In which we make slow progress...

[jesshartley]

But progress...

14,217 / 100,000 (14.0%)

I think I'm going to jump ahead to a fight scene or a sex scene to get my word count up. These "world building" chapters at the start of a book are death on my word count.

In fact, I think the most pervasive comment I got about INT was that the first few chapters were /godawful/ slow... How do those who are writing in a non-modern world (especially a fantasy one) deal with that? Any advice? I tend to want to "create" the environment and it comes out very slow and clumpy...

Comments

[cat333.livejournal.com]

What I tend to do is create the world slowly, little by little in description, over several chapters..while introducing and interacting with my main characters.

I guess this is something I learned from reading Zelazney and the Theives World series...

Just my way...you seem to take more of a Tolkien / Anne McCaffery way of doing it, which is describe the world that you're presenting, and then after your readers are familiar with it, introduce your characters. Also, a classic way of doing it...*smile*

[rickj.livejournal.com]

I didn't have a problem with it being slow to start.

I tried to balance the exposition with action in HotH. I'm a big fan of opening with a "Bond Action Sequence" that sets up the main character in an action set piece, and then go to the talky bits. YMMV

[kirbyk.livejournal.com]

One trick that sometimes work is to start in the middle of some action. I may not have a vague clue what the world is like, but I know how to follow a sword fight. And you can weave in some characterization and description during that, and then later go back and give the context.

This seems like it'd work particularly well for what I know of Exalted, where you can have Really Surprising Stuff happen in a combat scene, which gives a great sense of the scope of the story, even before we know (or care about) the why.

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

I totally agree... Unfortunately, this story is basically "look what happened to a pretty normal peasant girl", leaving the "and then flames enveloped her" to somewhat near the end of the book.

I've tried to pick up the pace in the first bit some, with the addition of a ravening pack of wolves and/or werewolves, but... damn, it's just feeling slow. bleah.

[whitewolfjmi.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I'm just the oppostite. I love the world building chapters, and I tend to struggle with intense action and the finale. Where DID you find that little graphic, tho? I want one.

Show and Tell

[secret-fire.livejournal.com]

One piece of advice I've heard is: "show, don't tell." Interweave the history and the world-setting so that it is integral to the specifics of your characters, dialogue and plot - that way you don't have to pontificate for pages and pages on the history and description of your world.

[sheriffjoe.livejournal.com]

Also, when faced with the task of having to describe a new world, I've noticed that it helps to have such descriptions done in short bursts, adding to the feeling of reading on the highway, as opposed to reading on the muddy path. Even though the reader ends up going through the same word count, the fact that a chapter is shorter seems to pshychologically make for a quicker read...and thus less ambivalence. From the writer's point of view, they feel they've accomplished more in a quicker period of time.

In any event, I have no doubt your story will keep the reader captivated through the building parts, just make sure they keep the author captivated as well. :)