Sliding Doors SF

[Onyx]

My difficulty in answering this is I’m not a planner. However I normally know quite quickly if my subconscious is planning anything clever or just naff

I only read part of your first book, but I'll bet there is some critical "magic" mistake the antagonist makes toward the end, or a bit of extra awesomeness Kare does toward the end. That would be a good point to where Keria does something in her timeline that affects both timelines and collapses hers. The neat thing would be that would subtly change the original stories by having Keria's intervention become critical to Kare's success (though he'll never know it), and still allow you to do whatever you want with Keria's story until that critical end point - so you wouldn't be restricted in storyline, just need to get to that moment after however many Keria books.

And part of Keria's "powers" could be this dream-sense of events in the other universe, and how that knowledge gives her an intuition about what may be happening in her own. "I had a dream my dead brother faced a similar choice - and when he went with door #3 it went to hell, so I'll choose door #2!" kind of thing.

 

[tinkerdan]

Even though it sounds like something that could turn out to be a bad idea.

Because it involves putting a different character in the MC position, I think that it makes for a serious experiment in demonstrating how important that MC is to the story.

In that if you change that character for another--it's a different story.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Even though it sounds like something that could turn out to be a bad idea.

Because it involves putting a different character in the MC position, I think that it makes for a serious experiment in demonstrating how important that MC is to the story.

In that if you change that character for another--it's a different story.

This is exactly it. Thank you. It’s like alternate history sf.

I have Abendau with Kare - they are one canon. If I have Abendau with Karia, they are another.

Bar the initial decision Ealyn takes, and the backdrop to that, everything is different.


Remember my interest in writing is always about characters. So

Spoiler

Our original take on Rjala is Kare’s take and its a hostile one: what if Karia doesn’t think the same? What does that do to Rjala’s role?

Kare brings Eevan to the point of betraying the Banned - if he isn’t there, does that even happen? Do the rebels continue unchecked? Where does that take Sonly and Lichio?

What if the Roamers? Kare cannot connect with the mesh, Kerra can: what of Karia.

And this is before I even get to the Empress and her toxic relationship with Kare. What if Kerra actually builds bridges. What then is our understanding of the character?

The study of history is driven by a study in people: differ people would have caused different effects. This is alternate history SF: take out the Mc, change them, and see how a story can change.

I don’t need a clever story quirk: that’s not what I want to explore. I just need a confident MC.

(@Onyx - allegedly Inish Carraig is the only book of mine anyone should ever read it’s certainly the one people like a lot. Which I think is a little sad for Abendau. Heir has (a lot) of flaws, particularly around pacing, but Sunset and Legacy are much better.)

 

[Onyx]

(@Onyx - allegedly Inish Carraig is the only book of mine anyone should ever read it’s certainly the one people like a lot. Which I think is a little sad for Abendau. Heir has (a lot) of flaws, particularly around pacing, but Sunset and Legacy are much better.)

It isn't really a quality thing - I think you've admitted in the past that your writing isn't very "sciency" and I'm more interested in science based plot points for SF books. I don't really read fantasy, either. Nothing personal.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

It isn't really a quality thing - I think you've admitted in the past that your writing isn't very "sciency" and I'm more interested in science based plot points for SF books. I don't really read fantasy, either. Nothing personal.

Don’t worry - I’m a very easy going author and always assume such matters aren’t personal it was very good of you to have a look

 

[ctg]

How about if you deepen her story and provide your audience a conflicting view that will actually play to your original story and its ending, but you prove that Karen was the acting force behind all of it? You could even do it so that it'll open up totally new continuation for your trilogy and Karen was a man-in-the-middle for even some deeper entity that the Empress wasn't even aware about. The possibilities are endless, but the question is: are they all worth doing? I know you've struggled with Inish II, so is your deput trilogy worth overdoing? Do you think Abedeau's fans would like to see that story or is there were so other stories in that world you could write about?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I can’t make her integral to the original story - she is dead throughout it I think there are few enough Abendau fans that it’s up to me what to do with the universe - and, realistically, I’d have to enjoy the writing to get to something in that world.
On the other hand, Inish 2 is go! It’s uo to nearly 40k and happily going forwards. Huzzah!

