Which leaves the massive decision of, Which One? Which novel do I start/continue and finish, edit and polish, have reviewed and informally copyedited by friends, and submit? Which novel do I send first into this world with my name on every page? Which novel has a chance of surviving, maybe of selling somewhat well, and still remain true to myself and what I'll likely write once I get established?
And, fact of the matter is... I don't know. I've narrowed it down to a list, naturally, and I have my work planned out, and I know what I'll do once I choose my novel. The Big First Novel. So, I want your input. Not so much on individual novel choices but... on types of novels that would work. If everyone reading my journal would just fill out the following mini-survey and post their remarks in a comment to this post, I would so, so appreciate it. Seriously. This started as and continues to be a writing journal, and you guys like reading what I write. Help me out here, and--if you want--every one of you who completes this survey will get credited in my book. Promise.
1. What's your favorite genre(s)? What genres will you absolutely not read?
2. What inspires you to buy a book? (title, cover art, back cover blurb, author, genre, etc)
3. In your opinion, what is the most important key thing about a best-selling book? (visual presentation, character development, tight plot, the ability of the reader to relate to the characters, etc)
4. Would the average reader of a fiction novel be able to comprehend a totally alien species, world, and/or culture? Would illustrations help?
5. Name the most outstanding thing from one of your favorite novels. (a certain character, a plot twist, the setting, the author's writing style, etc)
6. In your opinion, are controversial issues such as alternative religions and sexualities less threatening when placed in a fantasy setting? Do you think that a fiction novel would lose a large portion of its potential readers if it contained controversial issues (homosexuality, paganism, therianthropy), or would the reader accept that facet as just another part of fantasy?
Thank you guys so, so much. Please try to be detailed, and feel free to expound on any answer or question. This feedback will strongly influence my choice of novel... which will, in turn, influence my future career as a published author.
- I feel so:
determined - I hear:Linkin Park--Hybrid Theory
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My favorites are fantasy/sci fi, but realistic fiction is good too. I also like....urban fantasy is it? The one where you introduce fantasical elements to an everyday setting, at any rate (forgive my genre misnomer if it's incorrect). Like say if you had a Korat in the everyday world of Earth, or someone's hatching dragons at their house. That sort of thing. And parody/satire, if done well, is marvelous. Really I tend to gravitate towards things that are refreshing and original, not before done. Like Redwall when it was first written, I'd never read anything like it and I loved it, and Harry Potter's concept. Whatever breaks away from the old formulas is just great for me. I really don't like romance novels. Romance IN novels is fine, but romance novels themselves...no thanks. :D
2. What inspires you to buy a book? (title, cover art, back cover blurb, author, genre, etc)
It can be anything. Usually its cover art combined with a back cover blurb, or if an author is really good, it'll be because I want to read the author's latest installment. But sadly alot of today's fantasy novels all have the same sort of titles/cover art. Like "Wolf's Throne" or "Dragon's Gate" or "The Gemstone Chronicles". I know there are only so many words people can string together but yeah, it gets tired.
3. In your opinion, what is the most important key thing about a best-selling book? (visual presentation, character development, tight plot, the ability of the reader to relate to the characters, etc)
The important key thing about a best-selling book? Hmmmm that's a toughie. I think definitely all those ingredients you mentioned have something to do with it, but I think the important key thing is that they're all put together in a tight, interlocking way. Like if you were to go overboard on plot, you'd lose your characters. But if you got caught up in characters looks and past and eye color and markings and special features and spent hours upon hours expounding on them, or on the lay of the land, or on any one thing, the rest goes out the window. It all needs to go together, and well which isn't always easy. In fact, it almost never is. When I read a book I like, it just...it speaks to me.
LJ's not letting me post this all. 4 and 5 in teh next comment! :P
For me, I think yes. When I was a kid, I totally grasped onto Animorphs. I mean, it was simplified, but that's what I loved about it, you know? I didn't get hammered all at once with what Andalites did and how they acted and what their favorite food was. It was all brought on gradually, after you knew the individual characters. I think that if you introduce an alien character or even a setting on a completely alien planet, it should be done gradually so people wonder "Why is such and so doing that?" or "I wonder what those extra toes are for..." instead of thrusting it on them in the beginning. They should have time to wonder so that when you give the answers, they can go aha. Please ask if this isn't making sense, because it sort of doesn't sound like it.
