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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 23, 2015 14:17:43 GMT -5
You're right about "corn," BTW. Also, it was a countable noun, then, so people spoke of "corns" (= "grains of grain"). It sounds weird, now.
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 23, 2015 14:35:21 GMT -5
the exact way a Roman legionnaire worn his gladiuswhatevermajigger,. The official way to wear it was like this:  |
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Post by Daniel on Jul 23, 2015 15:06:29 GMT -5
You'd be surprised. Historical fiction fans also tend to be history buffs. They know their shit and they will shit on your head in reviews if you get something wrong. I have seen it happen. ETA: This fact alone would make me leery of stepping into the historical fiction genre. Even writing about the ancient world, which I know well enough, would make me nervous. But stuff like what lou was talking about (did people bother interacting with their horses when horses = car engines?) ... surely if she can't find the answer to that, most readers won't know either. That seems like a different kind of knowledge, with more leeway, than the exact way a Roman legionnaire worn his gladiuswhatevermajigger, which I'm sure people out there do indeed know, so you have to also. I think it depends upon the topic. From what I've read, horses were treated abominably, particularly in the cities, when they were the primary form of transportation. However, I'm sure horse fans existed who treated their horses well and loved them. If your character was a particular historical figure, you'd really need to know how that specific person felt about his/her domestic animals. In general, I tended to avoid talking about a subject if I couldn't find very good information on it, but that rarely happened. The Internet is an astounding resource, and I still can hardly believe how much information I was able to find in answer to some very specific questions. Want to know about the history of the hard hat? No problem. When pneumatic drills were introduced in hard-rock mining? No problem. How much coal/water did a steam engine use? The answer's out there. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 23, 2015 15:23:57 GMT -5
But stuff like what lou was talking about (did people bother interacting with their horses when horses = car engines?) ... surely if she can't find the answer to that, most readers won't know either. That seems like a different kind of knowledge, with more leeway, than the exact way a Roman legionnaire worn his gladiuswhatevermajigger, which I'm sure people out there do indeed know, so you have to also. I think it depends upon the topic. From what I've read, horses were treated abominably, particularly in the cities, when they were the primary form of transportation. However, I'm sure horse fans existed who treated their horses well and loved them. If your character was a particular historical figure, you'd really need to know how that specific person felt about his/her domestic animals. In general, I tended to avoid talking about a subject if I couldn't find very good information on it, but that rarely happened. The Internet is an astounding resource, and I still can hardly believe how much information I was able to find in answer to some very specific questions. Want to know about the history of the hard hat? No problem. When pneumatic drills were introduced in hard-rock mining? No problem. How much coal/water did a steam engine use? The answer's out there. Agreed! When I wanted to know the length of the ice people's glacier, I just went to Google Maps and measured it. Amazing. There's pretty much no way I could've found that info before the internet. It's a nameless glacier in a very remote place. But it took all of two minutes, with the internet. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 23, 2015 15:25:02 GMT -5
the exact way a Roman legionnaire worn his gladiuswhatevermajigger,. The official way to wear it was like this: No, no ... that's the glutiuswhatevermajigger, not the gladiuswhatevermajigger. |
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 23, 2015 15:32:42 GMT -5
The official way to wear it was like this: No, no ... that's the glutiuswhatevermajigger, not the gladiuswhatevermajigger. Funny, I was wondering if you'd pick that up. Great minds, right? |
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 23, 2015 20:08:23 GMT -5
No, no ... that's the glutiuswhatevermajigger, not the gladiuswhatevermajigger. Funny, I was wondering if you'd pick that up. Great minds, right? Ass and ye shall receive.  |
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