Mostly I like to combat the North American bias in idioms. It's *funny*, but I'd like equal time, say, Ronon remarking like shooting slugs in a puddle, or something that puts our heroes on the receiving end.
Someone commented that the best stories hinted at more background for characters without always going into the explicit detail. So 'alien' characters would make comments that aren't explained, families have in-jokes that aren't elucidated, and some concepts just don't translate.
It was more in the realm of writing fantasy fiction, but I think it definitely applies when writing alien cultures. Certainly, my main worry with writing alien cultures is the possibility of being Jossed at a later stage.
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Someone commented that the best stories hinted at more background for characters without always going into the explicit detail. So 'alien' characters would make comments that aren't explained, families have in-jokes that aren't elucidated, and some concepts just don't translate.
It was more in the realm of writing fantasy fiction, but I think it definitely applies when writing alien cultures. Certainly, my main worry with writing alien cultures is the possibility of being Jossed at a later stage.