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   rec.arts.sf.composition      The writing and publishing of speculativ      144,800 messages   

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   Message 143,980 of 144,800   
   Michelle Bottorff to William Vetter   
   Re: Cantata in Coral and Ivory   
   12 Dec 14 17:26:19   
   
   From: mbottorff@lshelby.com   
      
   William Vetter  wrote:   
      
   > > I have at least one passage where I am deliberately trying to "blitz".   
   > > It's an example of the Tamul nomad's storytelling tradition, and you   
   > > only get two sentances before Prince Asond cuts in wanting to know if   
   > > the intended audience could possibly understand even one word in ten.   
   >   
   > That's different -- that's a trick, where you tell the reader he's not   
   > supposed to get it.   
      
   Thie phraseology you used here has been bothering me for a while.   
      
   I think its just that when I run into a passage where the author quite   
   obviously assumed that I wouldn't understand some vocabulary word, and I   
   actually do, I am very irked.   
      
      
   Asond clearly assumed that the story was too difficult for it's   
   audience, a little Tamul boy.  But Samanth doesn't agree.   Not because   
   everyone "ought" to understand these words, but because her people   
   treasure words, and collect them.   
      
   There's nothing in that that says to the reader "and clearly you won't   
   know these words either" I don't think, any more than there is something   
   that says "and if you don't know all these words, you're stupid."   
      
   At least, I hope not!   
      
   --   
   Michelle Bottorff -> Chelle B. -> Shelby   
   L. Shelby, Writer  http://www.lshelby.com/   
   Livejournal http://lavenderbard.livejournal.com/   
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