Technical terms

[Enigma]

How accurate should one be in the narrative using technical terms? For example: oil paintings are stored and shipped in what are termed "art-cases" but the world calls them "crates."

I used it like this the first time it came up in the narrative: "... over a thousand art-cases (wood crates) are...."

[Joe Calabrese]

I try to write (language, tech terms, style, etc...) for the middle.

i.e.. middle class, middle school, middle America.

Try to make sure what ever you write is clear and evokes the right image to the most people. My middle rule seems to work best for that.

As for tech terms and using the example you provided.

Crate gives a clear image of wood nailed together to form a sturdy structure, probably a box with a lid nailed down in which one or more paintings can be stacked in.

Art case could be made of anything and could be any size or shape, but I think it is as a brief case or portfolio style.

So I would use crate because it gives a clearer image to more people and fits expectations. We all have seen those films with crates in a warehouse or an art gallery getting that shipment with crates.

I would also keep it simple. If one word can describe an object vs. a sentence, I opt for the one word.

Now we all want to keep things acurate either to pay respect to the device or to show we did the research, but it is far more important to make sure the reder doesn't need to pull out a dictionary.

In medical scripts, a doctor always pulls out a blood pressure cuff vs. a sphygmomanometer.

As for art-cases (wood crates), I almost never put things in parens like that. It has the potential of taking the reader out of the story. I always look for another solution first. Maybe "crate-like art cases." No need to say wood, since the word crate brings wood to mind anyway.

That's my two cents.

[Enigma]

Now we all want to keep things acurate either to pay respect to the device or to show we did the research, but it is far more important to make sure the reder doesn't need to pull out a dictionary.

In medical scripts, a doctor always pulls out a blood pressure cuff vs. a sphygmomanometer.

Tell me about it! The love interest in this is an epidemiologist, which is surely a first. I met a couple of 'em while researching this story. Nice, well meaning people, and very helpful, but they don't speak English, or Spanish.

Which makes me wonder; does this guy make love to Nora, or does he give her a physical? http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/icons/icon11.gif