Let's take Animorphs for example. When KA Applegate introduced the Hork Bajir, everyone thought the blades were scary, for a long time. And people wondered 'What are those blades for?' Then much later Applegate divulged what they were for, through a simple action. Now it's a little tougher to have that happen if your book was set on say, Lavanna. But if you introduce why things are the way they are and why the characters do this and why their anatomy is like that slowly, then the audience can trail along. And it also helps if they can relate to the character in some way first, i.e. they can pick out an emotion or the characters can speak to them. I dunno, this is just my opinion. And I like purty pictures so yes, illustrations would be wonderful.
5. Name the most outstanding thing from one of your favorite novels. (a certain character, a plot twist, the setting, the author's writing style, etc)
The most outstanding things are those passages you could read over and over for one reason or another. Writing style has alot to do with it too. Like, I used to LOVE Anne Rice but her style got so pretentious. I love a style that doesn't 'talk down' to the reader. I love a style that flows nicely, without alot of jerky stops or overblown imagery. But the imagery and the words in my favorite books just...stand out somehow. I LOVE Philip Pullman. I love his writing style, how simple it is but it makes you happy. You're not getting stuff like "And then against the sun drneched hue of a hot March fire born morning, she narrowed her onyx orbs and crawled another dust caked inch in the mud, tarnishing her crown more." Stuff that's so concerned with how full of imagery and images it is that you lose the thread of the story itself. You just get...well...writing! Words and things, but imagery you can sink your teeth into because its so clean and simple and plain, easy to follow along with the story.
I love how he introduces new worlds and new ideas. It's not all thrust upon you. In books like Anne McCaffery's book, the backhistory of the world and the planet and the characters and everything takes up the first five or six or so pages, and by the time you get to the actual story, you're trying to remember what this is or what that is or why this is here or yeah. That style doesn't really work for me to have it all crammed at you at once and then constantly refer to it. A glossary is okay, of course because sometimes those are necessary, but to have a full five pages of "And this sun revolves and everyday they do this until" just makes my poor El head spin. In my favorite fantasy novels, I love how it could all seem so PLAUSIBLE, too.
I know, I'm not much of a help. But I look forward to seeing any novel you write!
I didnah know there was a Q 6. I agree with Kitty's answer and add that as long as you're not writing about a controversial issue so that you HAVE a controversial issue in your novel, it's all good. Kind of like writing about angst for angst's sake. Me? I kind of like reading about 'controversy' from a different viewpoint, it goes with the whole 'new and original'. It's a different spin, yanno? Also, I'm babbling again and I'd love to pounce ya via AIM, but I wanna add that lately what I've been wanting to read about are everyday people/things/what have you. Gimme the story of the guy who ran from the explosion the Chosen One caused in his angst at newfound powers. The little girl who was scooped into her mother's hold just in time to avoid the killer dragon in the Grand Battle. Ordinary people fasincate me. :D
If you want to know the why answer of this question, I'd just say that I love to be able to escape from the dull, dreary reality that is life on earth. I love seeing realistic characters, who could be like me, doing things and going places I'll never have a chance to go. These books inspire me in a way, and in the same manner, keep me sane.
*snerk* And uhm.. whatever you call Stephen King's work. That genre. ^_^;;
2. Well, I tend to be an authorholic in that whenever I read one book that I like... I will then proceed to glomp every other literary work that person has written. When weaning myself into new literature, it's generally either by recommendation from a friend, recommendation from an author I like, or when stumbling around the store as I am want to do, sometimes just a pretty cover picture or interesting title.
3. All of question's comments are biggies, especially the last one for me. But, I think writing style has a lot to do with it... can the reader understand what they just read in the last paragraph, or do they have to go through it twice to fully comprehend all the adverbial details? Mmm.. I think that's all I've got right now.
