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My current obsession in writing is "world-building," a concept that encompasses the creation and the management of the fantasy world the writer owns in his/her head. World building has always been more associated with big-time fantasy writers whose sci-fi/fantasy projects are chewed and rechewed by their millions of fans (don't forget the Trekkies). Some writers don't seem to have a problem with every nuance and detail of their world, an example of whom was the great Tolkien, who drew maps and created his own languages for his different races.
In romance, world building is also important to draw the readers in as well as to make that particular "fantasy" work. My particular problem is that I don't like to plot or describe my world too much because when I do, I get bogged down with the overkill of details. This was the reason why I couldn't play with dolls when I was a kid. I was so into building their fantasy lives (buying all the teacup sets, the makeup kits, the clothes, ALL the doll things I could find to get their lives RIGHT) that I never got to play with the dolls themselves. I was too tired by the time I've arranged the whole room the way I wanted my dolls to live!
That was the first warning I got that I shouldn't plot. LOL. The more I know, the more I don't feel like doing the writing of the story itself because I already "know" everything.
This is becoming a dilemma as I delve more and more into my GEM and COS worlds. The cheat sheet/info requests made me realize that I need to explain some things to my readers, as well as to myself, in a logical time-line manner. Yet I have this irrational fear that once I've done it, I'd lose interest in making some projected facts come true. For example, if I explained the parts where T and Alex appear on the time-sheet, the reasons and wherefores, would I really care to incorporate these "facts" as "truths" if I ever write their story? What if I don't stick to them? Then they will become similar to Laurell K. Hamilton's infamous YAABIs (Yet Another Anita Blake's Inconsistency).
I also to somehow trick myself into thinking that I'm not really plotting! But how? LOL. Dilemma, dilemma....
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Spies Have To Do Things They Don't Like
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1 comment:
Thanks for the suggestion, Sarah. I have a slight problem in the sense that some of those stories' timeline, esp. T and Alex's, has become nebulous. Currently, their "chase" has encompassed over the three SEAL books. Now, if their story still going to sell, then it will have to encompass the next series of books too ;-). When I wrote their story, Diamond's Fire, it had a happy ending with a six month separation but now...heh...nope, not gonna happen. Ah well, that's why being an author is fun. Total control, and still a happy ending! LOL.
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