0

I am working on Cubiks World(I changed it from Rubiks because Rubiks is trademarked and I don't want to go to court just because I write a story about rubiks cubes)

I have gotten some critiques related to how I refer to my characters. Some people say that I shouldn't use numbers to refer to my characters. I don't do that all the time though, just for the main characters. And the numbers are related to their size which along with other factors affects the size of the offspring.

So how can I not use numbers and still let people know that each of my main characters is a different size?

2
  • 1
    Create a more unique world which has some other factor which individuals use to differentiate themselves. Oct 11, 2015 at 23:41
  • 1
    Authors write about characters of different size all the time without naming them with numbers. Seems like you've defined your story in a way that artificially creates problems that don't need to exist. It's your story. Change the rules. Oct 16, 2015 at 20:56

2 Answers 2

2

Explain to your readers the significance of the numbers. Are they all different? Why/why not? If the numbers are specifically there to differentiate size then instead of giving numbers as names give the characters names and categorize their size as numbers (i.e. Susan-4, Carl-8, Randal-4).

Whether you choose to go with names or with numbers, just litter the story with explanations and reasons why size is so important to the Cube people. (Note: litter meaning scatter bits throughout, without becoming grating or redundant, but a large chunk of explanation in one spot could be equally off putting to your reader.)

Hope this helps.

1

When we read about the reality of a constructed universe we very quickly adopt the concepts and ideas that that reality contains.

You don't need to explicitly spell out a size by numbers, and unless you are talking about some higher authority type of scenario then it would strike me as being unrealistic that equals would refer to each other by number.

If numbers are simply a label to identify different sizes, then a name for each would be much more natural, and feel less degrading to the reader.

It sounds like it would be similar to how we see and discuss race, and I would imagine that refering to different races by numbers would be confusing (my mind would constantly be saying 'now, was 5 Chinese or Cherokee' whereas a a name is more likely to stick.

make what you write easy for your reader to follow and understand, Whether you call them gigantor. asdfa, or bob the reader will quickly understand their place in your world if you explain it to them.

Finally though, I'd say write your story, if it makes sense in your head to use numbers, then go with that! Listen to critiques when you think its something that you actually want to change. Get it written, then figure out what to do with it from there. Ideas such as that can be good things to tackle in the first rewrite when you've found out whether it works or not.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.