I wanted to ask, when you read a novel and you come across something that doesn't sit right with you, like how a government is handling itself or laws in the land, or how certain officials somehow have more time on their hands than their jobs would indicate, or how peace between two nations can be easily achieved whilst not making mention of things like how trade would be impacted or how in real life it's more complicated than that and such, do you let it be an issue or just go with it? For example when reading about an isolated tribe, do you ask yourself how they have use of steel tools when the author makes them out to be more like stone age folk? What about asking how their homes are wooden shacks/cabins/cottages when they wouldn't actually have the tools to make such?
I've been thinking about writing a novel but there are some things I intended that I know are impossibilities when you actually sit to think about it. What's more, some of these may be brought up such as one character actually helping to build one of those houses when, again, you think about it and realize those necessary tools shouldn't even be there. The folks live more like barbarians/native indian tribes and have no access to outside cultures, nor do they have any sort of mines yet their housing is wooden, made of planks (even though I'd probably just mention wooden homes/cottages without ever bringing up the word 'planks'). They don't even keep livestock or farm, they just hunt and live off the land (their tribe is small and never grows that high due to a genetic condition that specifically knows to keep their numbers down). They don't have any complicated structures, no mills, no specialized tools, just axes to cut trees down with and perhaps a few other steel tools that they'd require (THIS is something that will be brought up since the main character will be living with them for a while and helping in these issues such as building a home).
Even if I added relatively complicated structures, they'd never see use in the story but worse than that, I end up starting to raise the tech level above what I intended. Is it even possible to make properly built wooden homes (with rooms and such) with stone age tools? More importantly, is there any point to asking myself complicated questions or will the reader not care?
Regarding the steel tools, I think the more appropriate question is: Why is it important that they have homes made of lumber? What narrative purpose is served by giving them tools above their technology level?
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Usually, when I read stories I do not pay to much attention to the fine details if the book in and of itself is interesting.
However, here are few things to consider as answers to your questions.
1) Even though they may be nomads, they may set up permenant housing in certain areas where they know they will spend time. A communal hut to pass cold weather in could be possible.
2) Stone axes can fell trees and cut them into shape. (That is how dugout canoes were built for centuries.)
3) Before there was steel, there was copper then iron. Of the 2, I would choose iron. Early copper and iron mines did not start as mines. They were merely pits on the surface where one could easily get the material. A primitive forge to melt the ore and a clay mould to pour it into. It would not be too strong, but enough to get the job done. The tribe would not use them often. As part of their wanderings, they could spend a week or month at the pit to make what tools need replacing.
4) Your visitor could use their forge to show them how to make steel.
5) This is your world you are making. You do not have to conform to real world logistics.
Hope these ideas help.
RainyDayNinja wrote: Regarding the steel tools, I think the more appropriate question is: Why is it important that they have homes made of lumber? What narrative purpose is served by giving them tools above their technology level? The truth is that originally when I came up with the idea for the story, I'd pictured the tribe living in well built homes with rooms (I don't know much about housing in the past, nor whether groups like native Americans merely had Teepees/wigwams and such or bigger/better structures). The tools I assumed would've been absolutely necessary cause I didn't know whether you could get proper wood from trees with simple stone implements.
@Charles Scholz, Thanks man, I actually tried looking around on the web but had no idea what to type exactly to find out the details of what I'm looking for. This ought to help me out quite a bit (the segment featuring the tribe is only the beginning but one of the most important parts).
EDIT:
1. Actually they're not nomadic, they've been living in a hidden valley for centuries, I just wasn't sure what type of buildings (and tools) you'd expect from a very primitive culture.
2. Thanks, I actually wasn't sure whether stone axes would be strong enough for the task or if they'd just crack immediately.
3. I actually had no idea what molds were made from, I never would've thought clay would work :P
4. He's actually trying to avoid contaminating their culture and would rather see how they manage without outside influence.
5. True enough, I guess I was worried my lack of knowledge on certain issues would become a problem (for example, ever read a fantasy novel that features war? I lack any real tactical knowledge but I've always wondered if someone (or most people for that matter :P) who knows a bit better would catch the issues immediately)
You can also split logs to make basic planks (triangular cross-section rather than rectangular) with just an axe, wedges (bone/stone/antler are fine) and a hammer. Maybe look for Scandanavian log houses or clinker-built houses/ships to get an idea of what's possible, there have been wooden houses in that area for upwards of 7000 years.
You can also use wattle and daub to make a house or inner walls with just a cutting tool (weave thin supple branches to make a wall and then apply the 'daub' - a plaster of mud, straw and similar materials - to keep the wind out).
My two cents:
I think research is a pretty important part of writing, and I think good research will settle a lot of concerns readers might have on plausibility.
As for tolerance requirement threshold...nearly everyone has a different threshold based on different things. I would say it's pretty damn near impossible in any sort of speculative fiction to match everyone's threshold. However compelling characters and a well thought out plot can help ease a lot of situations.
