Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 14:36:39 +1200 From: "Craig Harding" <crh@outpost.co.nz> To: Licia <licia@o-o.org> Cc: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Is it ok to use the FreeBSD name in a cyberpunkish fiction Message-ID: <19990513023700.CADCC14CFB@hub.freebsd.org> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.05.9905122111260.29273-100000@o-o.org> References: <3.0.6.32.19990512202146.00958db0@mail.bfm.org>
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Licia wrote:
> On Wed, 12 May 1999, G. Adam Stanislav wrote:
> > At 18:42 12-05-1999 -0500, Licia wrote:
> >
> > >(smiles) I've got to get around to writing that glossary :) c&e
> > >is slang the characters use to mean 'compress and encrypt', I'll
> > >try to start a glossary when I get episode 2 online, and update
> > >it with each new episode :)
> >
> > I have a better suggestion: Incorporate it in the story. When a
> > slang term is used for the first time, find some excuse to explain
> > to the reader what it means but not in an obvious way.
>
> (smile) I thought of that, and I've done it before, but in this case
> it would become far too artificial, because there will be a lot of
> terminology that various readers might not know, and not just
> fictional terms. I've had a few readers so far, who haven't known
> what words like feeb (feeble minded person), twitch (a person who
> tends to make you uncomfortable, hurt your brain, make you twitch),
> and even a couple who needed me to explain "message archives" to
> them.
If your story is reasonably well-written (and I'm not implying that
it isn't, I haven't looked), then the pluggandisp of any of the
nonsklarkish English flutzpahs you've used should generally be able
to be glorked from context.
-- C.
(with apologies to Mr Hofstadter)
PS personally, I find the most convincing and immersive SF will
simply just go hell for leather in use of jargon and let the reader
catch up as they can; but then maybe that's just because I have a
high glark skill quotient or something.
--
Craig Harding Head of Postproduction, Outpost Digital Media Ltd
"I don't know about God, I just think we're handmade" - Polly
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