Normally, I don't post on Thursdays, but today is an exception.
My friend Cyndi is working on her pitch for the Nocturne Bites contest. She sent it to me last night and I made a few suggestions. But it seems her main problem lies in the names she's chosen for her worlds.
There are three levels in her world:
Underworld filled with demons,etc.
Otherworld with beings of special abilities
and, basically, Earth with humans.
Now, she also has different names for these worlds, BUT she still wants to use the 'underworld' connotation along with the other names. Subconsciously, I think she wants to help the reader 'get it'. As an avid reader of Paranormal romance and Urban Fantasy, I think this is the kiss of death--the author MUST believe in her world. The reader doesn't really exist, only the world does.
If the author is confident with her world, the reader will understand the world in the subtext. True, you will have to have a minor sentence somewhere that will 'tell' the reader, 'demons belong here', but if woven into the story effectively it won't jar the reader from the progessing story.
Believe in your story--it is the only way the reader will also believe.
I agree. Absolutely name them. They would be proud of their own name and not think of themselves as an offshoot of Earth -- unless they were Earth humans first.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Edie!
ReplyDeleteThis was a spur of the moment blog, but one I think that reminds us to trust our core insticts as a writer.
I think I told Cyndi that when you're bullshitting, make it one hell of a big patty!
I went back to the world names. EXCEPT I'm using earth instead of Mord.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the quick crit. Trying to tighten up the pitches some now. I think my stories would fit the Nocturne line quite well. The $64,000 question is... Is the writing good enough?
Great!
ReplyDeleteI think your stories are awesome. The key is do they fit the editor's idea of where the imprint is going?
Believe in yourself and good things will happen!
--hm, maybe I should take my own DAMN advice!