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Q&A Naming things the POV character doesn't know

There is an alternative that I see to the proposed answers. You can in fact use the proper names of items. Here's how. The first time the children encounter something they are unfamiliar with, the...

posted 6y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-12T21:57:36Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43002
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T11:08:16Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43002
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T11:08:16Z (about 5 years ago)
There is an alternative that I see to the proposed answers. You can in fact use the proper names of items. Here's how.

The first time the children encounter something they are unfamiliar with, they might ask what it is, or your narrator might go

> they did not know it at the time, but found out later this cheese [or whatever] was called [whatever it's called].

After you've done this once, you've established a trend. The reader can now assume that asking about the names of things / finding out later happens offscreen for all instances the children encounter items they are not familiar with.

This approach necessarily means your narrator is slightly further from the MCs' mindset. With the second option in particular, the narrator is looking back on things that happened to the MCs, rather than being with them in the moment. It is, however, an option that you might want to explore.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-03-04T22:14:44Z (almost 6 years ago)
Original score: 5