Day Three

[rhian_crockett]

Today, I procrastinated a lot, did a lot of laundry (how do I wear so much?!), and eventually eked out the required word count... most of which will be cut in editing. I'm still feeling my way into the story, so I'm not unduly worried, and all of this is useful for that.

I've learnt a lot about Cai and Bedwyr, over the last few days. So far, it's been the minor characters that interest me most, which is interesting, given that Gawain is normally my main focus. It's probably a good sign that I love my subplots this much, in any case, and it's all relevant going forward into the potential other books (if I write the whole series, there will be five of them).

I always find myself wondering how much to tell people. Like the ultimate gossip, I know who all my characters are dating, but my POV character doesn't. If I don't tell you, you might figure it out for yourself, and that's awfully fun. On the other hand, you might not, and then you wouldn't know that there's an epic love affair going on behind the scenes. It reminds me of Rowling's pronouncement that Dumbledore was gay -- I didn't hallucinate that, right? -- I know who my characters are doing, but is it fair to give word of God on something that isn't actually included in the text?

For example, since I've mentioned it already, in a way: I'm pretty sure Gaheris is asexual. He just is, and he won't say so at any point in the text. I don't think he's even aware of the concept, he just knows he doesn't want a wife or any kind of lover. He's got more important things to do. As a reader myself, though, I don't really want the author stepping in and saying things are this way or that way: I have my own understanding of the characters. If I were reading it, maybe I'd desperately want to see Gaheris kidnap his brother's wife and marry her, or something. Or maybe I'd be pissed about the lack of the traditional wife and quest for him -- Enide, and his quest to prove himself a valuable knight even as a married man -- and want to write her in myself. In any case, I'd have my own ideas.

I think I've answered my own question, haven't I?

(But as a writer, I want to tell you!)

Comments

[hopeoubliette]

Perhaps because I'm a great fan of telling and of having the freedom for fanfiction, I think my own answer to your dilemma would be to perhaps write a companion piece that goes into the behind-the-scenes information that you know. It'd be canon, it'd be there, but it wouldn't be right there in the text as Word of God to keep the fanfiction freedom from happening.

Does that even make sense? My brain may be a bit fried from my own Nano push today.

[rhian_crockett]

I think my solution might be to say, this is my personal interpretation, but I understand that as readers you might see it differently, and I find that exciting, not exasperating. I mean, I'm sure some authors tear their hair out over what some people see in their stories, but I'd just be glad to see people engaging with mine, you know?

(And I might well write the behind the scenes stuff, not to include with the rest but for people to read if they want to.)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I usually enjoy it when authors reveal extra information like that. Reason being, I don't want to clutter up a story with information that is valid but doesn't belong there. I mean, sheesh, what student thinks about their school staff as sexual beings? So of course Dumbledore's sexuality didn't come up in the story, but it's cool that Rowling knows what it is.

There are things about my characters that I know, but don't necessarily reveal in fiction or poetry. If people ask, though, I may answer -- and sometimes the discussion leads to another bit of canonical writing. That's especially prone to happen in my poetic series.

Re: Thoughts

[rhian_crockett]

Yeah, exactly. Writing Arthurian stories... there is no way the whole court is going to know that a particular knight is gay, it's just not the thing that, in that setting, you'd go talking about. Since those characters are background ones, there's very little chance for it to be explicit in the text. But I do know a lot about my characters that there isn't room to say, and some people are interested in that kind of thing.