Xinsheng has mentioned more than once that it is difficult to succeed in robotic novels. Many writers have discussed why light novels are difficult to write robots well, and how to describe robots in words
A few days ago, the author of the fantasy robot novel “Knight & amp; Magic” Tian Jiuzuo also shared his methodology for writing robot novels on Twitter
Tianjiu said that not only is light novel, but the novel should delete the extra text, this is the foundation. However, if you let the robot appear in the work, the robot’s settings can easily be included in this “extra, should be deleted” content
If a robot appears in the novel, then the robot is more of a “character” than an “object”. The advantage of the novel is that it is good at describing the character’s psychology. So, what is the psychological description of robots treated as characters?
From the perspective of Tianjiuzuo, it is “the setting of the robot”
Because the novel should guide the next action of the body through the settings and characteristics of the robot, the purpose of the setting is connected to the heart of the character. In this way, if you decide that the robot setting is superfluous, then the robot (character) will naturally become thin
Having said that, just like the novels that are full of exhaustive psychological descriptions make people feel long-winded, robot novels can’t keep setting up. But since the robot is to be played, the author still wants to write out the settings, and he also thinks it should be written
So, what are the aspects of robot configuration?
First of all, many people will meticulously imagine the appearance of the robot, with horns and cannons. These are very good, but personally want to recommend everyone to think about the “sound and weight” of the robot
This robot will make such a sound when it moves
This robot is so heavy, so it will cause such a thing
As long as you think about these things, the difficulty of the interaction between the robot and the surroundings, especially with humans, will change significantly, and it will be easier to describe through the text, and the writing will be very effective
For example, “This voice is … it’s coming!”
As for the internal settings of the robot, just write it according to personal preference
Before talking with a teacher, I once said that when describing a robot, the handsome thing is “the appearance of transferring energy”. So he also suggested to conceive the robot’s power and related settings
Novels are written media, basically there is no such thing as a picture. But the most important thing for the robot is the visual image. Everyone wants to express the handsome image of the protagonist body in detail. So, how detailed should the robot’s appearance be?
Does not need to be explained in detail. It’s enough to write a color
The above
… but this is a bit deserted
My carefully designed body, it is natural for people to want to write it in detail; but no matter how you write it, it cannot be 100% communicated. So even if you want to write the appearance, just two or three obvious features are enough
It is better to say that the important thing is to come up with a “synonym” for this robot. The shorter the word, the easier it is to use in the article, and the easier it is to penetrate the reader. And easy to use as a pronoun is “color” and “parts and functions that can be used as features.” For example:
- “The white one”.
- “Red MS”.
- “Longhorn”.
- “In a skirt”.
With a small distinction like “Federal ~”, you can create an infinite number of variants
Regardless of whether it is described or not, it is best to determine the “function and location” of the appearance of the robot. For example, “There is a cannon on his head.” The robot’s battle scenes must play its functions from time to time, so first determine what part of the action you want to design at this time
Especially when describing enemy robots, they often write about what parts of the opponent have weapons and what they will do. Even if these functions are hidden internally, the narrator did not see them at first, but once used, they will also be constrained by location
If you just want to write a long story about appearance, you can leave it open and write. How to write and write is justice. However, it is important to note that the number of words in the novel = the time elapsed while reading
For example, in a tense battle, if you write the appearance of the robot in a row, it will interfere with the reader’s reading and will only have a counterproductive effect. At this time, it is necessary to write concisely. Write long texts when they can take up space, such as when the body is on standby
The robots in the light novels are basically huge humanoid weapons to a certain extent. Since it is a weapon, it is necessary to fight. In other words, fighting is what robots look for!
So, how should the battle of robots be written?
Answer: It’s not much different from human beings. Otherwise, why do you think it is “humanoid”?
This is serious. Basically, the combat description of “humanoid weapons” is not much different from that of humans, that is, the size and weight and material are different. In other words, as long as you write it as a human pair, just change the parameters a little. In addition, by taking care of the driver in the driver’s seat from time to time, it can be written. It’s simple!
If you want to write more technical content, you can always keep in mind the “size” “weight” “sound” “hardness” of the robot. Because they are big, a little movement will have a great impact; if it is heavy enough, even the ground will be shaken; when the damage is taken into consideration, the hardness and material can be written with ease
The next step is “inner”. Although it is a machine, every time the robot makes an action, there must be something moving. Add this description to the text, and pay attention to the size, not too annoying, you can improve the mecha degree of the work. But to be honest, this part is optional
But what if it’s not a humanoid robot? Tianjiuzuo replied that basically, the higher the degree of the robot’s profile, the pen force required for description will increase exponentially, so it must be proposed what the profile of this profiled robot is based on. In addition to human figures and animals, datums can also be geometric shapes (pentagrams, etc.), machinery (cars, airplanes …), anything. On this basis, the Chinese pen is used to describe its alien parts
Tianjiu Scoop believes that for aliens, it is best to think clearly what is the most important thing to cut (omit)
If you want to write a robot in a novel, you will surely conceive the settings: full length, whole weight, armor material, power, number of armed bombs, development … You can go on unlimited delusions, and you can n’t stop
So, how many settings should be conceived when robots appear in the novel?
Tianjiu scoop answer: casually
Seriously, if you just think about it, just think about it. But you have thought about so many settings, whether or not to write it in the work, there is room for scrutiny
Tianjiuzi believes that the essential settings in robot novels are “size” and “settings related to the tricks used in the work”. The size will be related to the robot’s presence and description, not to mention the tricks
What is written next will not hinder, is “settings related to the movement of the robot”. For example, if there is “installed steam engine” in the settings, it is necessary to write actions such as the robot spraying steam and having to replenish water. Or perhaps it should be said that settings that can be related to other descriptions are more likely to play a role in the work
Well, at this point, everyone should understand: In other words, settings that are not related to direct description are basically not written!
But! Having said that, everyone still can’t stop delusion, right? If you think about it, you still have to write it, right? Tianjiu Scoop also wants to find out how to set up the kitchen
The simplest solution is to make all the settings written have a connection with the plot in the work. What are you afraid of, as long as you can make good use of it, no matter how much you write, it will be a foreshadowing!
But to be honest, it’s too difficult to make all the settings useful. If this can be done, then no effort is required
One step back is to pay attention to the set density in the article. The setting data that the reader can read is limited. Can only continue to spend tears of pain, such as “do not pile up all at once, but squeeze out little by little” “hidden in the dialogue between the characters” and so on
Next, is to prepare a person who is specifically used to talk about settings. If it is a robot, if there is a person responsible for the preparation or development, then it can be easily set by the NPC
The theme of Tianjiuzuo’s own novel “Knight & amp; Magic” is robotic development, which is a violent method used to open up to write settings
One more point, there is a time point, it is easier to set up, that is, “before and after the robot shows its skills”. In other words, if you switch to a human role, you can insert the psychological descriptions such as thinking and determination. Tianjiuzuo said “setting is the psychological description of robots”, so the technical knowledge describing humans can also be applied to robots, and it seems that there is not much wrong
(https://twitter.com/i/events/1214139234124124163)