RDF/RSS Feed
Atom Feed
In Kings of the North, which only the alpha readers among you have yet read, the POV characters leave Aarenis at the end of the campaign season, so whatever happens there between, say, a few tendays before the Autumn Evener and Midwinter is offstage for that book. And in that book, what happens in Aarenis isn’t relevant to that book, but it is relevant to the next…the one I’m on now.
In this book (and subsequently) quite a bit goes on in Aarenis that isn’t known to Arcolin (who returned to the north for Autumn Court as he agreed to do in Oath), and there are some new POV characters (introduced as POV characters in Kings) who are on the scene. Readers need to know some of it, and they don’t need it as “As you know, a quarter year ago so-and-so did such-and-such, and then this other guy did this other thing…” They need it as story, which means in POV.
But there is a temporal gap, with the Aarenis sequence lagging well behind the Eight Kingdoms sequence. Once snow closes the pass to Valdaire, almost no news passes either way until spring. For future books (and the end of this one) the Aarenis sequence and the Eight Kingdoms sequence need to be back in synch by the start of the next campaign year, if not earlier, so that Arcolin’s return is into a situation that the reader knows enough about. (Arcolin can be briefed by his people in straight narrative infodump that you don’t have to read.)
As a reader myself, I would be picky about how I wanted that handled in a book I was reading. I would want to be sure–or at least feel sure–that the writer was being honest with me–that there were no “gotchas” hidden in the folds of that temporal discontinuity. There are two ways to go at it (more than two, actually, but let’s deal with the major branch first.)
There’s straight chronological–which means starting the book in Aarenis, clearly before the events in the last part of Kings but far from them–and requiring readers who are dancing from foot to foot at the end of Kings to wait to see what happens next with the people in the north until Aarenis has been brought up to equivalency. (Readers who start with Book III, though, would be offered a sequential chronology from the start, very little backtracking anywhere. What they’ll lack is any leadup in the north to a “combat in the snow” chapter or two…they’ll get a sudden leap over the mountains and be dumped into the mess without knowing diddly. Though I guess that would happen anyway) The great advantage is that the big fat transition is between books–not something that jolts readers out of the story arc of the individual book while inside it.
Alternatively, there’s a one-time doubling back after the “combat in the snow” opening chapter (originally intended as the opening chapter, when I thought I could shove the Aarenis stuff into Kings…which did not work for a variety of reasons) that’s just about seamless with the end of Kings. That’s the big advantage–that smooth, easy transition from Kings to Book III (will a title please fall into my lap now?) The disadvantage is having that big temporal and spatial transition somewhere inside the story arc of this volume rather than between volumes.
I am leaning toward the “stricter chronology” tradeoff, because of the multiple POVs and the possibility of losing some people entirely with such a big backstory transition. However, I’m inquiring for reader preference, too. The final decision is likely to be Editor’s (though the alpha readers, if ever get this thing remotely in shape for alpha readers, will certainly chime in.
Comment by Slyehaven — October 2, 2010 @ 12:53 pm
If the bit that doesn’t quite fit relates to the conclusion of Book III, at least from Arcolin’s POV, I’d prefer to see it as a prologue to the book. That would be less jolting than having to jump back in time for an “Oh hey reader, you need to know this, even though Arcolin doesn’t yet” kind of moment.
Comment by Rusty — October 2, 2010 @ 1:06 pm
Since you’re asking… I’d go with “stricter chronology” as well. It will help the book stand on it’s own and, quite frankly, the readers of Kings will have already been waiting for a year or so to know what’s going on. They can wait just a couple more chapters. (or skip ahead if they feel they absolutely must)
As this is my first comment here, I just wanted to say thanks for sharing Paks with us and thanks for the blog to follow as well. I’ve been doing so since I first saw Oath on my future recommendations from Amazon and began dancing with joy, but never took the opportunity to comment until now. You’ve helped get my creative juices flowing again and I’m itching to do some writing as soon as I get over the fear of actually writing again.
