McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Looking for thoughts to break a stalemate
jaezon:
--- Quote from: prophet224 on July 30, 2008, 01:24:08 AM ---LOL. Thanks then. :) So, thoughts? Obviously if WE are the 2nd time around, then there is some explaining required... I think it CAN fit in the timeline of how long we've been around, assuming all old technology has been eaten, and given that humanity and our technological development is such a SHORT period of time as far as the earth is concerned.
Nevertheless, there are positive points to making us the first round too, and developing a new world from scratch. This allows the odd tidbit from our era to pop in as well, which can be fun, if nothing else.
--- End quote ---
Personally, I think I appreciate the 2nd go-round more. And I don't think you would have to explain a whole lot. In certain settings, readers are just ready to believe. They are ready to make sense of it for you. Take JB's Codex. While some people pretty well know (click to show/hide)it is a lost legion of Rome on another world, some would argue that it could be (click to show/hide)Earth, alternate timeline where Rome never truly fell, but changed hands when Gaius Uno learn to control furies. No explanation really required and some people prefer it that way. It leaves them even more places to take their imagination (or argue about on forums :D).
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: jaezon on July 30, 2008, 02:08:01 PM ---Personally, I think I appreciate the 2nd go-round more.
--- End quote ---
Fwiw, there's a sizable audience for whom any "we are the second go around" ancient astronauts stuff will kill the book dead; because far too many of the people actually advocating that sort of rubbish in the real world from von Daniken on lie, misrepresent their data, and could not assemble a logical argument to save their lives.
--- Quote ---Take JB's Codex. While some people pretty well know (click to show/hide)it is a lost legion of Rome on another world, some would argue that it could be (click to show/hide)Earth, alternate timeline where Rome never truly fell, but changed hands when Gaius Uno learn to control furies.
--- End quote ---
Not if you know anything at all about Roman history. (Even if you are willing to make the mental contortions necessary to make all the geography fit.)
jaezon:
Apparantly I don't know much at all about Roman History, and don't general care about the lay of the land to have to make it fit. I didn't really care where it was happening, as long as it was happening. Terry Goodkind (Sword of Truth novels) said one of the worst things he did for his books was include a map b/c people focus too much on the geography and takes the focus from the story.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: jaezon on July 30, 2008, 03:02:14 PM ---Apparantly I don't know much at all about Roman History, and don't general care about the lay of the land to have to make it fit. I didn't really care where it was happening, as long as it was happening.
--- End quote ---
Fine if you are writing just for yourself; but if you don't care one way or the other, then books with consistent geography and history won't do you any harm, and they'll make a lot of positive difference to a lot of other readers, so why not make the effort.
--- Quote ---Terry Goodkind (Sword of Truth novels) said one of the worst things he did for his books was include a map b/c people focus too much on the geography and takes the focus from the story.
--- End quote ---
Well, it would have helped if he had not made the supposed scale of his maps and the time people take to travel on them drastically inconsistent.. In the first book, at least; I could not stomach reading any further.
I don't like maps, in general, because they are a viewpoint issue that's wrong for many sorts of story. But they can work if they are done right and appropriate to the story.
Fade:
why does earth have to be our home planet? maybe this is where we were forced back to? a much newer planet? this way it fits with the time line.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version