Besides English, how many languages do
you speak? Likely more than you suspect.
One guest at our Super Bowl party works
as an electrical engineer. Because he is fluent in a technical
vocabulary he shares only with those who work in his field, I asked
if he could interpret the title of a job description I'd recently
stumbled on: a “mixed signal design verification engineer.”
As someone who works with words, I had
my own understanding of “mixed signals.” But to Dan, the title
made perfect sense. The meaning has nothing to do with conflicting
messages, but to input from both analog and digital sources.
If your novel ever includes someone who
works in electronics, I hope that character talks something like Dan.
Even if your readers don't catch half the jargon, it provides a sense
of authenticity. And that, every reader can understand.
I've never done any fly fishing, but I
sure know that Keith McCafferty, the author of the novels I'm
reading, has. His protagonist works
as a Montana fishing guide. Every page offers a richness of details
that ring true: about trout flies and fishing techniques, the
geography, plants, and wildlife, the people and their way of life.
While
I've never done more than just drive through Montana, after reading
The Royal Wulff Murders
I felt I'd spent considerable time there. A visit I enjoyed so much,
I booked a return trip – in the form of the sequel: The
Gray Ghost Murders.
After
reading those novels, I don't pretend to know what kind of trout fly
to use in different conditions. But I know there's an important
difference and that a good guide – or a good author – can inform
me.
Do
that well and you won't send your readers any mixed signals.
