making it all fit . . .
I'm almost finished with revisions for KISS OF DARKNESS, and I gotta say, I think I went a little . . . well, nuts, on them. My editor's primary suggestions were to delve deeper into the world-building, and shed a bit more light on the main characters. Hopefully, when all is said and done, I've accomplished that, but in the process, I have come up with a lot of interesting detail that I'm having the devil of a time working into the text.
I'm not a big fan of frequent flashbacks or "Well, Susie, as you know . . . " info dumps (then again, is anyone?), even when it comes to detail that is necessary to the story or the basic understanding of the characters. I use both devices very sparingly as last resorts, and only after much forehead banging frustration in trying to jimmy the info in through other means. It is very tempting to think about a glossary for this series--not so much in terms of made-up language or alternate worlds that require maps and such, but rather as a quick reference for some of the history and rules of my Midnight Breed story world.
Some authors have made brilliant use of glossaries in their work (coming first to mind, JR Ward in her excellent Black Dagger Brotherhood series). Kresley Cole put her interesting glossary--really, it's more of a story legend and lore--in the back of her latest book, as did Kinley MacGregor in her Lords of Avalon kick-off title. I think each of these examples are helpful, and add to the enjoyment and mystique of the book. But I've also run across other attempts, which, instead of hooking my interest in the story or its unique and multi-layered world, leave me skeptical that I'll be able to follow the text without constantly referencing the glossary to figure out what's going on and who's who.
So, what to do? I'm not sure yet. For now, it's back to banging my head on the keyboard, in the hopes that I'll figure it out.
I'm not a big fan of frequent flashbacks or "Well, Susie, as you know . . . " info dumps (then again, is anyone?), even when it comes to detail that is necessary to the story or the basic understanding of the characters. I use both devices very sparingly as last resorts, and only after much forehead banging frustration in trying to jimmy the info in through other means. It is very tempting to think about a glossary for this series--not so much in terms of made-up language or alternate worlds that require maps and such, but rather as a quick reference for some of the history and rules of my Midnight Breed story world.
Some authors have made brilliant use of glossaries in their work (coming first to mind, JR Ward in her excellent Black Dagger Brotherhood series). Kresley Cole put her interesting glossary--really, it's more of a story legend and lore--in the back of her latest book, as did Kinley MacGregor in her Lords of Avalon kick-off title. I think each of these examples are helpful, and add to the enjoyment and mystique of the book. But I've also run across other attempts, which, instead of hooking my interest in the story or its unique and multi-layered world, leave me skeptical that I'll be able to follow the text without constantly referencing the glossary to figure out what's going on and who's who.
So, what to do? I'm not sure yet. For now, it's back to banging my head on the keyboard, in the hopes that I'll figure it out.
