I like to start my chapters with a quote, I know it’s not uncommon, but I was wondering what people think about it as a reader? 🤔
@reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding
#WIPWednesday
#Quote #Quotes #BookQuote
#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #eBook #eBooks
#SpecualtiveFiction #FantasyBooks #Fantasy
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm
#Reading #Readers #ReadersOfMastodon #ReadingCommunity
The Last Philosopher: https://books2read.com/b/m0pJYA
Starting chapters with epigraphs suggests that there’s something else with which the text is in conversation. (In historical fiction, this could be real historical sources; in scientific works, it could be earlier theories; in parody, it could be quotes from the target.)
In worldbuilding, you could use real-world quotes to imply that your world is in conversation with the actual world; or you could use quotes from fictional in-world sources to imply that your text is part of a larger in-world literary context. But in either case, it draws attention to the idea that the text is constructed, which may or not be what you’re going for.
@AbouBenAdhem I use quotes from characters made up by me or anonymous quotes from the world I’m writing, so I definitely use it as a bit of extra worldbuilding or “larger in-world literary context.”
Not sure what you mean by “the text being constructed” isn’t all text? 🤔😁
Not sure what you mean by “the text being constructed” isn’t all text?
It’s pretty common since movies became popular in the 20th century to write fiction in a way that emulates that cinematic sense of immediacy, by removing anything that foregrounds a distinct narrative voice outside the thoughts and sensations of the protagonist(s). By convention, readers take this style of narration for granted and ignore that it’s still a construction (i.e., the narrator isn’t felt as a conscious presence creating the narrative.)
@AbouBenAdhem Ah, well I’ve been told my ‘destinctive narrative voice’ is one of the best parts of my writing so I suppose drawing attention to the ‘constructed’ manner of the text won’t be an issue 😁
Dune uses in-universe quotes, and I think it helps make the world feel more fleshed out.
@NickEast_IndieWriter @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding I’ve only seen it work effectively in a humourous context.
@NickEast_IndieWriter @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding I generally like it.
@NickEast_IndieWriter @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding I’m reading a book right now that does this. I think it’s nice, like a sort of breather or bridge between chapters or maybe to set the mood for the coming.
@NickEast_IndieWriter @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding
I love/hate when the quote is from some fictional ‘ancient’ in-world text.
love it because: world-building
hate it because: I want to read the whole thing and it doesn’t exist.@NickEast_IndieWriter @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding
It depends how interesting and/or relevant it is.Dune actually only has quotes (imaginary) separating “chapters”.
Most of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels have simple scene breaks and no chapter breaks*. Footnotes are annoying in fiction and eventually Pratchett stopped doing them. They also don’t work well (or at all sometimes) in real ebooks as they don’t have design-time pages.
[* some others seem to lack chapters]@NickEast_IndieWriter @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding
Oh, and leadins such as small caps or drop caps reduce readibility and accessibility even on paper, They often fail in ebooks.
No indent at start of chapter or after scene break, then 1.3em / 16pt indent for regular paragraphs. Only extra space between paragraphs on printed kids books if no indent.@NickEast_IndieWriter @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon @worldbuilding
I like it. Sets the mood. Maybe sets me on a path to read the work where the quote is from.
