Lethality

Posted on by D. D. Wolf

Cartoon or Opera?

Lethality in the superhero genre is an interesting phenomenon. Heroes and villains (apparently) may perish, but their eventual return is all but guaranteed. One of the factors in bringing The Jagged Earth to life is how to deal with death. Characters – good, bad, and other – need to resonate with readers and keep them involved in the story. Killing off any character risks alienating the reader, but traditional literature tends to leave plenty of dead bodies around. On the other end of the spectrum are cartoons where a character’s death may only last a frame or two. Superhero comics land somewhere in-between. Sometimes part of the fun of reading comics is to find out how in the world the writers are going to resolve the inescapable death trap and bring the hero – or villain – back from certain doom.

So where does The Jagged Earth fit?

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Alternate Realities

Posted on by D. D. Wolf

Story Worlds

In my quest to entertain readers, I have several different “alternate reality” scenarios in addition to The Jagged Earth on the planning books. Just to tease… there’s a place where werewolves roam and one with an invasion from outer space.  That doesn’t include a few classic fantasy and cyberpunk worlds on the boards! Regardless, all of them generally function within a familiar overall framework very similar to the universe we live in. Magic may work there and not here, but gravity and inertia generally still apply. When deciding what is possible within a particular Story World, I have to take time to explore the possibilities.

Alternatives and Adjustments

To borrow a quote from Orchids Ablaze…

Alternate universes? Sure. Parallel universes? Fine. Multiverses? Why not?. For that matter; bent, broken, folded, spindled, and mutilated universes. Ever been to back-country Nepal? Might as well be another universe.

Almost by definition speculative fiction tends to play fast and loose with history and physics, but it still has to resonate with readers. The question I’m constantly asking myself is how much should I use the “alternate reality” construct before it becomes a simple escape route? It reminds me of the Star Trek problem I read in a book a long time ago. The transporter was created as a way to cut down on travel time that didn’t help move the show along. The concept, though, meant that the transporter could provide the answer to a great many problems. So the writers had to devise reasons where the transporter couldn’t work so the stories could play out with the characters in the prime role, not the tech. That’s what I’m always trying to check myself on, but from a slightly different perspective in addition to the original one. I don’t want fall into the trap of using “alternate reality” to explain every situation and permutation of my Story World settings.

So, how much can I use without breaking the genre and spoiling the story for the reader?

I suspect it’s going to be like a great many things I’ve discovered along this road to writing and publishing. The answer is “damfino”. For the moment I keep that question high on the list as I write. At some point readers will let me know what works for them and what doesn’t. The challenge, as if I needed another one, is to find it out before alienating them!

DDW

Complications

Posted on by D. D. Wolf

Sequel Complications

I completed a basic revision on Chapter 1:

  • Staging/Diagramming review (narrative combat and exploration matches set construction drawings)
  • Basic dialog check (character dialog matches their specific form)
  • Costuming & powers (match costume details and power descriptions to character definitions cross-checked against Orchids Ablaze).

I already had an outline for Chapter 2, so I started into the actual writing. That’s when Mr. Murphy put the smackdown on Plan A.

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Unexpected Side Effects

Posted on by D. D. Wolf

Reading

When I decided to write as a serious effort, I picked several of my favorite authors to re-read. I tried to read them critically and dissect out what it was that so impressed me about them. It was actually a lot of fun as well as educational. I’ve written on that before, but now that I’m working on the second book, I’ve noticed an unexpected side effect.

It’s hard to turn off. Continue reading “Unexpected Side Effects” →

Keeping Score: Ups and Downs

Posted on by D. D. Wolf

One Character Down

In the evolution of the next book in the first Lodge of the Wolf arc, I’ve decided that I may enjoy character creation a little too much. One constructive criticism from Orchids Ablaze was too many characters were running around. There actually was logic and research behind the number of characters I used, but I may have used the wrong yardstick. I found many instances in comics, movies, anime, etc. where a team consisted of five characters (ah, memories of Voltron). Even in prose, teams tend to be four to six characters. The full Lodge of the Wolf roster of characters I have at least partial write-ups on is double that. If I dared count all the character sketches from various villain groups, independents, and (heaven forbid), the Chalice Bureau, that number would quadruple at the very least.

Continue reading “Keeping Score: Ups and Downs” →