For no reason

3 Comments

1. 

   Raven H 6 March, 2007

   Hi Simon

   I’m interested in your blog-excerpts-in-the-novel idea. Contrasting the novel moving forward and the blog moving backward could add a nice strain to character thinking or action, and plot unravelling.

   I’m not sure there is necessarily a problem with the character reading “everything to date” on the blog because blog entries can be set up to omit certain information, like, what’s going to happen next – with respect to the blog. Some form of cliff-hanger.

   The most recent entry, or, in fact, each or any entry can show the blogger searching for, thinking toward, discovering bit after bit of whatever it is you want to feed to or tantalise your blog-reading-character-stroke-reader with.

   Sounds like a potentially useful “insider” mechanism for plot progression. Have to make it subtle or complex or such to ensure the reader doesn’t think you’re just handfeeding the character and making it all to easy. You know, believability.

   Try some.

   Regards
   Raven

   Reply
2. 

   Raven H 6 March, 2007

   Really, the possibilities sound juicy.

   Reply
3. 

   The Author 6 March, 2007

   Thanks, Raven. The possibilities are juicy, I agree. It’s the practicalities that concern me. Appreciate your comments about it though, generally reflects what I’ve been thinking about it. I’m thinking about making a complete break between the blog as presented in the text of the novel and the blog as discovered by the character in the story’s world.

   Does that make sense?

   It may even be an interesting aspect to the story – the character discovers something but doesn’t tell you, the reader, about it. You get to read the same text as the character at the rate I set.

   Okay now I’m really confused. How is it that I can confuse myself?

   I am certain this whole thing may be frustrating, so it has to be handled delicately, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about writing: no matter how cool you think an idea is, if it annoys readers, it’s dead in the water.

   Reply