4. I've got to go with El on this one when I say that it's all with how you present it. Offer the information to the reader bit by bit, through actions taken by each character rather than long labyrinths of ocular description, and I think you'd be fine. Admittedly, the fantasy/sci-fi reader would do better with this, but so long as your careful about how much and how many, I think alien species could co-exist with the masses shall we say. And of course, illustrations will always help.
5. Most outstanding thing from one of my favorite novels... Well, lets see here, the first thing that comes to mind would be in Holly Lisle's trilogy about the dark gods... She deals with all sorts of characters... Lauren, a woman with a young child dealing with her husband's death, who's finding new love in Pete, the new cop in her town, and dealing with the sudden gain and then loss of her sister who's secretly half-alien from a world on the next world-plane below hers, and keeps dying in order to save both races. The rrak in that world, dark god dragons who's pseudo-leader, Banraak, really isn't that bad. Just... the imperfection of characters I think.. the ability to reach out and touch them, feel their imperfections, their pains... June Bug, the fiesty older woman who's been a closet lesbian her whole life but is so capable of so much love...
6. Controversial issues are always a risk hon, as much as I hate to say it. However, I think that the majority of your fantasy/sci-fi readers are likely to be more liberal... So my answer would be that you'd likely lose some of your mainstream conservative readers, but the fantasy-sci-fi crowd that you'd be aiming for anyway, would likely be far more open to it.
Whew!
OMG DARK TOWER! Now see there's a series that's cool. I read books one through five of the Dark Tower series in one night. o_O!
How fucking exciting!!
I'm also planning a career in writing, and I know very well how difficult it is to be exposed. Maybe one day we'll have a world where every style of writing is accepted and loved, and ANYONE can get published if they'd like to.
So, I'd be happy to help you out.
1.) I'm interested in every type of genre, it honestly depends on what I'm working on, or where my interests lie at the time. But my absolute favorite genre would have to be spirituality, regardless if it be fiction or nonfiction. I find a lot of inspiration in spirituality, and how I enjoy how very multi-faceted it can be for each person- and so every book is different. (I also enjoy gay and lesbian literature.)
2.) A title of a book is probably the most important to me- I believe that it can tell a lot about a book (how arrogant it is, how bold it is, or possibly how boring it is). And so after I grab a book of the shelf with an attractive title, I then read the little summary, and then will finally flip through the book, and see how appealing the material is. But overall, the title is the most important piece of a book's personality. (The author is something I look at, but if I don't recognize the name, I am still just as interested in the book. It is only with authors that I am familiar with that I will risk buying the book.)
3.) All of the above. When it comes to fiction, all of those points should be very strong. (and only then could you have a bestselling novel)
4.) An alien culture... hmmm. Fantasy slash Science Fiction novels usually only appeal to people who are into fantasy and science fiction. Me not being one of them, I cannot really say too much about the genre- except that I never read fantasy novels, and probably never will. (though I have a soft spot for Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series)
5.) "The Fifth Sacred Thing"- it's sort of considered "fantasy" as it takes place in the future (around 2050). And what made that book so important was the presence of politics and spirituality within the plot. Plus, Starhawk is very gifted at writing very emotionally in depth material. And so I fell in love with all her characters.
6.) Regardless of how you write about controversial issues- they are still controversial issues. Yes, they would probably be less threatening in a fantastic sort of world, but if you write it the right way, then it can be a best-seller. Sort of like how it went with "1984" and "Brave New World". They were extremely taboo and controversial, and suffered because of it, but were still successful pieces of literature.
I hope all goes well.
And stay around, because I may be coming to you with a manuscript!
Good luck!
Chris
Good luck hun- keep me updated.
