posted
One of the stories wondering around in my brain for a few years is the story of a family unexpectdly brought together through adoption. The first few chapters will show the struggles they face as a new family. Then a cataclysm happens, and the Earth is thrown into an Ice Age where survival in small groups is there only hope. They join with a few other familes in the struggle to survive.
So my question is, if I title it "Ice Age Survival" or something to that affect, and do not bring the Ice Age itself into the story until the fourth or fifth chapter, will readers get discouraged? I could include references in earlier chapters to the kids being raised to be prepared to live in any type of climatic circumstances.
This is going to be one difficult book for me. At least the first few chapters. I cried while I wrote the opening scene yesterday. I had tried to work on this story many times, but could not find an opening scene, until yesterday while grilling steaks!
posted
That title does nothing for me to begin with, and yes, as a reader I would be disappointed that it doesn't begin, or quickly progress, to ice age survival, as that title promises.
Perhaps find a different title? One that foreshadows without outright promising.
posted
Personally I would just call it "Survival" and let the specifics work themselves out in the reader's heads. I don't much like titles that describe the plot; I particularly dislike them when the plot in question takes a while to show up, because it puts me, as a reader, in the position of waiting for the real book to start.
Posts: 92 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
If you're going to introduce a sudden ice age, then you have to do that right at the beginning of your story. I don't care about the title.
Unless the ice age is the result of some other major cataclysm which is a more appropriate opening, or there are a lot of other major events on the world altering level which preceed and follow the start of your ice age, you can't start the story five chapters before an ice age starts.
If you go three or more chapters without mentioning that an ice age is starting, then suddenly introduce it, I'm tossing your book across the room. Again, I don't care what the title was or what the cover looked like.
posted
I think as Survivor mentioned, you could actually start with the ice age, and through dialogue you could explain the past of how the family got put together and such. i.e. "I thought when we adopted you... that you would be more resistant to us, blahblahblah." There are many creative ways in writing, I've found, to explore the past in dialogue without using dreams or flashbacks (apparently those aren't good?) Okay well that's my thought. I agree though, that if "Ice Age" is in the title it should come early, but I don't think three or four is too late... IMO. If you did it halfway through the book, I might physically harm myself (like when I tried to read _In the Days of the Comet_ by H.G.Wells... *shudders*) Keep it real.
Posts: 73 | Registered: Jul 2005
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