A thread by Silverhand brought a discussion to mind. Yes, to mind--I talk to myself. I answer myself too. (Thanks Silverhand). He was asking, “How original are you?”
I have to ask, “Am I too original?” And, make no mistake, not in a good way. Oh no, not in a good way at all. More in a much-work-may-need-to-be-done way.
My critique group gave me good feedback after reading my novel. Not all good, I should say, but valuable. All in all, though, they were simple things and easy fixes. One thing that many of them said, however, was that the names were weird, hard to pronounce, etc. When I asked what the worst thing about the book was, some gave names as the reply.
Keep in mind: some members of said critique group were not fantasy buffs, as such. I would expect them to have trouble. I included them for a different perspective and due to my belief that good writing and a good story transcends genre. But I read fantasy and a lot of it. I see a lot of fantasy in which the names are weirder than mine, in my opinion.
I began to get worried when so many people brought it up, though. I look at the names and think, ‘what is so hard about that?’ I really don’t get it. They are pronounced exactly like they’re spelled. But then again, I wrote them. Just for your knowledge, for the names of one race, I used derivatives of old German and Turkish words that had, I thought, an interesting effect.
Having said that, I want to know what you think about a few questions/viewpoints.
When I read, I don’t care whether I can pronounce a name. I’ve always been like that. I’ve always been of the opinion that I read with my eyeballs, not my mouth--I don’t need to pronounce a name. As long as it’s readable and easy to distinguish from other names, I’m happy. Honestly, I never considered that anyone else was any different. Oops. How do you feel about whether or not you can easily pronounce a name?
Given that thriller readers or romance readers are used to names like Lance, Bob, Karen, Janet and Archibald, I don’t doubt that they would have trouble with Turkish mixed with old German. I go to the Middle East and I can’t pronounce their names either. And why would I expect to be able to? They are a completely different culture, as is a different race in a novel. Should I disregard the opinions of non-fantasy readers in this area? Or...
Should I change it for them as an effort to expand potential readership later on? Or...
Should I keep it like it is, think outside the box, wait for the potential fight with the editor and only change it if I lose?
One last note: All of the readers that had trouble with the names suggested a pronunciation guide in the back of the book. I have always thought that if a book cannot stand on its feet without the maps, guides and illustrations, you have a problem somewhere. Even if you include these things later, it should be able to stand without them--just my view. In short, I included it; they were happy.
Thoughts?
I have to ask, “Am I too original?” And, make no mistake, not in a good way. Oh no, not in a good way at all. More in a much-work-may-need-to-be-done way.
My critique group gave me good feedback after reading my novel. Not all good, I should say, but valuable. All in all, though, they were simple things and easy fixes. One thing that many of them said, however, was that the names were weird, hard to pronounce, etc. When I asked what the worst thing about the book was, some gave names as the reply.
Keep in mind: some members of said critique group were not fantasy buffs, as such. I would expect them to have trouble. I included them for a different perspective and due to my belief that good writing and a good story transcends genre. But I read fantasy and a lot of it. I see a lot of fantasy in which the names are weirder than mine, in my opinion.
I began to get worried when so many people brought it up, though. I look at the names and think, ‘what is so hard about that?’ I really don’t get it. They are pronounced exactly like they’re spelled. But then again, I wrote them. Just for your knowledge, for the names of one race, I used derivatives of old German and Turkish words that had, I thought, an interesting effect.
Having said that, I want to know what you think about a few questions/viewpoints.
When I read, I don’t care whether I can pronounce a name. I’ve always been like that. I’ve always been of the opinion that I read with my eyeballs, not my mouth--I don’t need to pronounce a name. As long as it’s readable and easy to distinguish from other names, I’m happy. Honestly, I never considered that anyone else was any different. Oops. How do you feel about whether or not you can easily pronounce a name?
Given that thriller readers or romance readers are used to names like Lance, Bob, Karen, Janet and Archibald, I don’t doubt that they would have trouble with Turkish mixed with old German. I go to the Middle East and I can’t pronounce their names either. And why would I expect to be able to? They are a completely different culture, as is a different race in a novel. Should I disregard the opinions of non-fantasy readers in this area? Or...
Should I change it for them as an effort to expand potential readership later on? Or...
Should I keep it like it is, think outside the box, wait for the potential fight with the editor and only change it if I lose?
One last note: All of the readers that had trouble with the names suggested a pronunciation guide in the back of the book. I have always thought that if a book cannot stand on its feet without the maps, guides and illustrations, you have a problem somewhere. Even if you include these things later, it should be able to stand without them--just my view. In short, I included it; they were happy.
Thoughts?
Its awesome my subject line made you think btw.
