This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out like Kate and Rebecca who inspired me to begin). The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.
This month’s insecurity – I put a lot of science in my stories because it is so gal-darn amazing. In my recent WIP, I have
- invisibility cloaks (based on metamaterials)
- DNA virus (that infects a computer)
- finding anything iron by their magnetic signature
It’s always based on fact, just extrapolated from there. I call it ‘Star Trek Science’ or ‘Scientific Fiction’, but others simply call it boring. Too complicated.
Yet I can’t seem to stop. Every plot line aims like a yellow brick road to a science complication. Sure I can steer it a different direction, but when I listen to my characters and/or follow the flow of the story, I end up adding amazing science that makes it all work–like Vulcan kal-tow.
What do I do? (Here’s a background piece I wrote 6 years ago–same story! Sigh)
More IWSG articles:
Am I good enough? Does it matter?–#IWSG
Fear of Saying Dumb Things Scares Me to Death
#IWSG–The World is Changing–Can I keep up
Will I Find Employment if I’m an Older Job Hunter?
Jacqui Murray is the author of dozens of books (on technology in education) as well as the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
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Great post!… there is a fine line between technical writing and boring writing… quite right… and yet, technicalities can create literary geniuses. Talent should be a must though (I guess!) … sending best wishes. Aquileana 😀
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Thanks, Aquileana. My mind doesn’t always work like others. I get lost in the weeds, which really isn’t good for a writer.
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Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented:
This was the first time I’ve visited Alex Cavanaugh’s blog. I am reblogging this for any of my writer friends who might be interested. Maybe this can help me get out of my writing slump. ~ Connie
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Thanks for the reblog!
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I like a good story and will slop through a great deal of words that I ordinarily wouldn’t attempt to read if the story is otherwise exciting and the characters are compelling. There are many well regarded books I dislike and won’t finish reading because the story became, IMHO, way too professorial. If I want a lecture, I’ll take a class.
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Are you thinking of Michener? Or Clancy? I have to be interested in the topic to get through. Though sometimes, the way they write it, they grab me.
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I, personally, think tech. information is fine as long as it’s written so I understand it and the explanations don’t take over chunks of the story itself. You example of Jurassic Park in your reply to mbarkersimpson shows how tech. stuff can be woven into a story and, therefore, is interesting. Red October, on the other hand, has a big chunk of tech. stuff at the first part of the story that almost made me put the book down
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That’s Tom Clancy for you–the man knows more than most submariners I fear. Or knew.
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I confess as the clock has ticked forward year by year, I don’t like to focus too hard when I’m reading. Some technical details are fine but mostly I live well with surface information rather than detailed. That might just be me. 🙂
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Sometimes all I can handle is surface detail. Maybe that’s why I’m having so much trouble finishing this gal darn book.
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But you’re not losing interest in it?
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When I reread–to edit–I get excited again. And then I remember how I’ve done this ten times. I need to launch it and move on. Sigh.
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I think you should write what’s in your heart, and even if what you’re writing is very technical, then so be it. It might be the case that you’re writing for a very targeted audience. Even if that audience is small, find the readers and let them know that you’re out there. Good luck!
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And that’s why we have self-pub–so that small audiences can be served. Thanks for your insights, Quanie.
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I love to learn things in the books I read. Lots of science and technology is great as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the plot or leave the reader feeling lost in jargon.
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Me too, though I’ve read a few sciency books I put down because there was too much I didn’t want to know. I have tried to analyze where they went over the edge. Difficult to do.
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I like to have a balance of information so if I read about an invisibility cloak, I absolutely want to learn how it came into existence! But at the same time, I don’t want the text book version; just a summary – something I can live with. I can sympathise – it is a fine line and I have nothing useful to offer in terms of how you judge it!
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The Jurassic Park approach–enough that you believe it without distracting from the plot. I seem to struggle to walk that balance.
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Perhaps it’s because you understand and enjoy science. Try explaining something (just as an exercise) that you know little about. As long as you understand the basic concept and can relay it, you will then have something which isn’t too technical and you can compare it. Just a suggestion.
But what do I know. In Hands of Evil I did so much research on close protection that I had a tendency to get far too technical. Also, one of the characters is an interpreter and because I know so much about the language and the job I crossed that line so far I bored my readers to sleep! Now there’s virtually nothing of the job left 🙂
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What a great point, Melissa. I do that, too–research a topic to boredom. I have anew section I have to add–I think I’ll try it without tons of research. See if it comes out believable. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Good point. One man’s meat, another’s poison. Clarity on who the reader is may also help guide the level of technical detail.
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True. And I constantly waver on the level of technical detail. I’m trying to serve all masters–can’t be done.
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