Getting technical details right?

[BrokenSpokes]

How far out of your way do you go writing a story to get little technical details right on subjects you are not an expert, or even somewhat informed about? Researching? Just writing what you think sounds right?

 

[MelissaBaby]

How far out of your way do you go writing a story to get little technical details right on subjects you are not an expert, or even somewhat informed about? Researching? Just writing what you think sounds right?

I figure that you have to be close enough to accuracy that even those who have a good familiarity with the subject matter are not taken out of the story by any mistakes. There are plenty of resources available, so that you shouldn't get anything major wrong. Of course, there is always the possibility that someone will nitpick minor mistakes, but they probably get more enjoyment from doing that then enjoying the story anyway, so I suppose it's all good.


There is always the option of having the POV character not be an expert in the subject, so that they are not expected to get every detail correct.

It was recently pointed out to me that I wrote about a boat's anchor chains chiming as it rocked with the waves, but that anchor chair don't chime, it's the riggings dinging against the mast. If the POV of the story was that of a sailor, I'd consider that a serious mistake, but as the narrator is not a sailor and is just on the shore listening to the sound, I don't think it's a concern.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Perhaps the place to start is by asking oneself how important the details are to the story. Imagine the protagonist going to his car in the morning. Is there some reason to give details on the size of the engine, what type of spark plugs he's using, type of transmission, tire brand, etc?

In most cases, the answer is clearly No. For some people (many? most? Me, certainly), that kind of detail is just distracting or boring. Yes, it obviously resonates with some people. My point however is that you need to tailor the depth of tech detail to the need for it when appealing for your intended audience.

Mike Hammer didn't call it his 'Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1'; he simply called it 'Betsy'.

When and if one decides that that type of detail is needed, then there is indeed a need for research. If it's important enough to include, it's important enough to get right. Getting it wrong will just irritate some readers. Back to the hero's car; let's say there's a need for that kind of detail. Let's say there's a chase scene. Just picking names out of a hat because they seem cool would lead to Steve McQueen having done his famous San Francisco Bullitt chase scene in a Dodge Dart or (other side of the pond) Robin Reliant.

It's here you can start dropping in details to make the story better. (Warning - I have not researched this. Just go with the flow, OK?) "I hammered the gas pedal to the floor, felt the Perelli Roadmaster tires dig into the pavement as the big 450 engine kicked in."

 

[Blind_Justice]

I mainly write Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so I have a bit of leeway in regards to factual accuracy. On the other hand, just because I can custom-build most of the world does not mean I can slack off in regards to easily checked-up things. For my current story, I have researched anything from medieval farming techniques to knife fighting basics to pathology. Sometimes you need to figure out a corpse's state after a few days in the rain. Most readers will probably not notice, but if anyone does, I want my bases covered. Most details are minute, but putting them in helps to ground the fantastic stuff and makes the world feel more real.

And people wonder why it takes me this long to puzzle together my chapters.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I mainly write Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so I have a bit of leeway in regards to factual accuracy. On the other hand, just because I can custom-build most of the world, I can slack off in regards to easily checked-up things. For my current story, I have researched anything from medieval farming techniques to knife fighting basics to pathology. Sometimes you need to figure out a corpse's state after a few days in the rain. Most readers will probably not notice, but if anyone does, I want my bases covered. Most details are minute, but putting them in helps to ground the fantastic stuff and makes the world feel more real.

And people wonder why it takes me this long to puzzle together my chapters.

Exactly. I recently had a character move to Pittsburgh. Now, I have never been to Pittsburgh, I chose it because a friend has moved there. It's not important that I know much of anything about Pittsburgh, but it was important that I knew how long it took to drive there.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I co-wrote a story with Blind_Justice... it had a chase scene that went from New York to San Francisco... we did fudge some of it that was on a train having them get off in Las Vegas when there is no train to Vegas but, other than that, the road and times and places were accurate... thank god for Google Maps.

We both thought that accuracy was best for something like this.

I also write Sci-Fi. My Warrior One series is accurate as far as how far star systems are from each other. I found several apps that will tell you that. Some were more accurate than others.

 

[Blind_Justice]

I co-wrote a story with Blind_Justice... it had a chase scene that went from New York to San Francisco... we did fudge some of it that was on a train having them get off in Las Vegas when there is no train to Vegas but, other than that, the road and times and places were accurate... thank god for Google Maps.

We both thought that accuracy was best for something like this.

I also write Sci-Fi. My Warrior One series is accurate as far as how far star systems are from each other. I found several apps that will tell you that. Some were more accurate than others.