Comment by Ulrika — October 2, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
Hopeless decision, logically I want it to be chronologically but emotionally there is a small voice saying “but what if Kings ends in a cliffhanger – you will *die* (and worse: not pay attention to what happens in the book) before it comes to the interesting stuff”. So what I prefer depends on how Kings ends and how long (and interesting by itself) the other stuff will be before it returns to what happens at the end of Kings. Anyway, this is only a potential problem the first time I read Book III, all the other times I will know what to expect and enjoy the story in whatever order pleases the Author (and Editor) to give it to me.
In summary, I think this is half a vote for chronologically, and a full vote of confidence that the book will be a good read!
Comment by Dave Ring — October 2, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
I’d go for strict chronological order. If there is an Author’s Note like that which begins Oath of Fealty, you can give readers who prefer continuity with Kings the option of reading the “combat in the snow” chapters first and then doubling back to Aarenis.
Comment by elizabeth — October 2, 2010 @ 2:16 pm
There are now six votes (two off-blog, including mine, and four on) for strict chronology, so…prepare to go from snow to a hot summer day in southern Fintha.
Comment by Justin — October 2, 2010 @ 10:50 pm
I prefer a strict chronology. While it might be frustrating for some users to have to wait to get back North, I’m sure they’ll get sucked in the Aarenis story.
Comment by Margaret — October 3, 2010 @ 9:43 am
I am not sure it matters that much. Many books are not chronological in presentation. I think part of the enjoyment of reading is to figure out what is going on, to have that “aha” moment when you do.
People who read fantasy and science fiction are used to having to spend some time figuring stuff out – so many variables are unfamiliar – culture, geography, history, the nature of other sentients, etc.
I’ve just started reading Guy Gavriel Kay’s new book, Under Heaven, so I am in that space right now – a sort of “suspension of expectation to understand” what is going on immediately.
It really is quite satisfying when you reach the point of everything falling into place.
Comment by AMMBD — October 4, 2010 @ 12:07 pm
Do it as a Prologue, Meanwhile, Flashback, Retelling in a bar, whatever.
So long as the whole story gets told, I have no preference how it is told 🙂
Comment by John Hicks — October 4, 2010 @ 7:37 pm
I think strict chronology is best. If it means a sudden change of scene/climate it makes me -the reader- think. I for one would get a little more satisfaction in having to work to understand the story.
Comment by Mary Elmore — October 5, 2010 @ 8:26 am
Strict chronology. I was talking to my sister who is a writer, a wordweaver, and she said she would prefer a strict chronology. She was also glad to know that another writer also uses a POV type of weaving to tell her story. I am not a wordweaver, but I do appreciate the fabric wordweavers produce.
Your “Twenty and counting” on LJ really touched me deeply. Last May it was 57 years since my father died, after a short but brilliant life. My mother died 19 years ago in November. Thank you for your thoughts. You have my prayers on such an anniversary.
Love and prayers,
Mary Elmore
Comment by elizabeth — October 5, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
There are balls of yarn played with by multiple kittens less tangled that this thing (she says, carefully untangling strand by strand and saying Words at the knotty bits.) Remember that hoary old “A stitch in time saves nine”??? Well, I should’ve done the master day by day timeline months ago, instead of blithely writing on and on and on.
Progress, however, is being made. The beginning is nailed down. Other sections are chunking in, though not yet smoothly.
Comment by Abigail Miller — October 5, 2010 @ 8:34 pm
Margaret, I love your phrase “suspension of expectation to understand”. You are quite right that SF and fantasy readers are often ready to do this, and a book is far more satisfying to me if it takes advantage of this. Initial confusion followed by “Aha!” comprehension is much better than vast chunks of infodumps at the beginning of a book.
As far as your specific question, Elizabeth, I think I go with the start-with-Aarenis crowd. But I’m sure I will be happy however you do it. Mostly I’m hoping you don’t toss out those minor-character POV sections you were saying might have to go. No! No! We wants it all, we does! Precious-s-s!
Comment by Jonathan D. Schor — October 7, 2010 @ 9:09 am
Write the way YOU want to write. It’s your book and the rest of us will have to deal with it.