My latest article in the June issue of Writing Magazine deals with the over-use of technical jargon and pseudo-science in books, also prevalent in certain films and tv series.
Quite simply, there comes a point where a prolonged spouting of information which the writer feels they must impart to the reader/viewer no matter what, becomes too much. This usually pops up in sci-fi-related films, or where technical hardware is involved. This leads to overloading us with non-moving info that, while probably of interest to some fans, leaves me (and, I suspect, others, stone cold).
Note my use of ‘non-moving’; if what’s written doesn’t move the story forward, it’s not doing its job. Some technical/science information is necessary, I grant you, but more than about five seconds of it can make the viewer-reader switch off and start skimming.
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The New Author Profile this month is on ROZ WATKINS, author of ‘The Devil’s Dice’ (HQ/Harper Collins).
Inspired by the sight of her dog carrying what appeared to be a human spine in its mouth, and wondering what it would be like to stumble on a dead body, is, as Roz says, ‘not normal’… but that’s where it all began.
Whatever it takes, is what I say.
When a dead lawyer is found in a cave with his initials carved in the wall, it poses a problem: because the carvings have been there for over a century. This sets DI Meg Walton off on a journey of discovery, not least because her own family has secrets that refuse to be buried.
For more information about Roz, see: https://www.rozwatkins.co.uk
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