Protagonist constantly has to have long words explained to her. Will this get tedious?

Question

A while back, I redrafted my NaNoWriMo 2017 story, but it still needs another draft. This question is about one of the concerns I have.The story takes place in a medieval fantasy setting, and the protagonist is a homeless orphan of about fourteen. As a result, she has a somewhat limited education, and at various points has to have long or complex words explained to her. At first I inserted these moments in order to underscore her limited education, but I kept on inserting them in order to pad things out just that little bit more.An example: the villain, whose thieves' guild the protagonist has infiltrated, is describing their master plan, and refers to a "network of clandestine tunnels" under the city. The protagonist's partner notices her confusion, leans over, and whispers, "'Clandestine' means 'secret'".I don't have access to the full draft right now, but off the top of my head, this happens at least six times in the space of 41,000 words, including once during what's supposed to be a very dramatic and emotional climax. I'm worrying that this is too frequent, and that it might get tedious or distract from the story somewhat. **Will it?** Or am I overthinking it?

Answer 1

I agree that it could become tedious if not handled properly. But keep in mind that younger readers need those context clues to help them build vocabulary, and this could also help them relate to the character if they also struggle with some of the words people around them are using. How you present it will reduce the tedium if you build the characters around the occurrences. Let the other characters in the scene react with appropriate and character building emotions as well. For example, one character may become frustrated at the necessity of explaining each time, while another who has a kind and understanding heart my react with untiring compassion.

Answer 2

While, yes, that could become tedious, or it could be the making of great fiction.

if you can add some humor occasionally to the situation along with some cleverness or wittiness you could very well turn this to your advantage.

Done properly this will provide you with a good mechanism for character development ( tell us or show us who these people are ). This trait of hers is a character defining trait. Use it.

thanks;