Samuel R. Delany coined the term subjunctive tension, which is the difference between what you mean and what you actually say. In “realistic” fiction you can get away with a lot of metaphorical (not to say sloppy) phrasings that, in science fiction, can bring the reader up short.
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Examples |
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His eyes fell to the floor. |
(Boing! boing!) |
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She screwed up her face. |
(To the ceiling? Owie!) |
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He ran through the door. |
(Able to penetrate strong oak in a single bound!
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She strained her eyes through the viewscreen. |
(My all-time fave.) |