AAARGH!
Posted 01-16-2008 at 11:39 AM by DeAd_cOmMaNdO
i need to vent my frustrations, so here it goes...
ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH.
thats better
JJ
as anyone who listens to my sporadic ramblings knows, im writing a book. 7 actually, since, like all fantasy writers im afflicted by a curse that makes us write at length.
anywho, i started writing in 2001 (back when i was young and had hair...) i was bored on a winter afternoon and put pen to paper (finger to keyboard actually and wrote: he rode across the Basin. and so was born the Shadow and the Helix.
it started out as a short story and has grown into what is at the moment over 1,000,000 words long.
now my problem, and source of my annoyedness is this: i wrote the first 4.5 books without much of a plot and then decided to go back and look over my stuff.
im about 1/3rd of the way through the first rewrite of the first book but... i keep on changing things so i have to keep on going back and revising everything. of course every revision has repercussions on what is to come (and in the case of books 2 - 4.5, stuff ive already written).
my original idea - a simple black vs white fantasy story has evolved into somethignfar bigger than i expected with 100+ characters and global themes ranging from nietzshe, joseph campbel, dichotomy, gnosticism and human themes like corruption, despair, and body horror. and i find myself trying to work these themes into passages ive already created, which is just making life plain difficult for me.
which brings me to my question - are such complex themes like those i mentioned above even noticed by most readers?
take the matrix trilogy for example. now ignore any arguments about them being good or bad films (thats beside the point here) to many they are pretty good action movies, though to philosophers they are so much more. but the average joe isnt gonna care about that.
is it worth spending the time and effort to do something most people wont even take notice of? thats assuming of course i even piublish the books, but thats a whole different story
ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH.
thats better
JJ
as anyone who listens to my sporadic ramblings knows, im writing a book. 7 actually, since, like all fantasy writers im afflicted by a curse that makes us write at length.
anywho, i started writing in 2001 (back when i was young and had hair...) i was bored on a winter afternoon and put pen to paper (finger to keyboard actually and wrote: he rode across the Basin. and so was born the Shadow and the Helix.
it started out as a short story and has grown into what is at the moment over 1,000,000 words long.
now my problem, and source of my annoyedness is this: i wrote the first 4.5 books without much of a plot and then decided to go back and look over my stuff.
im about 1/3rd of the way through the first rewrite of the first book but... i keep on changing things so i have to keep on going back and revising everything. of course every revision has repercussions on what is to come (and in the case of books 2 - 4.5, stuff ive already written).
my original idea - a simple black vs white fantasy story has evolved into somethignfar bigger than i expected with 100+ characters and global themes ranging from nietzshe, joseph campbel, dichotomy, gnosticism and human themes like corruption, despair, and body horror. and i find myself trying to work these themes into passages ive already created, which is just making life plain difficult for me.
which brings me to my question - are such complex themes like those i mentioned above even noticed by most readers?
take the matrix trilogy for example. now ignore any arguments about them being good or bad films (thats beside the point here) to many they are pretty good action movies, though to philosophers they are so much more. but the average joe isnt gonna care about that.
is it worth spending the time and effort to do something most people wont even take notice of? thats assuming of course i even piublish the books, but thats a whole different story
Total Comments 9
Comments
 |  I have to say, when i first saw the martix movies, i was simply wowed by thier complexity and story. but, as youve said, they are in themselves a pandoras box. the mark of a truely good story teller IMHO after all, what makes a better ending? complete and utter closuer, or an enimgma? all in all D_C i prefer that style of writeing, the style you your self are trying to incorporate, and any one who takes 30 seconds to think about what there readin will do too............................................... ..........well. hopefully. ^^ |
Posted 01-16-2008 at 04:23 PM by Captain Slow  |
| |  I think keep on going with it you are very good at what you do.Personaly i have enjoyed every story you have posted here. |
| Posted 01-16-2008 at 11:14 PM by Brother Warchild |
| |  hey dc. twists turns and back tracks can be fun as long as YOU as the writter can keep it all straight. i like seeing twists i didn't realize was coming or how it would turn out in a good book. but if the writter gets mixed up i lose interest in the book and cant follow it. i guess you call it "organized" chaos.....uh i think i just hurt myself.........bad griplion bad |
| Posted 01-17-2008 at 01:53 AM by GriplionGremlin |
| |  Well, to answer your question: Yes and no. Doesn't help much does it? =P The thing is, some will, some won't, and some just won't give a damn. The more blatant the themes are, obviously the more people will notice. Things like neitzshe and agnosticism (you were referring to agnosticism and not "gnosticism" right? lol) add a very novel touch for the people who tend to care about these things. If you don't care about the readers who find such things interesting however (and there may or may not be many, depending on your audience group) you may consider just dropping it, because it may make it too complicated for their grade 9 reading level. That said, if you're looking for some sort of recognition with it, or are looking for your themes to be dissected and discussed in university english courses or whatnot, then the themes won't be noticed unless you're the next tolkien. So yeah. "Yes and no". Haha. |
| Posted 01-17-2008 at 12:28 PM by Torquemada Coteaz |
| |  Well, obviously people are going to be biased in that sense. If they just want an absorbing book, then I would say that they'd like cliffhangers and so forth, but not too complicated. For example, I've never written anything deep, because I know my audience doesn't care for it (I know a lot of people here do, which is why I'm developing my own technique in relation to plotlines and so on). On the other hand, I love such themes. I think a book, one published as an addition to modern literature, should always be evocative. I detest a book without a network of intertwining themes...it suggests incompetence in the author to me, but most of all I enjoy it. So, my answer is, really, these themes and ideologies are vital. Your audience is mixed. There are those who pay no attention to detail, and those who do. Those who do not, will not be affected by your deeper themes, but those who do will miss them, so you'll have failed half of your audience! Yes, include these! |
| Posted 01-18-2008 at 08:43 AM by Icarus Athrasuriel |
| | @ toqrumada Coteaz: i did mean gnosticism, though there are some nihilistic and agnostic themes themes in it. well, ill be carryign on with my headache-inducing allegories and themes then |
| Posted 01-18-2008 at 09:17 AM by DeAd_cOmMaNdO |
| | w00t *cheers* |
| Posted 01-18-2008 at 01:41 PM by Torquemada Coteaz |
| |  Just make sure you get a good editor or impartial family member to give it a read for you when you have your first proper draft done. Remember, you can't sell a trilogy (or however many books) immediately, you'll probably need to do it book by book, and getting someone impartial to read your story in its entirety can highlight themes that mightn't be covered fully, or story arcs that you might not need. I'd also reccommend writingforums.com as a good place for reviews, specifically if you want to post a substantial portion of your book without sacrificing first publishing rights (apparently publishers are into having those kind of rights). |
| Posted 01-22-2008 at 01:13 AM by Ides |
| | hanks for the tips! |
| Posted 01-22-2008 at 10:08 AM by DeAd_cOmMaNdO |
Total Trackbacks 0
Trackbacks
Recent Blog Entries by DeAd_cOmMaNdO
- NOOOOOOOOOOOO! (03-13-2008)
- AAARGH! (01-16-2008)
- more name strangeinesses (01-11-2008)
- names, names, names (12-24-2007)
- THE D_C blog of writiness (12-24-2007)
