Quick Fire Questions (A Place to Ask and Answer)

[chrispenycate]

Originally Posted by mosaix

Question: Are black and white considered as colours?

I know that they are considered as such by 'the man in the street'. But what is the scientific definition?

Scientifically, no. Black is the absence of all light, and white is a mixture of all colours of light, which is why it can be split by a prism, or a rainstorm into its particular wavelengths.

But who cares about scientific definitions? visually, there are as many whites as there are blacks, and (as mentioned in the sky colour thread) the eye compensates massively for minor changes. So we get subjective colour, as well as properly measured, and recorded colour (photographic or video) which is not quite the same as either, and emotions tied to particular colours, which distort our perceptions of them, and rainbows seen by a dog with its black and white sensitivity, and the world perceived by a friend of mine who has red/green colour blindness…

Who's to say which is reality?

[Gumboot]

Originally Posted by mosaix

Question: Are black and white considered as colours?

I know that they are considered as such by 'the man in the street'. But what is the scientific definition?

It really depends on context. I would argue that they are colours under the subtractive colour model (absorbed light), but not under the additive colour model (direct light).

[David Evil Overlord]

Didn't they also have a different definition in heraldry (he says, knowing this may be of interest to historical and/or fantasy writers)?

[luci2also]

Originally Posted by David Evil Overlord

I have a character who slipped over while running around the edge of a swimming pool.* His right arm landed on the paving stones, and the beer bottle he was carrying landed in between.

It is now one year later. He has a serious scar, but I also want him to have some more-or-less permanent damage. So, would/should he have severed tendons, nerve damage, or something else I haven't thought of?

I'm after a result that makes this right-hander's right hand a bit slower and clumsier than his left. Just enough that he'll never pass the physical for the police force, or to be an astronaut, or a professional footballer.

*Not the brightest thing to do, but he was only sixteen at the time. Hands up all of us who did stupid things when we were sixteen. That's a whole lot of hands!

I know of someone who injured an arm and for the longest time did not understand why he could not write or draw as clearly as he should.
When the doctors discovered the bone spur and removed it he was much better at both tasks and that was somewhere towards 20 years after the accident.

[David Evil Overlord]

Thanks, luci2also.

[hopewrites]

Originally Posted by David Evil Overlord

Didn't they also have a different definition in heraldry (he says, knowing this may be of interest to historical and/or fantasy writers)?

yes but white in Heraldry isnt white so much as the absences of color alteration. sable and argent I think, black and white respectively.

[TheDustyZebra]

Originally Posted by Arthur_Connelly

Is there any sort of special format needed when you have something along these lines happening?

"You went to the store and didn't get me anything," Bertrand said.
"I didn't forget you, dear friend." Mortimer said.
Mortimer handed his friend a bottle.
"Orgeat syrup?" Bertrand asked. "Why, this is my favorite. Now I can make Mai Tais. I do love a good Mai Tai in the evening. And the morning, come to think of it. Now all I need is a lime."
"Thank you, Mortimer," Mortimer said. "You are truly kind to me."

The last line is what I'm talking about. One character is sort of teasing the other and saying what he wants the other character to say. Do I need to throw some other sort of punctuation or dialogue tag - mocked, joked, teased - in there or is it all right the way it is? Thanks.

I would probably write that last line as

"'Thank you, Mortimer,'" said Mortimer, "'you are truly kind to me.'"

or possibly

"Thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer, "you are truly kind to me."

Either the double set of quotes or the italics would emphasize that he is quoting what Bertrand should have said. And I would split the Mortimers up with the "said", for a better flow.

[luci2also]

Originally Posted by TheDustyZebra

I would probably write that last line as

"'Thank you, Mortimer,'" said Mortimer, "'you are truly kind to me.'"

or possibly

"Thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer, "you are truly kind to me."

Either the double set of quotes or the italics would emphasize that he is quoting what Bertrand should have said. And I would split the Mortimers up with the "said", for a better flow.

I'm a bit lost with the "you are truly kind to me." is that in response such as.

"Thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer.
"You are truly kind to me." replied Mortimer.

or is he expressing the truly kind part as a part of how the other should feel about his help.

Maybe:
"Thank you, Mortimer, you are truly kind to me." said Mortimer.

The double quotes are nice but I think they get to become too much clutter.
You might try to get away with this.
"Thank you, Mortimer, you are truly kind to me." said Mortimer.

[Interference]

I juggled with the double-quotes and italicised versions but neither is really satisfactory. I'm afraid that what's needed, I think, is a bit of description:

"Thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer with undisguised satire, "you are truly kind to me."

or something. And perhaps a little hyperbole, like:

"Oh, thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer with undisguised satire, "you are truly kind to me."

which might provoke the response:

"Who are you talking to, Mortimer?"


Or something.

Originally Posted by mosaix

Question: Are black and white considered as colours?

I know that they are considered as such by 'the man in the street'. But what is the scientific definition?

Black and white pigment are colours. You'll find paints and dyes described like this. Black pigment might be analysed to be a mixture of many colours, depending on the source.

Black and White, in terms of light, are either the absence (black) of light or the combination of all wavelengths of light (white).

Combining light waves is subtractive (can make lighter) while the combining of pigments is additive (mostly makes darker).

[luci2also]

Originally Posted by Interference

"Oh, thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer with undisguised satire, "you are truly kind to me."

You may want to just return to the original.
The more that you have to explain or tell the more it detracts from the experience. I think the reader will understand the satire part without having it dished out to them so plainly.

"Oh, thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer, "you are truly kind to me."

But, that's just me.

[Interference]

I actually thought that as I typed it So, not just you, then

[mosaix]

Thanks for the 'black and white' answers, everyone.

[Arthur_Connelly]

Thanks for the help.

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Interference

I juggled with the double-quotes and italicised versions but neither is really satisfactory. I'm afraid that what's needed, I think, is a bit of description:

"Thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer with undisguised satire, "you are truly kind to me."

Just to be a bit picky....

In your various examples, you seem to be joining two sentences with a comma. A full stop is probably your best option, e.g.:

"Thank you, Mortimer," said Mortimer with undisguised satire. "You are truly kind to me."

[luci2also]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

Just to be a bit picky....

In your various examples, you seem to be joining two sentences with a comma. A full stop is probably your best option, e.g.:

Damn those stringing sentences, you try so hard, they just keep happening, you don't know how, you don't know why, but they are always there to bite you; oh and nice recovery on those spelling errors.

Thanks for pointing that out.