On Indicators - by Debbie Bennett
A polite note to drivers everywhere: Those little orange lights next to your headlights are called indicators. You use them when you want to turn left or right – or even change lanes, so that other drivers can anticipate and react accordingly. If we all used them properly, we’d all know what was going on and not have to wait an extra few seconds at every junction trying to guess where cars are going. It’s not rocket science. Thank you for reading. We use indicators in writing too. Readers expect a level of consistency – even an alien or fantasy world has to play by its own rules and follow its own internal logic. I was watching one of the Harry Potter films over Christmas and the lack of any kind of internal logic drove me mad in places. I’m thinking Woah, there! He knew that X was at Y, so why didn’t he just do Z like he did last time? If they can transport themselves instantly when they want to, then why don’t they do it when they need to? Because it didn’t suit the plot, I...