space. "Dates are rendered in the standard language of the Christian epoch, out of respect for everyone's sanity" -- Acknowledgements, The Engines of God, Jack McDevitt
Valentines Day
Feb. 14th, 2005 06:45 pmRight now, it seems like every frinend of mine has either a 'Happy Valentines Day! Yay! ^_^' post or a rant on how they hate Valentines Day because it puts too much emphasis on being a couple. It's kinda irritating. I guess because I'm single and apathetic towards the whole relationship thing (If I'm in a romantic relationship, yay! If not, well, I have a nice set of platonic and familial ones that I adore). it seems like most of my friends either are seeking a relationship, in a relationship (is it wrong that I am morbidly glad I don't have to skim a fiance-related post by mirisaerato because of her difficulty of getting on the net?) or are happy to be out of one -- very few seem to be in the meh place. That and I see Valentine's Day as an expression of all kinds of love -- it's a family tradition for Mom to buy us kids candy and a small gift, and I always used to do the hand-out-Valentines thing with my friends. And an excuse to eat lots of candy, but that's usually how I view most holidays. Yay for chocolate!
mirisaerato because of her difficulty of getting on the net?) or are happy to be out of one -- very few seem to be in the meh place. That and I see Valentine's Day as an expression of all kinds of love -- it's a family tradition for Mom to buy us kids candy and a small gift, and I always used to do the hand-out-Valentines thing with my friends. And an excuse to eat lots of candy, but that's usually how I view most holidays. Yay for chocolate!