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Author Topic: Front-loading a story
Brendan
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I read this review and found it interesting about the front-loading of the story. This writer thinks that it is a weakness, something which I believe shows that he has entirely missed the point - the stories are about the idea and character is secondary, and there are a large number of readers that would be annoyed with the unpredictable character elements impinging too much on stories where the idea is the important issue.

However, the point that "stories launch immediately into the problem" is interesting that it is identified as a weakness. It is something that is so often recommended for new authors as a means to stop the slush readers from rejecting it too quickly. I wonder, therefore, if such an emphasis becomes a norm that is hard to break out of later in a writing career? Or, more interestingly, if it will become so accepted among readers that slower starts will become just as hard to read for future readers as slower paced stories are to us?

What are your thoughts.

Edit: Thanks Ben. I should have tested the link.

[This message has been edited by Brendan (edited October 14, 2010).]


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BenM
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I didn't get the impression Greg Beatty is intentionally criticising all Idea/Milieu SF in his article per se. Rather, I think he is pointing out a common problem in SF (and I suspect, particularly Hard-SF), where the presentation of new ideas has become so important that the full arc of a story - notably the provision of a resonant and satisfying conclusion - is often almost overlooked by contrast.

I think that the more hardcore Hard-SF readership which The Hard SF Renaissance is targeting is less critical of this issue (which could just as easily be described in terms of the MICE quotient and keeping our promises to our reader) because for them the journey is more important than the destination.

Ultimately, I think whether we choose to front-load our stories in the ways Beatty complains about depends largely on our intended audience. Personally, I aim to have my cake and eat it too: I think it's possible to introduce bold new ideas in a story and still provide a strong character arc and satisfying ending. That way I satisfy my ego's desire for more readers

So I think there will always be room for a wide range of styles in SF, because there is (and will continue to be) a wide range of readers. And as a result I'm sure that among publishers and agents there will always remain a wide range of tastes. If your work has a front-loaded style and you're committed to keeping it, the fact that these 'front loaded' books are published shows there are publishers who will take them.

(and Brendan, that link you posted is missing the last 'l', so it doesn't work, ie it should be review, I think)


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redux
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Stories should start immediately into the problem - 'in medias res.'

To me it seems that the reviewer misidentified his dislike of certain sci-fi stories and called it "front-loading" when in fact it appears that he simply doesn't like stories where Science is the Main Character. There is nothing wrong with that. Everyone has different tastes and different expectations of narrative.


For instance, if someone were to ask me - what is 'Rendezvous with Rama' by Arthur C. Clarke about? All I could tell them is that it's about a cylinder in space. I don't remember a single character. But if they were to ask me, what is 'The Stars My Destination' by Alfred Bester about, I would answer that it's about a man who goes on a revenge rampage. One is more about the science of a perfectly cylindrical alien space craft, while the other is about a crazed guy who really resented being left to die in outer space. I liked both stories. And I believe both are "front-loaded."

[This message has been edited by redux (edited October 14, 2010).]


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philocinemas
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I do not believe there is only one way to start a story, nor is there a wrong way - there are better ways and worse ways - all of which ultimately depend on the story itself, the writer's reputation, and the editor who accepts or declines it.
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WouldBe
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Just doing a little thought experiment, here. I can imagine a story without a big idea, as long as the characters are interesting. But it's hard to imagine a story comprised of simply an abstract idea, requiring no characters. Even if the story has nothing but machines, we anthropomorphize them enough to make them a character, or make reference to how they affect living beings. It's difficult to describe ideas or tell stories without reference to living things, or simulated living things. So...characters are most essential.

The natural upheavals it took to create a canyon over the eons is fascinating...a big idea of nature, but until you put Indians building homes on its ledges and in its caves, fighting nature, you don't have eyebrow-raising drama.


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Osiris
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I'm with WouldBe on this one. All good stories are about characters, even science fiction ones. Plenty of SF writers will tell you that, including OSC.

The question I ask, is why do people talk about it like idea and character are mutually exclusive?


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redux
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You certainly need characters, something or someone to anchor the story for the reader. I didn't think anyone suggested that it's either the idea or characters, one or the other, but rather how much character development is required to make a good story.


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tchernabyelo
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I'm not at all sure that "all good stories need characters". Most do, and certainly the longer a story is, the more need it has of characters (and the more need it has of changes to those characters), but unless you stretch the idea of characters pretty thin, I'd cite "They're Made Of Meat" as an example of a very good, but arguably characterless, story. It is a story about perspective, but it isn't a story about character or characters.
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