Mastodawn

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/13: Talk about an experience when you consulted an expert for a piece of writing.

Happens regularly!

Back in 2014 I was writing "The Nightmare Stacks" and wanted a Eurofighter Typhoon v. Dragon Rider dogfight over the Yorkshire dales (NB: not-exactly dragons ridden by elven sorcerers with basilisk weapons for visual-range engagement). Consulted a friend who had just retired from the RAF as a squadron leader. The dynamics of fast jet vs. helicopter gunship combat fit well …

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Charlie Stross Mar 13

#WritersCoffeeClub Footnote: fighter v. helicopter duels aren't as clear-cut as an outsider might expect. At altitude and speed, the fighter has the upper hand: but down in the ground clutter, the helicopter gunship can be approximated to an angry flak battery than can suddenly fly sideways at 200mph and duck under bridges: fighter pilots treat them with extreme caution because it's like poking a rattlesnake—you want to use the longest stick you can find.

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Michael W Lucas

@cstross one of my very favorite things about this silly gig is being able to learn from experts and present that knowledge sensibly to the world.

Even if it's kind of silly, like a meticulously thought-out dragon vs fighter battle or a fifty-year-old text editor.

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Tall Simon Mar 13

@mwl @cstross Getting an expert geeking out is heaps of fun. Memory management in old nuclear reactor computers, geology of Yellowstone rock layers, hunting for lost history in 17th century Jesuit letters, how you build a birch bark canoe, fine details of restoring WW 1 uniforms, the pitfalls of switching city gas pipes to natural gas... all made for an entertaining and unexpectedly enlightening couple of hours.