On measurement: It would be nice to have some sort of conversion table in the back, like 3 spans (or whatever measurement available) = 2 feet/miles/meters/etc. As long as the author can establish measurement in a way that is consistent and understandable, it's okay by me.
On cursing: made up cursing can just sound silly if there's too much. If done well, it can add a nice bit of variety to the language
on time: It's the same as measurement, as long as the author can establish time in a consistent, understandable way, it's okay.
On cursing: made up cursing can just sound silly if there's too much.jaydestarlightDecember 17 2009, 23:15:37 UTC
Every Christian genre writer's list I'm on blows up on this question every year or two: "How can I write a character cussing?" It usually goes round and round and back and forth for weeks before petering out.
Some say "don't", some try to make up their own, some try to suggest it without quoting anything. The last takes a LOT of writing skill to suggest heavy cussing without actually showing it or looking like you're hiding it. (This is especially problematic in the Conventional Christian sub-genre, as a LOT of Officially Christian publishers have extremely tight censorship restrictions to the point of ridiculousness -- in one famous case, one Christian publisher had a knock-down-drag-out about whether to allow the "B-word": Breasts. They didn't.)
My take on it is don't pull your punches halfway. Either cuss or don't, but don't go halfway with such substitutions as "Dadgum!" or "Godfrey Daniels!" In On Writing, Steven King says an author has an unwritten contract to "tell the truth" to his reader, meaning that when the story
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Re: On cursing: made up cursing can just sound silly if there's too much.keviasDecember 18 2009, 02:42:15 UTC
I know this is a comic book trope, but I kind of liked when they used weird symbols to replace swearing. When a character spits out some @&#@%, you know that he's got something to say. It also has the benefit of not depending on the author's own skill at cussery.
What is your stance on replacing words in fantasy that takes place in other lands/worlds?
My stance is that this adds to the fantasy flavor, but can easily be taken too far. The problem is that any coined or invented words MUST be understandable to a reader coming in cold; you don't want to have him/her/it have to flip to a glossary in the middle of the story.
For measurements, I would avoid Metric in a fantasy milieu for the same reason I'd use it in an SF future. Too "modern" and "technical" for fantasy, which should have somewhat of a homespun, archaic feel. (The Metric System was invented during the French Revolution in an attempt to sweep away all previous systems of measurement; it is all that lasted of La Revolution's Decimal Mania
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I still use pounds and ounces for cooking (as well as stones and pounds for personal weight), and pints for milk, or like saying, I'd like a pint of water, rather than a litre or something. I am far more likely to understand how much is in pounds etc, kilograms just baffle me.
I guess since I am writing a story where all of the characters are actually speaking English, I have sort of dodged that bullet. The downside is that I am writing a story set in an alternate 18th century, so I have to do some research to make sure it sounds authentic...
I'd keep the metaphors to a minimum and never invent words unless I absolutely had to. I believe the narrative voice should be kept as clean, clear and simple as possible. "As big as a winter rutabaga" comes to mind
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Comments 30
On cursing: made up cursing can just sound silly if there's too much. If done well, it can add a nice bit of variety to the language
on time: It's the same as measurement, as long as the author can establish time in a consistent, understandable way, it's okay.
(I hope this makes sense...)
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Some say "don't", some try to make up their own, some try to suggest it without quoting anything. The last takes a LOT of writing skill to suggest heavy cussing without actually showing it or looking like you're hiding it. (This is especially problematic in the Conventional Christian sub-genre, as a LOT of Officially Christian publishers have extremely tight censorship restrictions to the point of ridiculousness -- in one famous case, one Christian publisher had a knock-down-drag-out about whether to allow the "B-word": Breasts. They didn't.)
My take on it is don't pull your punches halfway. Either cuss or don't, but don't go halfway with such substitutions as "Dadgum!" or "Godfrey Daniels!" In On Writing, Steven King says an author has an unwritten contract to "tell the truth" to his reader, meaning that when the story ( ... )
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My stance is that this adds to the fantasy flavor, but can easily be taken too far. The problem is that any coined or invented words MUST be understandable to a reader coming in cold; you don't want to have him/her/it have to flip to a glossary in the middle of the story.
For measurements, I would avoid Metric in a fantasy milieu for the same reason I'd use it in an SF future. Too "modern" and "technical" for fantasy, which should have somewhat of a homespun, archaic feel. (The Metric System was invented during the French Revolution in an attempt to sweep away all previous systems of measurement; it is all that lasted of La Revolution's Decimal Mania ( ... )
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