Chris
1. My favorite genres are scifi/fantasy, particularly stuff like Tad Williams, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett. Stuff that's funny and realistic, and *says something* at the same time. Honestly, there are no genres I absolutely wouldn't read, except maybe romance novels. Cause I like my pr0n to short, dammit! ;)
2. Oh, a lot of things. The cover art is a big one. There's like this huge book with a gorgeous cover at the library, and it just keeps drawing me in, and then I look at the title, and it's about Scientology. >_> I like books with good titles as well, simple and effective like "American Gods" or "Blood and Chocolate". The blurb is important as well. So basically, everything comes together perfectly. :P
3. Plot and character development probably. I mean, everything is important to make it a really good book, all the things that you said and more. Part of it really depends on what your purpose in writing the book is about as well. I mean, in Caravan, I'm focusing on developing characterization more than anything else, since I want it to be a work about people. On the other hand, if you're writing about events, than plot is probably a bit more important, although everything else is still needed.
4. Sure! You'd just need to have a fair amount of background development towards the beginning of the book, but it can be done easily. Not all of it, of course, but enough to give a wider sense of the culture, like having some ritual or something similar. I mean, if you're writing on Lavanna, you'd pretty much have to go this way, since there'll be nothing familiar through which to introduce the aspects of a culture, like the human perception of the Hork-Bajir in Animorphs. You'd basically be starting from scratch. I'd say introduce some of the basics of a culture, and refine it slowly throughout the whole book. Since I'm a sucker for art, I'd say that illustrations would help as well, if, like your korats, it's physically different from what the reader would know as well.
5. The people! Almost all my favorite books, the characters have a huge amount of development, Williams, Gaiman, Pratchett. The Ratha series is almost all character. Of course, I'm a shrink at heart, so the important thing to me is seeing why characters do what they do and how they feel and the like. It's one of the reasons I really enjoy RPG games, and huge books. For me, everything else is secondary. It's the main reason that it's impossible to spoil books or shows or movies for me by telling me the plot, since I'm mainly in to see where the characters are going.
6. Controversial issues are always controversial. If you're talking pagan religions, then yes, I'd think that they'd be less threatening in a fantasy setting, but not really other sexualities. I think it mainly depends on the level of attention you bring to the novel. For example, gay characters are found through a lot of Gaiman's works, esp. the Sandman, but it's portrayed, not as a big issue, but just as a part of the character. So, I don't really see a huge problem unless you're pointed at the gay/pagan/etc character and making a huge deal about it. Of course, people will jump down your throat for anything, but unless you become as wildly popular as say, Harry Potter, it shouldn't be a huge issue, you know?
I've heard much better things about them than I have about Xlibris, so I just wanted to toss that out there.
Favorites... urban fantasy, southern gothic, and literary mainstream (though that last varies a lot). I absolutely will not read anything by Mercedes Lackey or Anne Rice, anything with a dragon or a muscular guy with long hair, a sword, and no shirt on the cover, or anything with an exclamation point in its title. I'm not a book snob, I swear. I'll read what book snobs consider "trash", just not those particular brands of trash. :-)
2. What inspires you to buy a book? (title, cover art, back cover blurb, author, genre, etc)
I usually buy books by author, either because I've read something by that author before, or because they've been recommended to me. I'll frequently pick up a book based on the cover, and read a few pages to see if I like the writing style. Back cover blurbs help some, especially if it has a recommendation from an author I like and respect, but I've never bought a book just based on the back cover blurb. I also click on those "if you like this, you might like this, too" links, and the user-created lists on Amazon.
3. In your opinion, what is the most important key thing about a best-selling book? (visual presentation, character development, tight plot, the ability of the reader to relate to the characters, etc)
Character development & ability to relate to characters, hands down. A tight plot is also important. Visual presentation doesn't matter a whole lot as long as it's not obviously put together by someone who doesn't have a clue what they're doing. (However, a cool-looking cover that doesn't look exactly like every other book in the genre is usually the one I'll pick up if I'm just randomly skimming the shelves in the used book store.)
4. Would the average reader of a fiction novel be able to comprehend a totally alien species, world, and/or culture? Would illustrations help?
