tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post1553271253265434143..comments2024-03-29T02:36:26.151-07:00Comments on TalkToYoUniverse: Leading into a scene vs. including backstoryJuliette Wadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-42436074149586584882011-03-15T08:49:37.472-07:002011-03-15T08:49:37.472-07:00Misha, and everyone, I will return to the question...Misha, and everyone, I will return to the question of backstory etc. very soon in another post.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-37125947533911651852011-03-15T08:43:14.965-07:002011-03-15T08:43:14.965-07:00I'm glad you found it helpful, Jeroen! It'...I'm glad you found it helpful, Jeroen! It's definitely a hard balance. 500 words of a novel isn't much. That said, I find that a lot can be done to establish world, character, and central conflict in that number (as you can see in my Wednesday workshop!). I think the most important thing in the very beginning of a work is to establish the balance of grounding and curiosity.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-55462324359342994212011-03-15T07:10:51.513-07:002011-03-15T07:10:51.513-07:00I think about this a lot, because in my WiP, there...I think about this a lot, because in my WiP, there's a lot that happened a long time ago that makes the current events possible. And even then, there's something going on that's triggering other things, some of them not even told to everyone involved...<br /><br />:-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-23629144411019264252011-03-15T00:54:42.404-07:002011-03-15T00:54:42.404-07:00This is exactly what I needed to read. I've be...This is exactly what I needed to read. I've been worrying about "overdoing" the backstory in my fantasy novel for a while now, which was made worse by participating in a contest which involved sending in the first 500 words of my novel.<br /><br />Verdict of said contest: story doesn't start fast enough and wastes time on a couple of details that don't seem important<br /><br />Of course, the person running the contest was a YA author, and has certain expectations about pacing that don't quite mesh with a fantasy novel twice the size of the average YA novel.Jeroen Steenbeekehttp://www.jeroensteenbeeke.nlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-32637920552939781792011-03-14T18:09:34.036-07:002011-03-14T18:09:34.036-07:00Trisha, have you seen my "Classics" post...Trisha, have you seen my "Classics" post in the left menu bar entitled "Hiding information in plain sight"? You might find it helpful for reintroducing your backstory material.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-28190040231749688462011-03-14T17:36:28.618-07:002011-03-14T17:36:28.618-07:00Yes, I had a major problem with backstory ;) But n...Yes, I had a major problem with backstory ;) But now I have cut it all out, I often don't have enough explanation/lead-up. So that's my next thing to work on :DTrishahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927558937796802496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-66834350603983509592011-03-14T15:29:07.101-07:002011-03-14T15:29:07.101-07:00That is a very cool example of conflict through cu...That is a very cool example of conflict through culture, an area that is sadly under-utilised in a lot of fantasy writing.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00456068019298922261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-85543192845671577762011-03-14T10:27:59.857-07:002011-03-14T10:27:59.857-07:00It does, T.S... I'll try to address beginnings...It does, T.S... I'll try to address beginnings in a future post.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-85970138221886038402011-03-14T10:13:51.205-07:002011-03-14T10:13:51.205-07:00"The impact of any one sentence, paragraph or..."The impact of any one sentence, paragraph or scene does not stand on its own." But how do you start? I've been wrestling with the right place to begin with my current WIP. It feels like a lot rests on those first few words.Tessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08377570668333453073noreply@blogger.com