Ok, so I'm 5 chapters in now in my story and I realise I'm still about 10 years off the start of my main plot. Not to mention adding in random extra bits of subplot that never existed before.
How frustrating.
Out of interest- which narrative voice is people's favourite? The choices that I've used at least once can be summarised as:
1. 3rd person (mostly) impartial narrator
2. Letters/ Diaries
3. Formal journals etc.
4. Encyclopaedic Dictionaries/ Identification Records.
5. Newspaper Articles
6. Prophetic Scripture
Also, Favourite/ Least Favourite Chapter for those lucky souls who've read them all.
Personally, don't really have a favourite at the moment, but I'm quite fond of Chapter 1 because I know what the creepy evil presence is and no-one else finds out for what will probably be 100 chapters at my current rate of procrastination. Least favourite is chapter 3 at the moment.
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3 comments:
I definitely think 5 is the strongest chapter so far, by a long shot. Primarily because it alludes to a direction the plot is taking. Its use of the dictionary to introduce the Werserk term in particular is really strong, although that's the first and last time you can introduce a major concept that way! I also really like the fat that you're using all of the forms to create a tapestry of flavour. The diaries and letters are ace because they show the passage of time and more importantly the basis of major relationships and development to come. It's also very sweet to watch the characters develop their personalities through their writing.
I can feel your frustration, in a way, because you're using the well trodden fantasy trope of telling a character's entire life story from birth to adulthood and you can't wait to get to the bit where they're all adults. The Dracula format is really making it skip along quite nicely and you don't linger in one place long enough for it to become static.
I particularly liked chapter 5 because the two major storylines seemed closer than ever - giving both plots the focus of the circus was lovely. I liked the fact that it was primarily about the sisters and cousins, one through direct conversation and the other via letters.
All of the different forms are connected somehow to the fantasy format. Letters are inherently a part of romantic fiction and romantic fiction is inherently a part of fantasy! The idea of using the dictionary format is genius because a lot of the time fantasy depends on definitions and constant refence to the glossary or appendices at the back of the book, so to have them right there, all the time is fantastic.
Willan rocks, too.
I had this exact problem with Symbiosis, the whole "whoops, it's seven times the original length" chesnut. I don't really have a favourite style I don't think, but I am loving the ecclectic mix you've got going. Favourite chapter thus far is definitely 5, though. It's had the best action of all of them with the possible exception of the freaky invisible evil in the first chapter.
I've decided I'm going to skip on wildly to 9 years later- if I later find I need to fill in the gap I'll either do flashbacks or squeeze a chapter back in between 5 and 6.
From chapter 6 I'm probably going to skip on a further 2 years: which'll bring me roughly contemporary with the start of the plot. Hooray!
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