wetcircuit

You have completed your sequel in a month? That's great! But you should probably allow some people to read it and give you feedback before contacting a publisher.

You could ask that person what they meant… Without context, I can only make generalized assumptions. A short story being called 'incomprehensible' carries a different expectation (time/narrative) than a scientific paper being 'incomprehensible', or social-philosophy. In a very general way, I'd suggest looking at the structure (whatever it is), whether each sub-structure is clear and delineated from the next, so the reader is well-oriented and focused on each point of relevance, individually 1 step at a time, to progress through the work. 'Incomprehensible' means they couldn't find any path.

I am not the one who's confused, and you haven't raised any gotchas. Okham's razor can best explain as a 'you' problem, not a 'society' problem. BE SPECIFIC: WHICH CONVENTIONS DO YOU NOT COMPREHEND (your words) or this is just hypocritically vague nonsense. When you identify your problem objectively and concisely, then we can maybe help you.

Blaming the world for something you struggle with is called 'projection', worse it avoids any real solution. You should ask about the individual "professional standards" you find "not comprehensible", rather than this contrarian rejection of all things 'standard' –– The back-and-forth in these comments suggests you want to argue about things that can't be changed. Without further context, Kevin has given you a good-faith answer. I'll add that you must meet a reader at their level if you hope to communicate. Rejecting convention to satisfy only yourself guarantees misinterpretation.

@Amadeus 100% agree. People throw out examples that are just bizarre in how badly they DON'T fit the topic….

BIG BROTHER is not a "bad guy", there is not even an actual character in the story named Big Brother, IT'S AN ABSTRACTION OF TOTALITARIANISM. omg! Villains are from melodrama, not literature. Does anyone even read books here or do they just watch comicbook movies?

Did that answer your question?

Do you believe that no one would watch The Martian AND Dr Who…?

If he's done some research and the science is somewhat based on reality, great! But that doesn't seem like the question he asked. I'm not trying to be insulting, there are all kinds of stories. Some don't really need science, not when it's about having a pure heart or being born magical, those stories don't deserve science, no matter who the fans might be.

Do his fans deserve a real explanation…? Well they don't exist, so I'd ask: Does his story deserve real science? No, not if it belongs in the MCU or Star Wars.

In reality, the OP probably just doesn't want to do any research to work out the science plausibility of his MacGuffin. That's fine, it's kind of like asking what his "fans" would prefer. Is there really a story? Are there any fans? Do we give the benefit of the doubt? How much should we assume is "true" in any question...

It wasn't clear what his story was about, so I can't answer in a story specific way. I had to give the standard options, plus a few ex-worldbuilding options, which it seemed like maybe that was what he wanted to do, but it wasn't really clear.

My answer isn't some philosophical debate. The OP wanted to know how to get away with not describing his tech. Whether or not he has any fans to please is kind of irrelevant – if they exist, they don't factor into the answer at all.

Over at Worldbuilding they pretend to have a hierarchy of physics realism, but that's also relative. Fairytales like "Alcubierre drive" are allowed because they sound science-y to pseudo-intellectuals. It's really just posturing and gatekeeping.

I don't really agree with the "some fans". I think the real issue is "some stories". No amount of infodump and technobabble is going to make me think the MCU or Tranformers are less dumb. Fanboys gushed on and on how "realistic" The Expanse was, all I could see was telepathic mushroom zombies and another White Savior farmboy.

MCU falls under leave it unexplained (I specifically used an MCU example: distraction dance from Guardians1). Those stories are not sci-fi, not even "bad" sci-fi. Genre is defined by a lot more than just "at some point someone says a pseudo-science explanation". Genres have inherent themes, stock characters, archetypes, specific universal rules…. The OP is about breaking one of those rules within a specific genre…. We approach the questions here as writers, not as fans debating the validity of summer blockbusters. "As Seen on TV" is not an excuse for poor writing.

LOL! Do you believe MCU fans would reject the franchise and stage a boycott if those scripts made an attempt to be more than magic people chasing magic candy crystals? No one considers those movies "sci-fi", anymore than Scooby-Doo is "sci-fi" for having a talking dog. Harry Potter is closer to sci-fi than the MCU.

@Obie2.0, your comment falls under time. The first man on Mars is maybe a few decades away.... Star Wars isn't relatable to our time at all – aside from being a fairy tale with anachronistic elements, the "technology" is (maybe) thousands of years off (if not tens of thousands).

But both like Lovecraft.

Ehh, ok. I think we agree to disagree.

But you see my point?

:D

LOL oh, I thought you were being funny.

It is purple prose, but yes, the tone, he is a writer's writer.

His tone is amazing.

lolololol

Like what is the difference in Lovecraft and Gene Roddenberry?

But what is "horror" in that concept? Why is that not "wonder"?

well, obviously I am being reductive...

I am not the center of the universe? Where is my fainting couch!

That is the problem. That's entitlement, not horror.

Yes, waah, I am NOT the golden prince. Boo hoo!

explain?

structure.

we are not talking monsters, we are talking story. Themes.

???

but where is this "getting more popular"?

A man's world gets smaller.

I think the way HE did it, it is regressive. It is a diminishing reality.

So I have been disecting this, though. Trying to figure out if there is a polarity to "fix" the issue.

no

Brooklyn will do that to you...

before he got better? lol

Yeah, I just don't have a problem putting a disclaimer on that.

wow.

omg how did I miss that one?

but that's the problem, like is it mainstream Lovecraft that everyone knows? because that IS the most racist Lovecraft.