Shown Their Work/Quotes

“You know, concussions are actually a serious, traumatic neurological-injury. It’s not like in the movies where you can just hit somebody in the head and have them pass out just for the sake of a plot device.”

—Scootaloo, Scootatrap

The geology and stones of Dwarf Fortress are based on real-world geology and mineralogy. To understand the terms used here, you may want to crack open a geology textbook (a high school one should suffice). If you don't happen to have one close by, the Wikipedia articles for geology, mineralogy, or the terms in question might help.

—The Dwarf Fortress Wiki

"Is there a gun in your story? Do you feel a need to mention the exact make and model of the gun? The gun may be too important to your story."

—Leonard Richardson

To get it right, you need to research and research and research. And then you need to hide all your research, otherwise something else happens. You get sentences like, "Milord, would you like me to light the sperm whale oil lantern or would you prefer the cheaper but smokier pig tallow candle?" You burst into laughter and -- puff! -- the illusion is gone. So you have to get it right, then you have to hide it.

—David Mitchell (the author of Cloud Atlas, not the comedian)

"...Uh, so this is how Hideo Kojima picks up women in bars, basically; he flexes his biology dick."

—Slowbeef

As you may recall, I had Luna introduce herself as "Mauno Luna" to Motoki in chapter 2. This was just me compressing "Mau no Luna" -- "Luna of the Mau" -- into something that looked like a proper name.
Well, in chapter 3, Luna asks Doug to get her identity papers like he obviously has. And I said to myself, "Say, is 'Mauno' a real surname anywhere?"
Answering that question has suddenly turned a "utility" scene -- "Hi, Luna, here's your ID." "Thanks." -- into something a lot more fun, as I get caught up in what has occasionally been the unexpectedly entertaining part of writing this story, the research.

—Bob Schroeck, discussing writing a scene in Drunkard's Walk

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