Keeping it all straight

[samr4560]

Hello everyone,

I've had something on my mind I was hoping I could get some input on; it's a bit of a broad question but I'll try to put it as coherently as possible!

To provide a little context, I've written a fantasy novel (primarily inspired by the works of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan), and am now in the process of trying to edit it... Which has so far proven much more challenging than I expected. One thing I'm finding difficult is keeping all the politics straight, not so much for me (I've got it worked out in my head), but for the reader. For example, I've created a scenario in which the heir to the throne has suffered a crippling injury and is no longer fit to rule, but his father is (understandably) trying to conceal the fact from the rest of the world. Word has spread to some very powerful members of the nobility, but for the most part it's been kept secret. What I feel like I'm having trouble with is effectively conveying who knows what to the reader so that when the king dies and the nation falls into a war over the succession the reactions of the different lords and ladies make sense and the reader isn't left confused by the fact that some know more than others.

I hope that made sense! If there's anything I can clarify I'd be more than happy to do so.

Thanks very much,
Sam.

 

[glutton]

Hello everyone,

I've had something on my mind I was hoping I could get some input on; it's a bit of a broad question but I'll try to put it as coherently as possible!

To provide a little context, I've written a fantasy novel (primarily inspired by the works of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan), and am now in the process of trying to edit it... Which has so far proven much more challenging than I expected. One thing I'm finding difficult is keeping all the politics straight, not so much for me (I've got it worked out in my head), but for the reader. For example, I've created a scenario in which the heir to the throne has suffered a crippling injury and is no longer fit to rule, but his father is (understandably) trying to conceal the fact from the rest of the world. Word has spread to some very powerful members of the nobility, but for the most part it's been kept secret. What I feel like I'm having trouble with is effectively conveying who knows what to the reader so that when the king dies and the nation falls into a war over the succession the reactions of the different lords and ladies make sense and the reader isn't left confused by the fact that some know more than others.

I hope that made sense! If there's anything I can clarify I'd be more than happy to do so.

Thanks very much,
Sam.

Have somebody discuss it? Like in a meeting between two powerful lords, have one of them say most don't know about this, but they are two of the few who do. Or alternately if you have a scene from the POV of someone who knows what's up, just mention it in the narration.

 

[samr4560]

Thanks for the reply! I've tried to work in clues that would imply that but maybe I need to make it a bit more obvious.

 

[Helen]

Hello everyone,

I've had something on my mind I was hoping I could get some input on; it's a bit of a broad question but I'll try to put it as coherently as possible!

To provide a little context, I've written a fantasy novel (primarily inspired by the works of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan), and am now in the process of trying to edit it... Which has so far proven much more challenging than I expected. One thing I'm finding difficult is keeping all the politics straight, not so much for me (I've got it worked out in my head), but for the reader. For example, I've created a scenario in which the heir to the throne has suffered a crippling injury and is no longer fit to rule, but his father is (understandably) trying to conceal the fact from the rest of the world. Word has spread to some very powerful members of the nobility, but for the most part it's been kept secret. What I feel like I'm having trouble with is effectively conveying who knows what to the reader so that when the king dies and the nation falls into a war over the succession the reactions of the different lords and ladies make sense and the reader isn't left confused by the fact that some know more than others.

I hope that made sense! If there's anything I can clarify I'd be more than happy to do so.

Thanks very much,
Sam.

I suspect the confusion results from not giving characters specific points of view and arcs. Which really are products of your theme(s).

Well, that's the first thing I'd look at.

 

[samr4560]

I suspect the confusion results from not giving characters specific points of view and arcs. Which really are products of your theme(s).

Well, that's the first thing I'd look at.

Hmm, that's something I hadn't considered very much... Thanks for the input.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

For yourself create a chart showing which characters know about the heir's injury, how they found out and which chapter this took place. This will allow you to see if you think they reader will be able to follow/remember who knows about the heir.

 

[samr4560]

For yourself create a chart showing which characters know about the heir's injury, how they found out and which chapter this took place. This will allow you to see if you think they reader will be able to follow/remember who knows about the heir.

Thanks for the input, I like the idea of using some sort of graphic representation to organize things. Seems a lot easier than relying on memory all the time!

 

[Caged Maiden]

yeah, make a chart and a sort of timeline to help you keep it straight. In my stories, I use generations of people, and I skip ahead a hundred years in one part. I detailed their lineage, though it never really comes into the book in a big way, but I needed to know when people were alive to keep it consistent. There are long-lived characters in my stories that have a piece of an immortal soul, and so when one character asked whether this one guy knew her many times great-grandmother, I had to figure out exactly when she died and he was born. With that one chart, I saved myself other future headaches as otherwise, I'd have had to go back to old books and dig the info up!

I find it easiest to just open a new document for those kinds of charts, or scribble the notes into a notebook dedicated to brainstorms about a particular book. That way, years later, I can still refer back to the original inspirations, other ideas that occurred to me, and the final decisions I made (all color-coded with highlighters, or crossed out in black ink, or notated with stars or smilies, depending on how I'm feeling on a given day, I suppose).

As you edit, you might find inconsistencies, or make changes, and you have to track those changes to make sure you don't end up with a whole new set of inconsistencies.

 

[scribbler]

Maybe whoever the king is conspiring with to keep it a secret, asks about who knows the truth. If that's a little too on the nose, have the characters who know make off handed comments about the prince and his health at court, or note his absence from certain activities. G R R Martin is good about suggesting information without saying it outright. Part of the intrigue could be trying to figure out who knows what.