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Dear Author
(wow, it's been a while since I wrote one of these!)
Dear Author:
I know that you're British. I know that you're trying to set a scene very quickly. I know that America is surprising in how much territory our regional accents cover.
But just for the record, not everyone from New York sounds like they come from Brooklyn. And for that matter, Guys and Dolls is not an accurate record of Brooklynese.
Also - and again, I get it that you're British and this may be something that you either don't think about or don't want to think about, BUT! 1976 was kind of an important year in America. Especially July. Something about an anniversary of something, now what was it, it involved guys in red coats and a Declaration and some fighting, and yes we've made up and all, but you may have heard the odd mention of the event in your history classes?
SERIOUSLY. We as a nation didn't look up on July 4, 1976 and go "wow, it's the Bicentennial!" and then forget about it 24 hours later. Yes, it was particularly intense in early July, but it was kind of a year-long thing, especially for any state that counts as one of the original 13 colonies.
So, no, setting a story in New York on July 16, 1976 and not mentioning a certain little detail even in passing kind of stands out, no matter what the story is really about.
It especially stands out to old coots who *remember* 1976. Not all of your audience is knee high, I'm just sayin'.
Dear Author:
I know that you're British. I know that you're trying to set a scene very quickly. I know that America is surprising in how much territory our regional accents cover.
But just for the record, not everyone from New York sounds like they come from Brooklyn. And for that matter, Guys and Dolls is not an accurate record of Brooklynese.
Also - and again, I get it that you're British and this may be something that you either don't think about or don't want to think about, BUT! 1976 was kind of an important year in America. Especially July. Something about an anniversary of something, now what was it, it involved guys in red coats and a Declaration and some fighting, and yes we've made up and all, but you may have heard the odd mention of the event in your history classes?
SERIOUSLY. We as a nation didn't look up on July 4, 1976 and go "wow, it's the Bicentennial!" and then forget about it 24 hours later. Yes, it was particularly intense in early July, but it was kind of a year-long thing, especially for any state that counts as one of the original 13 colonies.
So, no, setting a story in New York on July 16, 1976 and not mentioning a certain little detail even in passing kind of stands out, no matter what the story is really about.
It especially stands out to old coots who *remember* 1976. Not all of your audience is knee high, I'm just sayin'.
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Edited because I managed to get both user-names wrong. Reversed letters and a missing underline. *sigh*
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The Doomsday Book made me sigh and roll my eyes a fair bit, but I kind of liked the central premise. But my patience ran out with her after that.
Now if only Willis would bother do some research and also be edited -- I threw Passage against a wall because I got so sick of the interminable running gags. She needs editing with a pick-axe!
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Link? Now I'm all curious.
I'm losing track of what I've said to who in this thread, but the thing that keeps throwing me out of Willis books is the extreme emphasis on trying to contact someone in a world with advanced technology but no cell phones (or replacement technology.)
no subject
http://drplokta.livejournal.com/121426.html
and here
http://drplokta.livejournal.com/121650.html