How alien are we talking, here? Do the characters have motivations, emotions, and needs similar enough to humans' for the reader to identify? If so, I don't think it matters what the species is... Watership Downs is a classic, and it's from the point of view of rabbits! But illustrations are good, I like illustrations. :-)
5. Name the most outstanding thing from one of your favorite novels. (a certain character, a plot twist, the setting, the author's writing style, etc)
Honestly, it depends on the novel, but one of my favorite things in a novel is when not only is there a very detailed, fully realized setting, but the characters seem to come out of that setting naturally. Especially in fantasy, historical, and SF, but also in mainstream 21st-century-US kind of stories. Plot twists are good if done well. And the thing that will make me love a book more than anything, to the point where I'll forgive plot holes and lousy writing, is a character I can care about, identify with, want to smack around when they do something stupid....
6. In your opinion, are controversial issues such as alternative religions and sexualities less threatening when placed in a fantasy setting? Do you think that a fiction novel would lose a large portion of its potential readers if it contained controversial issues (homosexuality, paganism, therianthropy), or would the reader accept that facet as just another part of fantasy?
Short answer to both: no. Long answer to first part: I think it's a common misconception, but I don't think it's true... I think it's how the issue is presented, no matter what genre it's in. If it's presented in a casual way, not a club-you-over-the-head-with-the-LESSON way, it's both less threatening and less annoying. Long answer to second part: No, but again it depends on the presentation. For example, I think a huge mistake a lot of gay writers (or maybe their agents or publishers) make is to market their work specifically TO gay readers, as if a straight reader somehow couldn't identify. I think it's slightly more likely to catch mainstream readership if it's fantasy, but only because fantasy readers are used to certain controversial issues worked into the plot. But that's kind of a vicious cycle.
Fantasy, some sci-fi, but there's nothing I won't read if the author can convince me to feel passionate about the subject through their own passion. If that makes any sense. Guy Gavriel Kay got me hooked on his historical fiction, which I normally don't read, because his writing was so beautiful it burned my mind.
2. What inspires you to buy a book? (title, cover art, back cover blurb, author, genre, etc)
A good title catches my eye, but the back blurb does most of the convincing. If I'm not sure, I'll sometimes skim the first few pages. The author can do a lot, too. I'll buy almost any book by one of my favorites, even if it's not something I'd buy if I saw the same blurb coupled with an unknown author's name. Word of mouth can also be a powerful incentive, especially if I respect the literary opinion of the person recommending a book, or if I know that our taste in books is similar. Cover art really doesn't do much to lure me into a buy, since so often it turns out to be inaccurate anyway. (Though if you're going to be doing your own cover illustrations you at least won't have to worry about inaccuracies.)
3. In your opinion, what is the most important key thing about a best-selling book? (visual presentation, character development, tight plot, the ability of the reader to relate to the characters, etc)
All of the above. Originality is important to, even if it's just combining old ideas in new ways. J.K. Rowling didn't really create anything in Harry Potter - her ideas are taken from different cultures' myths about witchcraft, her characters are all (or at least started out as) archetypes, her plot is fairly standard - but the way she gave those disparate ideas a twist and fitted them together like pieces in a puzzle was amazing. An author's passion for the subject is also important. It has to be a love so all-consuming that it reaches out and kindles a similar love in the heart of the reader. Whether it's for the written word itself, or for something in the book like a land, a race, or even a language like Tolkien's, if I don't sense that the author feels passionately about her writing then I put the book down.
4. Would the average reader of a fiction novel be able to comprehend a totally alien species, world, and/or culture? Would illustrations help?
Yes, just introduce it gradually. Don't ram everything down the readers' throats in one giant infodump at the beginning, because they'll put it down. If you let aspects of the society/race/world surface as the narrator(s) would notice them, it provides a much smoother transition into both the world and the character mindset. Illustrations would help a lot if you want your readers to have a very specific idea of the characters' appearance in mind.
5. Name the most outstanding thing from one of your favorite novels. (a certain character, a plot twist, the setting, the author's writing style, etc)
Guy Gavriel Kay's writing style always manages to capture me and draw me into a book in a way very few authors have been able to do. It's lush without being purple, and his metaphors create vibrant, unexpected images in the mind's eye. He also has a way of keeping track of story threads and weaving them together to form a complete tapestry, not forgetting them or tying them off abruptly like many authors do.
