It's easy enough to mention types of technology, but should the source be mentioned, even if it's not a crucial part of the plot? (It's not in my situation)
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Mentioning technology source?
- Thread starter Morwen Edhelwen
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It's a balance between making sure the reader understands the world vs. infodumping, isn't it?
If it can come up naturally as a character interacts with it or talks about it, then that's a place to get in a few more details, or perhaps you can write your character's use of it so that the implications are self-explanatory. Something that has a local origin will likely be viewed differently by society than something that needs to come from across the galaxy.
If it isn't important to the plot, then it most likely can be implied rather than stated outright, but it depends on the style of story.
I don't worry about this balance so much in my first draft. I wait to see where my beta readers need more explanation or where I put in too much. I tend towards too much in my first draft because I'm still exploring the world and writing it out helps me figure out the implications.
--GreenSquares
If it can come up naturally as a character interacts with it or talks about it, then that's a place to get in a few more details, or perhaps you can write your character's use of it so that the implications are self-explanatory. Something that has a local origin will likely be viewed differently by society than something that needs to come from across the galaxy.
If it isn't important to the plot, then it most likely can be implied rather than stated outright, but it depends on the style of story.
I don't worry about this balance so much in my first draft. I wait to see where my beta readers need more explanation or where I put in too much. I tend towards too much in my first draft because I'm still exploring the world and writing it out helps me figure out the implications.
--GreenSquares
RichardGarfinkle
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The biggest question here is can you make use of the source in your story? If you can then find a way to talk about the source that fits the use.
Example from my own work (egotistical, but it'll at least show the author's ideas). In one of my books (Wayland's Principia) I have a black hole powered spaceship. I have a character on that ship who sees aliens as monsters. The monster thinking he uses also applies to the black hole, so I use similar metaphors and descriptions for his views of aliens as I do in describing the way the ship works. In this way the info-dump becomes part of a described world view which is subtext for a lot of the book.
Example from my own work (egotistical, but it'll at least show the author's ideas). In one of my books (Wayland's Principia) I have a black hole powered spaceship. I have a character on that ship who sees aliens as monsters. The monster thinking he uses also applies to the black hole, so I use similar metaphors and descriptions for his views of aliens as I do in describing the way the ship works. In this way the info-dump becomes part of a described world view which is subtext for a lot of the book.
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Is the technology a microwave?
I mean that metaphorically. Think of the microwave on the counter or wherever it's installed. When you tap in the cooking time, choose the kind of food, do you take the time to think about the technology that goes into making that frozen/unprepared food and into the heated/prepared food you pull out a bit later?
I was a "nuke" onboard US Navy submarines. I worked in the engineering spaces, had to know the reactor technology fairly deeply. But did the nuclear reaction itself enter into my day-to-day functions and thoughts? Frankly, no. My training taught me to be aware of it, yes. But sitting back there, did we have discussions about how heating the water changed alpha-T? No. Sometimes, but not as a routine.
It's bound to come up if the character does it for a living. If not... then maybe not.
See what I mean?
I mean that metaphorically. Think of the microwave on the counter or wherever it's installed. When you tap in the cooking time, choose the kind of food, do you take the time to think about the technology that goes into making that frozen/unprepared food and into the heated/prepared food you pull out a bit later?
I was a "nuke" onboard US Navy submarines. I worked in the engineering spaces, had to know the reactor technology fairly deeply. But did the nuclear reaction itself enter into my day-to-day functions and thoughts? Frankly, no. My training taught me to be aware of it, yes. But sitting back there, did we have discussions about how heating the water changed alpha-T? No. Sometimes, but not as a routine.
It's bound to come up if the character does it for a living. If not... then maybe not.
See what I mean?
I completely agree. I was at a writing conference a few months ago and an agent I was speaking with made it very clear that how the technology works should be kept in the background. You don't stop to think about how your cell phone works every time you use it, so neither should your character think about how their star drive (or whatever) works. It just does.
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