Just looked at your poll vote. How then do you manage your world building so that a non-British reader understands elements that can be obscure? And how do you create a world that's definitive if you leave them all out?
Um, the same way JKR did it? (No, I am not claiming to be JKR or a genius.) But honestly, it's not that hard. You write from the point of view of your British character. What are the things that they are thinking about and interested in? Probably not the date their house was built or the fact that their tea came from Tescos. And if the things they are interested in and thinking about are specifically British, you make sure that the context is sufficiently clear for the reader to put together enough that they need to know. Sometimes it doesn't matter, for the sake of the story, if different readers are imagining things differently.
Here's an example from a story I wrote that I was thinking about earlier today. I had Molly Weasley taking a casserole round to Percy when he was going through a difficult time. In the UK a casserole is a stew. In the US it is a bake. Both are comfort foods. I didn't see any need to explain to my readers that she was taking Percy a stew. Those who know that the word means something different in the UK will know that, and those who don't will still understand the purpose of the visit and the significance of the food. For the purpose of the story, that was all that mattered.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-12-18 03:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-18 03:13 am (UTC)Here's an example from a story I wrote that I was thinking about earlier today. I had Molly Weasley taking a casserole round to Percy when he was going through a difficult time. In the UK a casserole is a stew. In the US it is a bake. Both are comfort foods. I didn't see any need to explain to my readers that she was taking Percy a stew. Those who know that the word means something different in the UK will know that, and those who don't will still understand the purpose of the visit and the significance of the food. For the purpose of the story, that was all that mattered.
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Date: 2008-12-18 03:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-18 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-18 03:24 am (UTC)The covered? Casseroles.
The thanks? You're a very interesting commenter!