Thanks guys, I tried to find some stuff to read/watch but I had some difficulty. Seems you can't google 'how did people first build their homes' and get a full answer. I found explanations of what those homes were, just not how they were built. I remember watching a documentary ages ago that featured a group of documentarians who wanted to build a rudimentary water mill from scratch (the whole deal, not a small replica). It's actually amazing how much fun some of these documentaries are or how interesting the info is. I DID find a documentary on how to build a wooden home from scratch but....as you can guess, they had proper tools for the job >.>'
Ultimately the purpose of the section was for the main character to work alongside the tribesfolk, to let the reader know that the character pulls his own weight (the tribesfolk are building him a home since he plans on staying with them for a while) in addition to contributing to the tribe. I mentioned use of steel tools because I really had no idea how people first cut trees down with stone implements (I'm actually surprised they work...then again I wasn't aware there were more types of stone than flint and 'stone' :P). The primary goal behind this section isn't to show the details and technicalities of how the tribe live but to instead build up the main character in addition to showing the tribe and him becoming close but the problem was I didn't want to end up bringing something up like one of the tribesfolk having a steel axe and the reader wondering where he got it from. They eat communally but my intention was off tables for example, whereas tribes back then most likely just ate sitting on the ground....and again, didn't want readers wondering how they made their tables :P
Charles Scholz wrote: 1) Even though they may be nomads, they may set up permenant housing in certain areas where they know they will spend time. A communal hut to pass cold weather in could be possible. I was climbing in northern India some time ago and there were a lot of stone buildings that served precisely this purpose - they would be stayed in seasonally when herders were moving through and uninhabited the rest of the year.
I uploaded a couple pictures.
One still in use (not very detailed)
Closeup of an abandoned one; due to dilapidation you can see some of the construction from the "inside"
Perhaps the second in particular may be of some use. I would also recommend looking into some of the American Southwest archaeology for this sort of thing, since it is an example of much more recent (and (sometimes) more well-preserved) Stone Age construction than most, and you already mentioned Native American construction as a topic of interest. Albeit much of that is in materials other than wood as well.
The Pacific Northwest offers recentish Stone Age timber construction examples it seems. Also a potential area to focus research. Less region-specific, with a lot of links to sub-pages.
To answer the original question: The story must be consistent in its relevant issues. When you design a setting for a story, you put in a number of rules. You want these to remain consistent, and only broken with very good reason, i.e. knowingly. What this gives you is a setting that your audience can expect things from, which makes them invested in it. So... if you make up a society of nomads with stone age tools, then that is what you should deal with. Don't put in planks, renaissance paintings, giant ballgowns, motor cars or laser guns. All these things are going to break the setting's rules. If they do have planks, there is going to have to be a reason for it. Without said reason, the planks become something that sticks out - and breaks people out of immersion. At that point, you're pretty much done.
Notice, however, that I said that consistency was required in RELEVANT issues. If you don't take up time explaining about the stone age tools, you can probably get by without the planks sticking out. Particularly for people the protagonist only meets briefly. But, make the tools important, and a waterfall of consequences follows from that. Find a way to make the hero connect with the nomads that doesn't involve focusing on the tools, and you're probably good to go. That said, I would say it's a disconnect in itself that nomads build houses of wood. It's odd to me, and would thus need a decent explanation.
I hope any of this helped you.
You might try reading 'Wolf Brother' and it's sequels by Michelle Paver, which are set 6000 years ago and look up her web site for her sources. Because it's very clear that she did extensive research for them.
Coriat wrote: I uploaded a couple pictures.
One still in use (not very detailed)
Closeup of an abandoned one; due to dilapidation you can see some of the construction from the "inside"
Perhaps the second in particular may be of some use. I would also recommend looking into some of the American Southwest archaeology for this sort of thing, since it is an example of much more recent (and (sometimes) more well-preserved) Stone Age construction than most, and you already mentioned Native American construction as a topic of interest. Albeit much of that is in materials other than wood as well.
The Pacific Northwest offers recentish Stone Age timber construction examples it seems. Also a potential area to focus research. Less region-specific, with a lot of links to sub-pages.
Thanks, I wasn't precisely sure how some of these houses were and the stuff that was mentioned on the wiki is really amazing, thanks. The long house link was great but the plank house is exactly what I'm looking for. I didn't really want to end up making use of tribal huts because it didn't fit the culture I was aiming for, they have a hunter-gatherer society and primarily rely on stone tools because of their lack of access to metal.
Quote: You might try reading 'Wolf Brother' and it's sequels by Michelle Paver, which are set 6000 years ago and look up her web site for her sources. Because it's very clear that she did extensive research for them. Wow, I went to the lady's website and I have to say, she really deserves a prize for all that in-depth research. I managed to get my hands on the first three books, I certainly can't wait to read them. I don't intend on dwelling too long on the culture/life of the tribe because the character himself won't be staying there for too long but more than that, one of the tribesmen's children will go with him, this should certainly help out massively on the subject, thanks.
Quote: Notice, however, that I said that consistency was required in RELEVANT issues. If you don't take up time explaining about the stone age tools, you can probably get by without the planks sticking out. Particularly for people the protagonist only meets briefly. But, make the tools important, and a waterfall of consequences follows from that. Find a way to make the hero connect with the nomads that doesn't involve focusing on the tools, and you're probably good to go. That said, I would say it's a disconnect in itself that nomads build houses of wood. It's odd to me, and would thus need a decent explanation. Thanks, I'll try and keep the focus away from some of these details because honestly, the section is meant to reflect the care and love the traveller has for the tribe more than anything else. Admittedly the stone age tribe's life is of far less importance than the members and I don't want to get bogged down in details that won't be brought up again in the story.
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