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Post by Victoria on Aug 18, 2015 13:47:16 GMT -5
Daniel, I identify a lot with your second paragraph. This is all conjecture since I haven't finished my damn novel yet, but I don't think I can write the kind of romance that is popular, either. I call what I'm writing "romance" because it fits that category better than anything else, but I'm breaking several of the "rules" of the genre and I'm worried about the impact that will have on reviews. At the end of the day, though, I think you have to be clear on what you want from writing. If you want to be a fantasy author who sells a lot of books, then maybe you should jump on those trends you've spotted and incorporate them into your work. But if that will suck the fun out of writing and ultimately be unsatisfying for you (as I feel that following the romance "rules" would be for me) then you should probably keep doing what you're doing.
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Post by Daniel on Aug 18, 2015 13:51:20 GMT -5
Is it possible the introduction of the backstory is what's bloating the scenes? It's definitely possible, but I try to remain vigilant against doing that. I took the warning against "info dumps" seriously from the beginning. But perhaps I'm deluding myself on that. If so, the delusion is going to make it hard to fix. The problem is that I don't think my scenes are bloated. Could the reason for the search for the dildo be revealed in bits and pieces as the dildo bearer nears it? Of course, if the reason behind it is gonna be interesting, then I think a lot of times it's inherently a complex tale that can't be told ahead of time without bloating the preceding scenes. I'm thinking of how Eddings did his with the Belgariad exposition. He threw bits of the backstory of the magic into interesting little scenes that were a bit on the skinny side, then packed in a paragraph or two of backstory, and it filled out the skinny scene, and got the reader up to speed on the magic without overwhelming him with it with long exposition scenes. This is exactly the approach I try to take. I'm guessing you chose that example because you know the Belgariad is one of my favorite fantasy series. For the most part, Eddings reveals story world in a "just-in-time" fashion I try my best to emulate. To me, the purpose of every scene is to move the story forward. I try to reveal story world when the information is most relevant to understanding the action. The information becomes important to the readers when it becomes important to the characters. |
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Post by vrabinec on Aug 18, 2015 13:53:03 GMT -5
I haven't read anything of Annie's yet, but I'll get a chance soon. I ordered the short story anthology she's putting out with Jen Wells, Elle, Sara, and a couple other girls. I told them I'd give them a review. The thing's shipping out Friday, that's when it gets released (I ordered a paperback). Anyway, I've read a couple of her samples, and they seem interesting. I think it helps that she has female protags. These days, boys tend to play video games while girls read. And the boys that read, tend to want violence in their fantasy, kinda like Dalglish has. The people reading the type of fantasy you're writing still don't read on tablets for the most part. They grew up on paper, and they go to B&N to pick something out, so you're at a distinct disadvantage. Luckily, those kids that are reading the violent stuff will some day grow out of their hormones and will settle down and read your kind of fantasy, so you should do well posthumously.
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Post by Daniel on Aug 18, 2015 14:08:24 GMT -5
Daniel, I identify a lot with your second paragraph. This is all conjecture since I haven't finished my damn novel yet, but I don't think I can write the kind of romance that is popular, either. I call what I'm writing "romance" because it fits that category better than anything else, but I'm breaking several of the "rules" of the genre and I'm worried about the impact that will have on reviews. At the end of the day, though, I think you have to be clear on what you want from writing. If you want to be a fantasy author who sells a lot of books, then maybe you should jump on those trends you've spotted and incorporate them into your work. But if that will suck the fun out of writing and ultimately be unsatisfying for you (as I feel that following the romance "rules" would be for me) then you should probably keep doing what you're doing. (*sigh*) You sound just like my wife, and I mean that in a good way. The experimentation will be about incorporating some of the trends into my work to see if I can stand it. I think I can write something darker than I have. However, emo angst makes me want to puke, so that's out. Dystopian is too depressing, so that's out. What I'm going to try is darker themes that end with the hero winning the day. If you're familiar with a TV show called "Arrow," that's similar to the feel I'm after: kick-ass hero, lots of action, and a satisfying ending. |
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Post by Daniel on Aug 18, 2015 14:16:31 GMT -5
I think it helps that she has female protags. These days, boys tend to play video games while girls read. And the boys that read, tend to want violence in their fantasy, kinda like Dalglish has. The people reading the type of fantasy you're writing still don't read on tablets for the most part. They grew up on paper, and they go to B&N to pick something out, so you're at a distinct disadvantage. Luckily, those kids that are reading the violent stuff will some day grow out of their hormones and will settle down and read your kind of fantasy, so you should do well posthumously. Great. Posthumously.  I think you are right about all of the above. It's also possible that more of the dinosaurs will shift to digital and be happy to find me. I read Dalglish, but couldn't handle his stuff. It was all death, mayhem, and destruction with lead characters I despised. I really wanted to like it too, because based on his posts on KBoards, he seemed like a great guy with an excellent sense of humor. But his stuff was so dark that he even put in an apology of sorts in his "from the author" info! |
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Post by scdaffron on Aug 18, 2015 15:03:17 GMT -5
Daniel, I identify a lot with your second paragraph. This is all conjecture since I haven't finished my damn novel yet, but I don't think I can write the kind of romance that is popular, either. I call what I'm writing "romance" because it fits that category better than anything else, but I'm breaking several of the "rules" of the genre and I'm worried about the impact that will have on reviews. At the end of the day, though, I think you have to be clear on what you want from writing. If you want to be a fantasy author who sells a lot of books, then maybe you should jump on those trends you've spotted and incorporate them into your work. But if that will suck the fun out of writing and ultimately be unsatisfying for you (as I feel that following the romance "rules" would be for me) then you should probably keep doing what you're doing. I can't write the type of romance that is popular either. My hope is that sometimes things that aren't initially popular and don't follow every existing trope and trend, break out BECAUSE they are different. It was very, very satisfying to me when I started getting a few reviews from not just fans, but raving fans who are eagerly anticipating my next book BECAUSE it's different than other things they've read. Case in point, yesterday I got a review that said, "What a refreshing book!" That is just the ultimate in extreme coolness right there  |
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Post by Victoria on Aug 18, 2015 15:22:25 GMT -5
That all sounds great to me, scdaffron! It's reassuring to hear that you've found an audience even while colouring outside the lines, so to speak. |
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