Gonna have to take October off, or at least curtail my updates of the story for a few weeks. I'm behind schedule on my work on Book 2, and I'm going to have to focus hard on that for a bit.
I'm going back and forth as to whether to include the "Red Haired Boy" prequels. I kind of want to, but as Marie (my editor) pointed out, they can be a little confusing. There's quite a few of them in Book 2. And as per some of the feedback I've gotten on Book 1, not everyone appreciates the backstory chapters. I dunno. Gotta think some more on it. Thoughts?
I definitely will be posting a Halloween Special...I wouldn't miss that. They're probably my favorite thing to write. Have a short list of ideas what I'm going to do, but it will be fun in any case. And depending on time and progress, I might post a few "interest/antique" posts.
I plan to be back with regular postings by November, so stay tuned.
Anyways, here's a great portrait of Saint by artist Hector Barros to tide you over. I could fall into those eyes and get permanently and happily lost. Hector did a great job capturing him. Thanks Hector!
-gina
8 comments:
More Wash is always appreciated.
I like the back stories. But one thing you need to keep in mind is that as the Author you are not really writing for your audience, you are writing for yourself. Not everyone is going to like every word you write. But anyone with any understanding of creativity will know that every word you have written (even those they may not like) ARE important. They are important because they are part of the very heart and soul of you the creator. Please Do Not cease to include the red headed boy chapters. They are important.
if I had to add my 2 cents on the prequel stuff, maybe put them in the end of the 3rd volume as an extra or something. *I* really love them, and the extra depth they give the characters, but I can see how dropping them in the middle of the story would be a tad confusing, unless the beginning and end of each prequel chapter was a fade in/out of the back story (classic movie/tv show style) :-)
And yay Halloween tale! ^_^
Oh, and wonderful portrait!! :D
......... okay, it's 3am, I'm passing out now. lol
Anon: You're right, he is. :-) I'll see what I can do about getting another Wash pic up.
Amy: Personally, I LOVE writing the back stories. And you all seem to enjoy them. Evidently, things are not received in books the way they are in blog fiction, and I get that. I do think the backstories are important, though, because they help to let you know more about who the characters are and what their motivations are.
Marie suggested that perhaps the Red Haired Boy chapters should be presented in such a way that it's obvious it's a flashback. She likes the chapters and thinks they are important, but isn't wild about the abrupt way they interrupt the main story. I think Jenna Reid did an excellent job in her "Perchance" chapter letting the reader know it was a dream sequence. I am leaning heavily towards adding to those Wash chapters in such a way as to make it more obvious that he's thinking back on his past. Because yeah, I think the reader needs to know some things about who Wash is and where he's from, because it becomes more relevant as the story progresses.
I may also use Katrie's idea...
Katrie: That's an excellent idea, too, and I've thought about that as well. Kind of as a teaser to another book.
When I'm done with all this, I intend to scrape together all the extra backstory that I didn't end up using, the holiday extras, etc, and combine them into an anthology book of short stories. So maybe they could be a lead in to that.
Haven't decided yet.
If the Wash back story is important to the main story, yes, you need to somehow fit them in!! It is a little jarring if it's out of the blue, but introducing it as he's thinking back about a bit of it would be good. You could also just do the tidbit (or several tidbits over several different chapters) that is relevant to the main story mixed in, and do the longer, more drawn out back story as extra at the end of the 3rd book, or (*squeee!!*) Extra anthology book!
::clears throat, grinning::
I do really like the idea of an anthology of the short stories, holiday stories (I stumbled upon the Christmas one with the horses when I was looking at timelines--I had forgotten how much I loved that chapter!). It would be the perfect place to put the sweet quick chapters about Saint, Wash, and the randomness that you obviously want to write and share, but don't *quite* fit into the narration of the rest of the main story. If you get permission from the guest authors, it would also be a good place to put those extra chapters that didn't get put into canon into the main story as well. :) (or extra art, etc, etc... lol)
But, as from the other comments, the general consensus is *DON'T STOP*! LOL ^_^
I think the Wash back story is important to the main story, but I'm not sure that I need to be so detailed about it. I really do have to think on it some more (October is not a good thinking month for me, I am pretty much overwhelmed with everything. I like your idea of breaking it up into tidbits.
You all seem to enjoy the short one shots as much as I enjoy writing them, so it seems a shame to not do something with them.
I thought about the fanfic and fan art stuff, but I would not feel right about not paying everyone for their contributions. That opens up a bit of a can of worms for me.
Now, you all don't know this, but a reader and I co wrote a short story (the one we came up with for Zuda that never went anywhere) that I will probably at some point (some far off point after I'm done with the third book and all that) finish up. I kind of have to, because I actually have illustrations for it that are paid for, and I hate to waste the money and time. And I'll probably put it out there and figure out what I owe my co writer. I cannot use someone's work for free for something I intend to sell.
I don't expect to run out of FDM material anytime soon. And I'm having too much fun to stop! ;-)
All of the back stories are important. They help us the readers better understand and know the characters. I would also like to point out, That *I* have never had any trouble while reading any book following main (current) story line, verses memory flash back stories. Any Editor who says differently is under estimating most readers.
Please do not write to the lowest common denominator of your possible target audience. If we can follow Tolkien, and G.R.R.Martin, We can follow Redheaded boy back stories.
Follow your own bliss and do as your gut as a writer tells you to do.
BTW Happy All Hallows / Blessed Samhain.
Well, I do know all of you regulars, and there is no underestimating you.
I have smart readers who can follow a meandering story line. And I appreciate that.
I'm going to keep most of the Red Haired Boy stuff (at least the first two chapters of it) in the main body of the story. I intend to tweak how it's presented a bit, but you're right, I think it's important and I dont' want to entirely omit it.
I can't speak freely here. But yes. I hear you and I agree.
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