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Writing: Details Matter
14 years ago
Every writer has some pet bit of advice to give when asked.
Mine is “do your homework”. If you’re writing a story set on the Moon, for instance, don’t write about days being twenty-four hours long, when the lunar sunrise-to-sunrise period is about four weeks. Anyone who’s interested in reading a story set on the Moon is likely to know that! Research is important, and the instant and widespread availability of the Web makes it easier than it ever has been before.
Don’t stop at the first page of search-engine results. Try different key words. Visit your local public library. Visit your local university library. Cross-check with multiple sources. Check the background of a source, if possible—in some cases, all the most prominent sources refer to each other, perpetuating the same misinformation, and it’s hard to cross-check.
Having read a good deal recently of fan fiction based on Friendship Is Magic, I’ve seen the whole gamut of ability. Recently, though, I’ve found my tolerance for it has declined, as my knowledge of background information about the show, its setting, and its characters has increased. (In truth there also seems to be a decline in the types of stories that interest me.)
There are a couple of tropes and ideas in particular that push my buttons, because they are so easily avoidable—with a little research.
Ponies don’t have fur. Like cattle, deer, and certain other related animals, ponies and horses have hides of hair rather than pelts of fur. Furred skin grows at least two different kinds of hairs. Awn hairs are short and frizzy, and are thickly distributed, to insulate an animal against cold. Guard hairs are longer, straighter, and sturdier, to protect the awn hairs from damage. Hide, on the other hand, sacrifices awn hairs in favor of sweat glands, which help cool down an animal after exercise—which usually means running away from predators. The ponies in the show sometimes are shown to sweat, and occasionally mention it in dialog, which means they probably have hides.
Equestria doesn’t have electricity. Lauren Faust herself mentioned that, albeit in a rather obscure comment on her Deviantart account—though it was publicized on some fan sites. As a rule of thumb, that pretty much limits pony technology to the 1880s and earlier. The show’s anachronisms are efforts to accommodate younger members of the audience who don't have the background knowledge to appreciate historical accuracy, or simply are due to writers running roughshod over the world-building to accommodate plot points.
If a fan story does include electricity, electrical devices, or especially electronics, it really should be an over-the-top comedy or aimed at a very young audience, like the show itself. If you as a fan writer want to write dramatic stories for adults, well . . .
Do your homework.
Mine is “do your homework”. If you’re writing a story set on the Moon, for instance, don’t write about days being twenty-four hours long, when the lunar sunrise-to-sunrise period is about four weeks. Anyone who’s interested in reading a story set on the Moon is likely to know that! Research is important, and the instant and widespread availability of the Web makes it easier than it ever has been before.
Don’t stop at the first page of search-engine results. Try different key words. Visit your local public library. Visit your local university library. Cross-check with multiple sources. Check the background of a source, if possible—in some cases, all the most prominent sources refer to each other, perpetuating the same misinformation, and it’s hard to cross-check.
Having read a good deal recently of fan fiction based on Friendship Is Magic, I’ve seen the whole gamut of ability. Recently, though, I’ve found my tolerance for it has declined, as my knowledge of background information about the show, its setting, and its characters has increased. (In truth there also seems to be a decline in the types of stories that interest me.)
There are a couple of tropes and ideas in particular that push my buttons, because they are so easily avoidable—with a little research.
Ponies don’t have fur. Like cattle, deer, and certain other related animals, ponies and horses have hides of hair rather than pelts of fur. Furred skin grows at least two different kinds of hairs. Awn hairs are short and frizzy, and are thickly distributed, to insulate an animal against cold. Guard hairs are longer, straighter, and sturdier, to protect the awn hairs from damage. Hide, on the other hand, sacrifices awn hairs in favor of sweat glands, which help cool down an animal after exercise—which usually means running away from predators. The ponies in the show sometimes are shown to sweat, and occasionally mention it in dialog, which means they probably have hides.
Equestria doesn’t have electricity. Lauren Faust herself mentioned that, albeit in a rather obscure comment on her Deviantart account—though it was publicized on some fan sites. As a rule of thumb, that pretty much limits pony technology to the 1880s and earlier. The show’s anachronisms are efforts to accommodate younger members of the audience who don't have the background knowledge to appreciate historical accuracy, or simply are due to writers running roughshod over the world-building to accommodate plot points.
If a fan story does include electricity, electrical devices, or especially electronics, it really should be an over-the-top comedy or aimed at a very young audience, like the show itself. If you as a fan writer want to write dramatic stories for adults, well . . .
Do your homework.
- I mention this only because I've just finished a novel set in 1869...