The Cultural Convention: Part Two – Smile and Wave, Boys, Smile and Wave…
In last month’s blog, I discussed the dilemma of the fantasy writer in creating a different world – how different exactly does one make it? I concentrated specifically on matters of time but that is far from the only consideration when one is crafting a whole new world out one’s imagination. For beyond the temporal, as indicated by the original title of this blog (can you tell it got a bit away from me in the writing? Typical! I’ve split my novels and now my blogs!), there is also the cultural. All fantasy realms have their own cultures, sometimes based on the historical or geographical cultures of our world, sometimes a thing in and of themselves. That is a fantasy world standard – indeed a necessity – and isn’t what I am referring to. I’m talking about the imbedded social things that most people wouldn’t even think about. From my cultural perspective, a nod is yes, a shake of the head is no. Thumbs up is positive, thumbs down is negative. Waving is a greeting or a farewell. Eating ...