A note to authors
Jul. 29th, 2009 02:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
If you start your book by introducing five characters at once, who refer to each other by a mix of first names, surnames and nicknames (and occasionally by some identifying feature) then I will finish the opening chapter with no idea who anyone is, or what they are doing.
I have enough problems with names in real life - I need to be introduced to characters one or two at a time, with each one labelled and identified so that I have some kind of internal handle on them, before the next ones are introduced. More than that and I will bounce right off of your book.
I have enough problems with names in real life - I need to be introduced to characters one or two at a time, with each one labelled and identified so that I have some kind of internal handle on them, before the next ones are introduced. More than that and I will bounce right off of your book.
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Date: 2009-07-29 01:48 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-07-29 02:49 pm (UTC)I did keep up with the book. Thankfully, the Mitfordesque stuff was mostly Walton being cute (imho) so as long as I knew vaguely who was being referred to, I could stick with the main plot.
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Date: 2009-07-29 06:30 pm (UTC)But Andy, Tolstoy did it... :-)
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Date: 2009-07-29 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-29 08:30 pm (UTC)I remember seeing a BBC pull-out guide to all of the various names in War and Peace (my parents had it from the 1972 version) and being somewhat boggled...
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Date: 2009-07-29 09:36 pm (UTC)I highly recommend it, though. It's huge and sprawling, but the characters are all really interesting and rounded. You end up having massive sympathy for even the most violent people (my favourite character is someone who has no qualms about killing, none whatsoever. But he's fricking awesome).
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Date: 2009-07-30 02:51 am (UTC)Ekatarina
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Date: 2009-07-30 09:33 am (UTC)Lxxx