Today i did something i should have done many weeks ago. I took the story or as much of it as i have so far and summarized it in as little sentences as possible. With all the ideas i want to fit into the storyline i sometimes forget about the essence of the story. I am relieved to say i still like the basic idea, thank goodness.
But as it is, as always i am having troubles with certain writing techniques. To break it down my main character knows a loooot less than the reader, because part of the time she isn't present when things occure and partly because she isn't sure she wants to know what is really going on. I think i exaggerated her ignorance to the point where the reader may get angry at her (or me) for being that stupid. But i need her not to know certain things just yet. I don't have a solution for this problem except trying to describe her ignorance as a loveable trait. I find this to be very tricky especially because there's no logical reason (the reader knows of) why she shouldn't or can't know more. This really is tough.
8/24/2009
8/19/2009
Good times
Well, this is great! Someone else than me or my husband has read this blog! I am so excited :)
Welcome to you Mr. Chris Warren and thank you for commenting my latest posting. At first i wanted to answer to your message via commenting myself but then i thought what the heck!? Let's do this by rolling out the red carpet with you as my guest of honour :)
As for your comment: maybe i should have mentioned that the classifications of fantasy genres i came across were the ones i discovered in the local book store. This is a town of aboout 9000 inhabitants. This store is located in bavaria, germany which in general is not known for its explicit knowledge of fantasy, sci-fi or anything else other than the books currently on the bestselling listings. Fortunately at the moment we have some german writers like Cornelia Funke or Markus Heintz having brought fantasy to our national attention. So i am glad to having found a small representation of fantasy at all.
But what about the classification within the family of fantasy. I have to say i found myself to be rather amused by the category of women's fantasy. I don't see that classification as a threat or damaging to the genre, quite the opposite. If it has arrived in our humble rural minds, it really has grown into a generally accepted form of written entertainment in the last years. And what an impact that is! Not only for comic-geeks - even girls are allowed to enjoy it! There's a remarkable cultural shift taking place and i am glad being a part of it.
I am however torn and maybe a little worried about the fantasy books recommended as"children/adolescent" fantasy. When i was a teen the fantasy books that were recommended for my age group were the ones that adults didn't care for. I was confronted with a lot of d-list fantasy but i didn't know it. It took many years until i discovered how much fantasy has to offer for me and how good and truly satisfying it can be. I can say from my experience i felt discouraged to explore it further and that's a pity - well, but who knows, maybe i wasn't ready for the real thing anyway. :)
There's always prejudice in categorisation, but i have to say over all i'm optimistic about the fact that these are just labels, changing in and through time. Nothing to be offended about, nothing to be kept away by in the long term. Someone who is really interested in the genre will look for further information anyway. Maybe the comparison to title of story and story is adequate: in my opinion a bad choice of title doesn't ruin a book that is well-written. Only a bad written story can do the trick. So i'll only have to write a good story then! Piece of cake ;)
Welcome to you Mr. Chris Warren and thank you for commenting my latest posting. At first i wanted to answer to your message via commenting myself but then i thought what the heck!? Let's do this by rolling out the red carpet with you as my guest of honour :)
As for your comment: maybe i should have mentioned that the classifications of fantasy genres i came across were the ones i discovered in the local book store. This is a town of aboout 9000 inhabitants. This store is located in bavaria, germany which in general is not known for its explicit knowledge of fantasy, sci-fi or anything else other than the books currently on the bestselling listings. Fortunately at the moment we have some german writers like Cornelia Funke or Markus Heintz having brought fantasy to our national attention. So i am glad to having found a small representation of fantasy at all.
But what about the classification within the family of fantasy. I have to say i found myself to be rather amused by the category of women's fantasy. I don't see that classification as a threat or damaging to the genre, quite the opposite. If it has arrived in our humble rural minds, it really has grown into a generally accepted form of written entertainment in the last years. And what an impact that is! Not only for comic-geeks - even girls are allowed to enjoy it! There's a remarkable cultural shift taking place and i am glad being a part of it.
