Timeline for How to present details about the setting in a fantasy world without telling?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
4 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 2017 at 15:14 | vote | accept | Chaotic | ||
| Jan 19, 2017 at 9:12 | comment | added | user5645 | This only works if the reader understands the reasons for the unusual. He might deduce that the people only carry anvils and jump higher because they are stronger. If there is more than one plausible explanation for an occurence, then there is no way around 'telling', if you want to avoid confusion. Explaining the world to the reader, instead of narrating from the point of view of an inhabitant of the future, is not a bad storytelling strategy, and many SF novels simply explain some things in a straighforward way: "Gravity on Second Earth was only two thirds that of Earth, and ...". | |
| Jan 18, 2017 at 18:30 | comment | added | Alexander | If strength loss is the case (like in Burroughs' "Barsoom" series, but no John Carter character to set the perspective right), showing low gravity becomes a little tougher. If people of this world still have normal toughness, then feats like jumping from second story window and landing safely would be trivial for everybody. If toughness is also lost, it's possible to take advantage of slow falling - like dropping a glass and catching it in mid-air. | |
| Jan 18, 2017 at 16:51 | history | answered | Monica Cellio | CC BY-SA 3.0 |