6. In your opinion, are controversial issues such as alternative religions and sexualities less threatening when placed in a fantasy setting? Do you think that a fiction novel would lose a large portion of its potential readers if it contained controversial issues (homosexuality, paganism, therianthropy), or would the reader accept that facet as just another part of fantasy?
Like
1. What's your favorite genre(s)? What genres will you absolutely not read?
I love a GOOD fantasy or scifi. Steam punk settings are awesome, too, or anything with characters that grab me. Not just 'So and so wants to go on a quest for a sword to defeat a necromancer to avenge his daddy and he meets various love interests on the way.' Also, like El said, fantasy elements in an urban setting is teh awesome. It needs to be something that I can speak to or relate with, and I do love novels with good themes or things to be learned from them. (Did you ever look into David Sedaris' books, mri'sai? Kind'f random, but I'll forget otherwise.) Anyway, I hate novels that are TOO complicated or complex, and the plots never go anywhere, they just wind on and on and on. Uhm.. I also really, passionately hated House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende. HATEHATEOMGHATE books like that. Hard to describe, it's soap-opera-y.
2. What inspires you to buy a book? (title, cover art, back cover blurb, author, genre, etc)
*G* I wouldn't ask me this question. Normally I just hear of books from other people or read them for classes and explore stuff by that author, etc. I think the blurb on the back cover does a lot for a book, too. Just enigmatic enough to grab the attention, while providing some insight. And a good title does wonders.
3. In your opinion, what is the most important key thing about a best-selling book? (visual presentation, character development, tight plot, the ability of the reader to relate to the characters, etc)
Relating to characters is a HUGE thing. I know that if I'm reading and I either hate all the characters or I don't feel anything about them, I just can't go on. Good stories keep the plot moving without throwing too much stuff at you at once.
4. Would the average reader of a fiction novel be able to comprehend a totally alien species, world, and/or culture? Would illustrations help?
I like El's answer for this one. Illustrations would be nice and catchy (since most novels don't have them), but you also can't just throw a bunch of stuff at a human and expect them to take it in. Catch their attention by certain key traits that alert them, and let them come for more.
5. Name the most outstanding thing from one of your favorite novels. (a certain character, a plot twist, the setting, the author's writing style, etc)
Ye gods, I've no idea. What comes to mind is the Dark Tower books by Steven King. The settings in those are abso-fuggin'-lutely marvelous. They just.. work. (Sorry these aren't long, I are teh sick and stuffs.)
6. In your opinion, are controversial issues such as alternative religions and sexualities less threatening when placed in a fantasy setting? Do you think that a fiction novel would lose a large portion of its potential readers if it contained controversial issues (homosexuality, paganism, therianthropy), or would the reader accept that facet as just another part of fantasy?
This.. hmm. Well the most people reading fantasy books are prone to not care as much about these issues, so I'd say it would be fine. Remember who you're catering to.
Muh, hope I helped. IM me sometime and I'll talk to you more in-depth, but for now I need to pass out or something.. :hobbles off:
*SQUEALS*
Okay. Now that that's out of the way...
DUDE! That's awesome! *does a little book-publishing dance of duum* Wheee! :D
Sorry. I'm just high on having the lappy back from being repaired. <3!
1. What's your favorite genre(s)? What genres will you absolutely not read?
Sci-Fi/Thriller. Books that are intense and nonstop and that I can't put down after I've read the whole monstrous thing. (Michael Crichton's Prey was one of those books. I think I read the whole novel (300 pages?) in maybe two or three -long- sittings)
I will NOT read books with a lot of sex in 'em, and/or deliberate, spiteful bashing of the things I love- such as my beliefs or favorite animals.