I am however torn and maybe a little worried about the fantasy books recommended as"children/adolescent" fantasy. When i was a teen the fantasy books that were recommended for my age group were the ones that adults didn't care for. I was confronted with a lot of d-list fantasy but i didn't know it. It took many years until i discovered how much fantasy has to offer for me and how good and truly satisfying it can be. I can say from my experience i felt discouraged to explore it further and that's a pity - well, but who knows, maybe i wasn't ready for the real thing anyway. :)
There's always prejudice in categorisation, but i have to say over all i'm optimistic about the fact that these are just labels, changing in and through time. Nothing to be offended about, nothing to be kept away by in the long term. Someone who is really interested in the genre will look for further information anyway. Maybe the comparison to title of story and story is adequate: in my opinion a bad choice of title doesn't ruin a book that is well-written. Only a bad written story can do the trick. So i'll only have to write a good story then! Piece of cake ;)
8/16/2009
Fantasy for the masses
Last week i went into a bookstore looking for a successful fantasy novel to read while i am on hold writing my own story. Now there's something really odd about the categories fantasy is divided into in general. "Fantasy for adults" contained books with magic and somewhat adult storylines which i really can't comment on because i didn't know any of the books in that section.
Then there was a category called "women's fantasy", yes, you read correctly, i suppose containing suntanned pirates with open white shirts - Fabio - , a wee bit of magic or magicians and bored court ladies who can't wait for something interesting - like an affair with Fabio - to happen while someone is throwing fireballs. There was a somewhat superior number of harlequin romances mixed into that category. The only famous name i recollect reading in that section is Marion Zimmer Bradley's.
Interestingly enough the only section which contained most of the titles familiar to me was the "fantasy for children and adolescents" corner. There they were, my heroes! Pullman's Dark Materials next to the magnificent adventures of The hobbit (with Harry Potter, Eragon, Narnia and the rest sitting close by).
I wonder who decides which category a novels fall into. It seems strange to me that obviously the dividing line for children's and adult's fantasy is if the book contains sex and violence. What about other, much more explosive topics like Pullman's view on authority or the highly effective moments of drama which partly are so cruelly constructed you want to cry and tear your hair out at the same time. I don't know if this kind of drama is less damaging than a bare chested pirate.
I remember crying horribly when Atreju's horse Artax drowned in the swamp in "Die unendliche Geschichte" by Michael Ende, another very famous and brilliant children's book. I was 5 or 6 and the nice horse-y just sunk into the mud and couldn't move any further. This is heartbreaking if anything else. And even now after several years have passed since then i only need to think about that moment to tear up again.
So what about the seperation between children's and adult's books? No one is arguing with that, but the decision about what is age appropriate or not should be re-considered if you ask me. As our whole view on child-psychology, i suppose.
But enough for now, please read my blog, it's good for you :)
Then there was a category called "women's fantasy", yes, you read correctly, i suppose containing suntanned pirates with open white shirts - Fabio - , a wee bit of magic or magicians and bored court ladies who can't wait for something interesting - like an affair with Fabio - to happen while someone is throwing fireballs. There was a somewhat superior number of harlequin romances mixed into that category. The only famous name i recollect reading in that section is Marion Zimmer Bradley's.
Interestingly enough the only section which contained most of the titles familiar to me was the "fantasy for children and adolescents" corner. There they were, my heroes! Pullman's Dark Materials next to the magnificent adventures of The hobbit (with Harry Potter, Eragon, Narnia and the rest sitting close by).
I wonder who decides which category a novels fall into. It seems strange to me that obviously the dividing line for children's and adult's fantasy is if the book contains sex and violence. What about other, much more explosive topics like Pullman's view on authority or the highly effective moments of drama which partly are so cruelly constructed you want to cry and tear your hair out at the same time. I don't know if this kind of drama is less damaging than a bare chested pirate.
I remember crying horribly when Atreju's horse Artax drowned in the swamp in "Die unendliche Geschichte" by Michael Ende, another very famous and brilliant children's book. I was 5 or 6 and the nice horse-y just sunk into the mud and couldn't move any further. This is heartbreaking if anything else. And even now after several years have passed since then i only need to think about that moment to tear up again.
So what about the seperation between children's and adult's books? No one is arguing with that, but the decision about what is age appropriate or not should be re-considered if you ask me. As our whole view on child-psychology, i suppose.
But enough for now, please read my blog, it's good for you :)
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