 

[Onyx]

I can’t make her integral to the original story - she is dead throughout it

You can, which is what I was also suggesting. You just need to use her otherworldly influence being the cause of something that didn't seem to previously have a cause in the first series.

But you certainly don't have to. I just think CTR and I are thinking the same thing because it is both a hook and an anchor between the series. And if done well, a mind blower. (You're not my father!)

 

[Jo Zebedee]

You can, which is what I was also suggesting. You just need to use her otherworldly influence being the cause of something that didn't seem to previously have a cause in the first series.

But you certainly don't have to. I just think CTR and I are thinking the same thing because it is both a hook and an anchor between the series. And if done well, a mind blower. (You're not my father!)

But a ghost Karia would just follow Kare’s story - which isn’t at all the same ?

 

[Cathbad]

Jo, you write it... I'll read it. Period.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Jo, you write it... I'll read it. Period.

Cathbad... you are fab xx

 

[Onyx]

But a ghost Karia would just follow Kare’s story - which isn’t at all the same ?

Not necessarily. The two stories only need to interact at the beginning and at Karia's end when she does whatever pivotal and secret thing that affects Kare's worldline. Every other moment is pure Karia.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Not necessarily. The two stories only need to interact at the beginning and at Karia's end when she does whatever pivotal and secret thing that affects Kare's worldline. Every other moment is pure Karia.

But she is dead. What you’re talking about is a clever paradox that ties her story into Kare’s. That’s different from her being the protagonist instead of him.

 

[Onyx]

But she is dead. What you’re talking about is a clever paradox that ties her story into Kare’s. That’s different from her being the protagonist instead of him.

Kinda. But the reader is only going to think of her as "dead" at the very end of the series when this event happens, not during her adventures.

Or if you feel that strongly about it, she goes through the event, we briefly see the reveal that it affected Kare's world, maybe even mourn Karia for a few pages thinking she and her reality ceased to be and then continue her story from there as a kind of double twist. In that version it would be implied that both Kare's and Karia's eventual success required that both live in their own reality and be able to benefit each other through whatever moment they mutually attack the queen (or whatever). In that version both stories take on equal importance because neither would win without the other, even though they both think the other is dead.

The weird part being that you'll have to hint about that in Karia's books since you didn't in Kare's. But otherwise they are equal. And the journey Karia takes is wildly different from Kare's even though they surprisingly end up at the same climax at the same time. It just doesn't have to be the main or only climatic moment of Karia.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Jo, you write it... I'll read it. Period.

This.

 

[Abernovo]

Jo, you write it... I'll read it. Period.

Have to pretty much wholeheartedly agree with TDZ and Cathbad on this. Your stuff is always worth a read. As someone who usually wanted to give Kare a slap, I'd say go for it -- see where it leads.

Kind of hope Kerra (Karia?) wouldn't turn out to be another evil, twisted empress figure. Why would she succumb to the corruption of power when her brother wouldn't? I did wonder though, if Ealyn had survived, would he have cracked? He seemed to be losing his grip on reality.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Have to pretty much wholeheartedly agree with TDZ and Cathbad on this. Your stuff is always worth a read. As someone who usually wanted to give Kare a slap, I'd say go for it -- see where it leads.

Kind of hope Kerra (Karia?) wouldn't turn out to be another evil, twisted empress figure. Why would she succumb to the corruption of power when her brother wouldn't? I did wonder though, if Ealyn had survived, would he have cracked? He seemed to be losing his grip on reality.

I wanted to give him a slap on many occasions And there are many reasons I feel Ealyn being resurrected (unless I do his prequel which I also muse on from time to time) would be a bad thing, not least where I felt he was headed.

And thank you xx

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I’m not sure that’s what I’m trying to do - I’d be telling a different story. Kare’s remains equally valid. Like alternate universes I suppose

I'm a little scarred by hate mail too early in my writing journey lol But you may well pull it off - it's an intriguing premise.