McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Common knowledge in fantasy
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: DrygonDM on April 13, 2008, 10:38:07 PM ---I tend to agree that having random sayings and measurements is annoying.
Even in “Urban/Modern settings”, if the Writer is using Imperial instead of Standard – or God Help Me the Writer switches back and forth – it can throw me off.
--- End quote ---
There is an ongoing loony theory among readers of Rosemary Kirstein's Steerswoman books that she's saying things about ethnic orgins of different cultures in her future by who uses imperial and who metric, so there are specific clever things that that can be clues towards.
DrygonDM:
--- Quote from: neurovore on April 14, 2008, 01:00:46 AM ---There is an ongoing loony theory among readers of Rosemary Kirstein's Steerswoman books that she's saying things about ethnic orgins of different cultures in her future by who uses imperial and who metric, so there are specific clever things that that can be clues towards.
--- End quote ---
Then this would not bother me, since she is being consistant with the using of who is using what, and placing it in the writings.
Also, if each side knows about the other's measuments, there can be some fun RP between two Merchants talking to each other, and each trying to figure out how far the other is talking about, while they are trying to throw each other off!!
New books added to the To Be Read List. Cool.
Franzeska:
--- Quote from: DrygonDM on April 13, 2008, 10:38:07 PM ---As for measurements, so long as there is some consistency to what the Writer is doing, I'm ok.
I mean what exactly did “3 hours as the crow flies” mean?
What, did someone (a scientist) watch a crow flying from one place to the next and time it – and then get someone else (another scientist) to do the same with a crow in another area – and they both came up with the same amount of time?
- Or, did this mean that it would take that long to walk/ride there if you could go over the terrain like a bird?
--- End quote ---
"As the crow flies" means "in a straight line". That's it. It shows up more commonly with absolute expressions of distance like "three miles as the crow flies" (as opposed to three hours). That means that it's three miles from here if you go in a straight line, which naturally you can't. I'm fine with people using this one since it's just a normal idiom in English and not some made-up fantasy novel thing.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: DrygonDM on April 14, 2008, 01:51:05 AM ---Then this would not bother me, since she is being consistant with the using of who is using what, and placing it in the writings.
--- End quote ---
Yes, but my point, I think, is that sometimes what looks like random can just be subtle consistency.
--- Quote ---New books added to the To Be Read List. Cool.
--- End quote ---
They are excellent books on many levels, though taking some time to come out.
comprex:
--- Quote from: neurovore on April 14, 2008, 04:35:27 PM ---They are excellent books on many levels, though taking some time to come out.
--- End quote ---
(Note to self: Stop posting to underwear threads, or live with a chronically polluted brain.)
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