I fondly remember the edit notes for "The Big Catch", Zeb. You're among the reasons for my increased attention to detail.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I think there is a lot more leeway with sci-fi, fantasy, non-human and so forth.

Take one of the greatest fantasy series ever, the Discworld by the late Terry Pratchett. It conforms to very few of what we consider rock-solid laws of physics. Instead, Pratchett merely postulated a world where magic, not science, was the dominating force and idle questions such as Where does all the water falling off the edge of the world come from? are waved off with a laconic, "Arrangements are made." It works and works beautifully because Pratchett ignored them from the start.

We know there are no such things as elves, dragons, orcs, barrow-wights, mages or hobbits, but Tolkien ignored that and led us through a world where there were.

We've pretty well agreed that faster-than-light is impossible, but warp speed is just used in casual conversation without any further details and, half a century later, Star Trek is still going strong.

Of course, the closer to reality you come, the more that technical details matter. Writing a about a relartionship between a NASA crew-member and her boyfriend back on the ground just wouldn't work in Lit's Romance category if it involved Klingons, warp speed or dragons.

 

[TxRad]

Writing about a relationship between a NASA crew-member and her boyfriend back on the ground just wouldn't work in Lit's Romance category if it involved Klingons, warp speed or dragons.

Only because it hasn't been written yet.

Technical details are for technicians. All others have a little leeway. Even more so if used for comic relief.

 

[Privates1stClass]

How far out of your way do you go writing a story to get little technical details right on subjects you are not an expert, or even somewhat informed about? Researching? Just writing what you think sounds right?

I've been lucky to find specifics about several locations I've used in my stories. As Zeb_Carter mentioned, Google Maps helps immeasurably. You want to describe a scene in Shanghai, Tokyo, London, Sydney, or Paris? Let your fingers to the walking and "Zot," you're there. And with the likes of Wikipedia and other web apps, you can gather information about climate, history, life style, and so on, for many places you've never been. Within an hour or so, you can become an expert on most big cities around the world and some of the smaller ones, too.

If it's the technical details of machinery, software, physics, or most any other ancient to modern technology, you can usually find it on the internet.

It's getting the plot right and interesting characters that's the hard part. I wrote a sci-fi story I titled, "The Orgasm Button," about how modern medicine could bring about phenomenal orgasms for women. The internet helped me track down much of the information I used in the story.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

How far out of your way do you go writing a story to get little technical details right on subjects you are not an expert, or even somewhat informed about? Researching? Just writing what you think sounds right?

I definitely do some research. My stories so far have taken place in what's basically this real world. Ive double checked some of my assumptions and rewritten things. In the story I'm working on currently, one of my characters is a Catholic priest, and I had the idea form him to officiate at the civil wedding of my other two characters. But I looked it up and that wouldn't be allowed. It easy enough to change, and I'm *sure* that if I'd left it the other way it would bother readers.

So, I guess my rule of thumb so far is: if it's important enough to include in the story, it's worth taking the time to get the basics correct, and if I'm not certain, I'm going to at least do a cursory search.

I agree that the minutiae might not be as important.

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

How far out of your way do you go writing a story to get little technical details right on subjects you are not an expert, or even somewhat informed about? Researching? Just writing what you think sounds right?

I write SF and alt history. So i tend to research a lot. Your mileage may vary. Story is the thing and unless you are David Weber, giant data dumps tend to turn off readers. For me at least the key is weaving in the facts to either allow for suspension of disbelief or if in a actual environment, have locals nod their head that the locale described was "right" That was one of the things that ruined Ironman 3 for me. The Tennessee scenes were so off they were laughable.

I have gotten some compliments about how I portray jailers and correctional officers in my Penal Slavery universe as professional and businesslike. That is because I know a bunch of them from working in the justice system. Always a few bad apples, but hardly the sadists and cruel people that are often portrayed in stories.

If you don't know what you write, then you need to do the necessary research

 

[Hypoxia]

When and if one decides that that type of detail is needed, then there is indeed a need for research. If it's important enough to include, it's important enough to get right. Getting it wrong will just irritate some readers.

That's the prime directive. As for WHY to include any arbitrary detail(s), we have a few motivations:

• It's crucial or at least contributory to the story.
• It helps paint the mental pictures you want.
• It makes for clever images or wordplay.
• We want to show off, for good or evil.

