Fiction

Fiction

Industry: Literature

Add a new term

Contributors in Fiction

Become a Contributors

Fiction

Packing peanuts

Literature; Fiction

Elements included in a storey to fill out spaces between big scenes or important events. All storeys need some packing peanuts; be wary of storeys which are ''nothing but'' packing peanuts.

Rubber science

Literature; Fiction

An explanation which, although probably false according to what we know of the universe, sounds technical and convincing. Rubber science is acceptable in all forms of sf except hard-core hard sf, ...

Retrofit

Literature; Fiction

An editing term. To rewrite a previous chapter or scene for the purpose of making a later scene work better, by setting up something that is needed later, introducing a premise, situation or ...

The counterpart of punishing the careless reader. Rewarding means, in this case, providing extra bonus details, small bits of readerly pleasure. Tuckerizing is a simple example; others are eyeball ...

Said-bookisms

Literature; Fiction

Large words that mean 'said,' designed to connote additional information not conveyed in dialogue or description. If used to excess, they result in overwriting: "I'm climaxing!" he ejaculated. See ...

Rhinoceros

Literature; Fiction

Abbreviated from "there's a rhinoceros in the room," this is an attribute (a storey element or of the author's writing) which is shriekingly obvious to everyone except the people closest to it. (In ...

Reader cheating

Literature; Fiction

Producing a result (a surprise, a deduction, an unexpected denouement) without having given the reader a fair opportunity to foresee the result. For instance, having a detective deduce the murderer ...