2. What inspires you to buy a book? (title, cover art, back cover blurb, author, genre, etc)
I don't do a lot of book-buying, mostly for lack-of-money purposes. Actually, I can't say I've ever bought a book. XD! That's surprising, since I'm such a
bookwormavid reader. There are books I'd like to buy, don't get me wrong. I can name a half dozen right now that I'd buy on the spot if money weren't an issue. But, sigh. It's a big issue. I know you know how that is. But what inspires me to, say, take a book home from the library, is the plot. An eye-catching cover helps distinguish that book from the rest of the millions of books there, and then I turn to the story description. If it sounds good or if I'm familiar with the author and know them to have good stuff, I'll take it.3. In your opinion, what is the most important key thing about a best-selling book? (visual presentation, character development, tight plot, the ability of the reader to relate to the characters, etc)
The plot! The play of said plot! The "can't-put-down-must-read-all-NOW" factor. *G* And also how well the author portrays vivid imagery without sending the reader to sleep.
4. Would the average reader of a fiction novel be able to comprehend a totally alien species, world, and/or culture? Would illustrations help?
That really depends on the author's ability to describe them in understandable ways. But also, a picture is worth a thousand words. Illustrations, or at least a diagram somewhere in the book of a picture of the species, would help tremendously.
5. Name the most outstanding thing from one of your favorite novels. (a certain character, a plot twist, the setting, the author's writing style, etc)
The fantasy entwined with the reality. Michael Crichton's Prey and Frank Peretti's The Oath are two books that I could not put down from cover to cover. and I love them. I can't tell you how many times I've taken The Oath home from the library.
And yes, it's the plot, but it's also the idea of the fantastic within our modern world that holds me to the pages.
6. In your opinion, are controversial issues such as alternative religions and sexualities less threatening when placed in a fantasy setting? Do you think that a fiction novel would lose a large portion of its potential readers if it contained controversial issues (homosexuality, paganism, therianthropy), or would the reader accept that facet as just another part of fantasy?
Certain things I would accept as another part of fantasy. But other things that we could just as easily find here on Earth I would not look on as such. For example- having Christianity or Paganism on a planet far far away wouldn't seem all that interesting, because I get enough of that every day. However, having a religion where the worshipers bow to, say... anything that makes a certain noise... that would be at least somewhat interesting.
Does that make sense? =P
Hope that helps, Sushi-otoni! :D
1. What's your favorite genre(s)? What genres will you absolutely not read?
Fantasy. I tend to like the mystical/magical books with power feminine characters. I will not read classical literature for the most part, I'm a rebel and don't like to read anything that people want to shove down my throat in school, so if I do read them it's with relunctance.
2. What inspires you to buy a book? (title, cover art, back cover blurb, author, genre, etc)
Usually the author if I already know them but if not it's definately the cover art that pulls me in initially and makes me curious. I'm a very visual person. Then I'll read the back of the book to see what it's about.
3. In your opinion, what is the most important key thing about a best-selling book? (visual presentation, character development, tight plot, the ability of the reader to relate to the characters, etc)
I think all of those are essential but the most important one in my opinion is having the reader relate to the characters, because that's how you touch their emotions and move them.
4. Would the average reader of a fiction novel be able to comprehend a totally alien species, world, and/or culture? Would illustrations help?
Hmm, hard to say with the average reader. I'd say illustrations would help a lot, as well as not using too many alien sounding terms and names. It's a big frustration sometimes to have to learn a whole new language to read a book. Things have to be humanized for them to connect.
5. Name the most outstanding thing from one of your favorite novels. (a certain character, a plot twist, the setting, the author's writing style, etc)
Well, most of my favorites have heavy symbolism in common and a theme of light and dark. You'll see this thread also in LOTR and harry potter, those were blockbusters.
6. In your opinion, are controversial issues such as alternative religions and sexualities less threatening when placed in a fantasy setting? Do you think that a fiction novel would lose a large portion of its potential readers if it contained controversial issues (homosexuality, paganism, therianthropy), or would the reader accept that facet as just another part of fantasy?
Well, being that I think most people want to connect the characters, I think some of the hotter button issues would be a turnoff. Paganism seems to be getting pretty acceptable in the main stream, however. When you're dealing with specialized topics like that usually the only people who can relate have the same thing in their lives. Most fantasy people I could possibly be pretty open, but mainstream? Probably not, I think most would turn away.
