Feedback Wanted
A character using a tool badly is often more revealing than a neat bit of competence.
Wrong grip, clumsy lockpick, software used in the least sensible way possible. That can tell you more about habit, class, training, panic, or sheer stubbornness than a polished demonstration ever will. The danger is when the scene starts showing off instead of character.
I’m curious where other writers draw that line. At what point does “messy but human” become “the author just hasn’t done the research”?
Wrong grip, clumsy lockpick, software used in the least sensible way possible. That can tell you more about habit, class, training, panic, or sheer stubbornness than a polished demonstration ever will. The danger is when the scene starts showing off instead of character.
I’m curious where other writers draw that line. At what point does “messy but human” become “the author just hasn’t done the research”?
A lot depends on whether the tool use is legible. If I can tell the character is bad at this one thing for a reason, fine. If the scene reads like the writer has never held a screwdriver, it stops being character and starts becoming a little museum of guesswork.
I’m usually more forgiving of wrong technique than wrong consequences. If the botched lockpick still behaves like a lockpick, I’ll go with it. If it suddenly turns into a magic wand, that’s where my patience leaves the room.
I’m usually more forgiving of wrong technique than wrong consequences. If the botched lockpick still behaves like a lockpick, I’ll go with it. If it suddenly turns into a magic wand, that’s where my patience leaves the room.