In Big Banana the young German narrator could have just hauled a small old view camera. Instead, he says, "I had brought with me Greatgrandpapa's old (1930) Kamerawerk G&T Patent-Etui 6x9cm folding camera with its Meyer Anastigmat Trioplan 105mm f/4.5 lens and a modern tripod. This was a fine tool for MAKING pictures, not TAKING pictures, as each shot required a careful setup and metering." All details are correct. I hope this displays his nerdiness without calling him out. Show, don't tell, hey?

 

[ElectricBlue]

For me, this is a classic case of, "write what you know" which solves a whole truckload of problems (or in England, a lorry load; in Australia, a semi load). For the rest of it, "make shit up" and "Google is your friend" are two reliable phrases to fall back on.

Also, if you write, "She wore boots, and tucked her legs up on the back seat of the car," find a woman with more experience in back seats than your own - my character now takes her boots off before tucking her legs up.

Ring ring, ring ring. "Hello, EB here."

"The expert advice was from a boot-wearing woman, not a back-seat majorette, you bastard." Her dulcet tones didn't really need a phone to be heard.

Funny, though - that's not what the bloke at the drive-in said.

Hey Simon, that reminds me. Have you killed me off in your Halloween story yet? You might have competition .

"It's okay," said Suzie. "He's probably not going to get that one finished, either."

 

[Bramblethorn]

How far out of your way do you go writing a story to get little technical details right on subjects you are not an expert, or even somewhat informed about? Researching? Just writing what you think sounds right?

Usually I make an effort to look it up, because I'm fussy and because readers will nitpick if I don't.

What trips me up occasionally is the things I think I know but don't.

 

[jaF0]

If your character stops at a soda shop in 1950s Ottumwa, Iowa for a grape Nehi, you probably don't need to worry about the name of the shop since most readers either won't know or care.

On the other hand, if your character got there in a converted DeLorean, you'd better know what the Flux Capacitor was for or you'll get skewered by readers.

Now, if you'd like to be a little more specific on your question, maybe we can go from there.

 

[Handley_Page]

How far out of your way do you go writing a story to get little technical details right on subjects you are not an expert, or even somewhat informed about? Researching? Just writing what you think sounds right?

To read some of the stories having a "sports" background, I think accurate detail is vital, particularly is the described sport is limited to the USA. I read one the other night where the detail of a baseball game was vital to the action of the hero/s. I don't play baseball and never have (unless you count "rounders" a game played in some schools, back in the day).
I wrote one where flying was important, and I had to do some fair research for accuracy. [ I hope I got it right ]

 

[ElectricBlue]

I wrote one where flying was important, and I had to do some fair research for accuracy. [ I hope I got it right ]

"I hope I got it right," Handley "Bomber" Page said, modestly .

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Usually I make an effort to look it up, because I'm fussy and because readers will nitpick if I don't.

What trips me up occasionally is the things I think I know but don't.

The toe-bone's connected to the foot-bone, the foot-bone's connected to the...

Just ask, sir. We're all here to help!

 

[BrokenSpokes]

The toe-bone's connected to the foot-bone, the foot-bone's connected to the...

Just ask, sir. We're all here to help!

I 100% for real have a “shoulder bone connected to the back bones” joke in my next chapter that’s posting tomorrow. Funny.

 

[BrokenSpokes]

To read some of the stories having a "sports" background, I think accurate detail is vital, particularly is the described sport is limited to the USA. I read one the other night where the detail of a baseball game was vital to the action of the hero/s. I don't play baseball and never have (unless you count "rounders" a game played in some schools, back in the day).
I wrote one where flying was important, and I had to do some fair research for accuracy. [ I hope I got it right ]

Yes, my current story is going to have a lot of aviation details in future chapters down the line.

 

[jaF0]

Yes, my current story is going to have a lot of aviation details in future chapters down the line.

One indisputable fact of aviation, all forms .....

What goes up, must come down.

 

[BrokenSpokes]

One indisputable fact of aviation, all forms .....

What goes up, must come down.

#Facts

 

[Rustyoznail]

#Facts

I like getting details right, but that’s just me.

It’s funny, my nude day story had a description about a mid-60’s Plymouth and one of the only comments it had was about how I got the details of the car correct.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I like getting details right, but that’s just me.

It’s funny, my nude day story had a description about a mid-60’s Plymouth and one of the only comments it had was about how I got the details of the car correct.

But just think of the vitriol had you got the shape of the cigarette lighter wrong!

I guess that's the key. If you get it right, it merely reinforces the story while everything flows around it. Get it wrong and it's like a wrong note at the symphony. One of thousands, but it's the one which will have people wincing.