1. I usually read fantasy/sci-fi (I just finshed reading 1984), and some realistic fiction (Stephen Chbosky's [the] Perks of Being a Wallflower and another author's name... I forgot, but he wrote a book Boy Meets Boy). I will absolutely not touch romance novels, as something centered so obviously on romance (eh, do my stories seem that way? lately, I haven't been touching on character relations at all; it's more like plot). While I like romance as a ploy to move the plot on and give the character(s) more conflict, I just don't like it as what is from front-to-back.
I also like macabre, if written well.
2. Hmm.
Usually, it's the title that catches my eye. As someone's said before, though, lately a lot of titles are the asme, so it gets pretty "eh". I'll usually look at the cover art or the short piece on the back, though. I try not to pick up books that have a review on the back, rather than a summary or an excerpt, because reviews can be misleading. Then again, so can a summary or a badly chosen excerpt.
I never look at genre; genre doesn't say anything to me. I don't care about it (well, unless I'm bored and I'll flip through the first few copyright pages), since it gives me judgmental problems. I don't care if the book is "Teenage Drama"... it doesn't make a book a good book, simply because of drama.
Many people would think differently.
3. All those you said, basically--but they should coexist together in such a way it's hard to tell what you're doing; you're not focusing too much on character development, but just enough to move on the plot, or you're not focusing too much on plot, but just enough to develop characters. It's been said already, really.
There's probably an exception to this rule somewhere (1984, maybe? But then again, that sort of does really focus on Winston's character quite a bit), but I'm not sure. It probably has something to do with well-written, new material of some sort--something that captures the eye.
4. No, they wouldn't, if you threw them all in at once. Too many details and people forget what they look like, what they are, what the whole point of you babbling on for three pages is about, and they might just put down the book. However, if you just incoporated it in slowly... then it'd be fine. Also, like
5. This one might be a bit longer, so I'll just continue.
A book I really enjoy is 1984. I've read it already, I've read it twice; it's a lovely read. The characters are charming (but not in a charismatic, pretty way; in a slightly disturbing, slightly twisted way), and the place it's set in is amazing ("London," Oceania). Besides that, the language is fascinating, too (Ingsoc; "reporting bb dayorder doubleplusungood refs unpersons rewrite fullwise upsub antefilling").
Which reminds me. Ingsoc is never totally introduced; not every word is put into the book (even though there's probably about, what, a hundred total?)--but a good plenty is. GOrwell puts an Appendix in the back of his book, also, explaining the structure, reason, and grammar of the language. Just thought you should know.
Another book I like is [the] Perks of Being a Wallflower. How can you not deny the love of that booK? It's wonderful. It's a book about letters a 15 year old is writing to someone (you never learn his name). Stephen Chbosky is really great with words; he makes the character narrate everything, but the character never really directly (at least, from what I remember) tells you what he's feeling. It's just the words, and you feel the character. You should check it out; if not for the content or actual story, then for the writing style.
"The difficulty I had with this story is I felt like I absorbed all the emotional pain Christopher was incapable of experiencing. I felt so desperately sad and empty at the end. Damn powerful piece of writing."
6. Yeah, they are, because then it becomes part of the fantasy, not part of real life. The readers would be wrapped up in the fantasy of it too much not to care. "It's fantasy, it'll never happen in real life." It would be another facet. Like I just said, they "know" it won't happen in real life, so to speak, or they repress it enough so that it doesn't happen in real life, et cetera.
Anyway, if you have all those controversial issues, I think it's fine. You write what you know, and people will love you for what you write because you know what you're writing.
Personally, I think you should just start with an older story you've written. The imprints aren't as fresh in your mind as, say, Outcast is, so you'll be able to catch plot and loopholes easier than you would. I also reccomend that, while proofreading/reworking it, take notes on your chapters and parts. This way, you can just compare what happens/what the characters do in chapter 5 to... uh... chapter 12, or something, and see if it all correlates. This might take a while, though, but that's what you signed when you decided to be an author, huh? Tiiiime.