Adressing humans of planet earth, on a work of SF.

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HourglassMemory

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I've been writing a science-fiction/"Fantasy" story where a lot of things are like our own world. the characters are humans and clothing and such, but it's all happening on another planet, which could be said, has no connection with us whatsoever. they do not know of us. And in a way, neither does the narrator.
I wanted the story and the narration to feel 'apart' from our own world.

I made a promise to myself that I would never address our human readers in manners such as "But it was not like us humans. Instead they worked this problem out by doing this and that." I feel that if I compare the things they do with our world, people would assume they had connections with us, which they don't at all. It's just similar in many ways.

I wanted to throw the readers into the world from the start, to make it feel that it's been there before they read it.

BUT, here's what's making all more difficult.

I feel, though, that if I addressed things a little bit more lightly (and I feel that it would come much faster to me while writing), it would be easier to convey my ideas in the readers' minds, but it would lose that feeling of "it's happening somewhere else, as we speak".

If I don't say that these are things happening on another planet, and that their History is different, the way the characters react to something pivotal in the story becomes laughable, and incomprehensible. A few people have replied, after reading it "I get it that they're all shocked. I would react to that with a "Oh...alright". ' Which is totally understandable!!!! It's a revelation, that to us wouldn't be that shocking, AT ALL.

The only way to convey the feelings is if I compare it with things we have in our own history. Or if I write in a such a way that they'll grasp it and become emotionally attached to this civilization from the start, right away, which is a daunting task for a book introducing the world without addressing humans of planet earth!

I know that readers fill in the blanks 75% of the times....but would they grasp the issues these characters have with this something? It's something that we do not have any emotional attachments to here on Planet Earth, but their history has been such that they do become attached to it. And it's nothing religious.

And I do explain why they have issues with the number, but even so, nothing like what is happening in the story would happen in our own world. To a normal person reading it, which would be any reader, it would look like they were over reacting and being gigantic drama queens. but without this I have no story. and many times I feel that the whole story is dependant of an ill conceived idea that only stands if people dismiss a few logical questions....

I feel that this could cut the reader's connection with the characters and the story by the root.
I guess it really depends on how I present it to the reader.
A few people have read it and they ask a very honest and not surprising question. "Why do they react in such a way to that?"

What should I do?

I don't want to address us, humans of planet earth. but at the same time, to do it would explain and expose the things to the reader in a way that flows much better.
:Shrug:

Thank you for your time.
 
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Mel

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You say that it's a lot like our world, which is saying there are some things that are not. What are the differences? Could a few of those be brought forward to set the reader down onto another planet?
 

HeronW

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If you make the characters care about the X, and explain their logic, then the reader will understand. The reader doesn't have to agree, or like, but they need to accept this is how the char. feel about X.

X could be anything: dietary law, staying out of a sacred space, saying 'bless you' when someone sneezes.

Actions come of necessity and or habit, they evolve to lose meaning or gain the wrong meaning over time.

Your chars could be doing so without knowing the origins of their custom, or for totally (to us) idiotic reasons. You don't need to jump out of the novel and state: The planet's sentient bipeds did such and so, not like humans do.
 

Shweta

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The trick is probably to find telling details to drop right at the beginning.

Things that imply that it's Not Our World, that they take for granted. If you cut that presupposition off from page 1, you'll have an easier time.

Couple suggestions for worlds that are like-ours-but-not, that might be good research (these are all fantasy novels, most of the SF I know has at least a token earthling present to be confused by everything):

- Stephen Hunt, The Court of the Air (not yet out in the US)
- Tamora Pierce, pretty much anything (these are kids'/YA
-[blanking]
 

HourglassMemory

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You say that it's a lot like our world, which is saying there are some things that are not. What are the differences? Could a few of those be brought forward to set the reader down onto another planet?
Sure, there are differences, but the difference that matters, which is their History, is adressed as soon as I can.
Then as HeronW's reply says, the reader will accept it.
 

Birol

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That's a good question right now.
Here's the thing: You have to address us, the humans of planet earth. We're your readers. We're the ones the story has to make sense to.
 
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Polenth

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Here's the thing: You have to address us, the humans of planet earth. We're you're readers. We're the ones the story has to make sense to.

...but I wouldn't take a story seriously that did it with lines like "Now dear humans, realise that these people are nothing like you" or "This is just like the French Revolution, only with green aliens". That's what I take the original poster to mean by addressing the audience.

I prefer stories that explain things like that without comparisons to Earth. I can understand wars, odd traditions and mortal fears of numbers, as long as it's explained. But start to compare it to Earth and it'll feel awkward.
 

Birol

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That's a good question right now.
You mean like Edgar Rice Burroughs did with his martian chronicles? I actually really liked those books, but that's not what I mean.

If it's something that's not going to make sense to readers in the context of their own, personal experiences, as the writer, you have to provide the information they need to have it make sense. There's many different ways to do that. How it's done is not important, as long as it works for the story being told. What's important is that the necessary information is communicated.
 

Selcaby

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Your problem is not unusual. Lots of writers out there are setting stories in invented worlds.

Look for good excuses for your characters to explain the things you need to tell. Where possible, have a character who doesn't know and needs to find out. It needn't necessarily be someone who is new to the setting. A device used in all seven Harry Potter books is that Harry is never interested in learning anything until he actually needs to know. When he does, Hermione can tell him because she has the opposite personality and wants to know everything up front, or Ron can tell him because he's been brought up in the wizarding world and it's second nature to him. Or, since he's at school, he could learn it from a teacher very naturally.

It's also okay just to explain things in narrative. The trick is to not do too much of it at once, and make it look natural. Addressing your readers directly and talking about planet Earth is best avoided because it draws attention to what you're doing. Stay inside your characters' minds and illustrate with personal details that develop character at the same time. For instance, "As a child he had nearly killed his little brother by pushing him down a hole in the ice on Lake Hadros. As he grew older the guilt had crept up on him, and now he couldn't even look at an iced drink without shuddering. Fortunately he would be an old man by the time winter returned and the lake froze over again." That's better than, "A year on Ildar was seventy-two times as long as on Earth. The children who played in the snow one winter would be old men and women the next."
 

johnzakour

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Here's the thing: You have to address us, the humans of planet earth. We're your readers. We're the ones the story has to make sense to.

I was going to say the same thing. Glad I read the read the thread before posting. :)
 

Soccer Mom

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Greetings from planet earth. I hope you come in peace. Yes, I agree with those who say let us know up front with telling details that this is not life as we know it.

Now I'll take you you our leader. Her name is Mac.
 

ChaosTitan

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The first thing the OP's post reminded me of is Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica. Human technology has evolved in ways that are parallel to our Earth, but they have their own unique history, traditions, and ways of doing things. "Earth" is known to them, but it's considered a myth, rather than a real place.

It's not a book, but the first miniseries may be worth looking into. For research. :)
 

HourglassMemory

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So If I just introduced the things that made it different, people would 'get the point', right?

I guess I had a sort of lack of trust in the reader's capabilities to 'get it'.

But I have to say that my case, my situation, is a bit more complicated than other stories like Harry Potter, because I don't have "ignorant human characters thrown in to a new world and exist as a sort of vessel to give information about this new world to the reader."
I think the reader alone has to do that.
And that takes a little bit more thinking than usual from the reader. It takes a bit more adapting.
That is what, I guess, makes me shudder and think "What if I don't get it right and they miss the whole thing????".
 

Birol

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That's a good question right now.
Don't underestimate or denigrate your readers. You, the writer, must have faith in them. If you don't trust them, why should they trust you?
 

Shweta

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And I'd add, trust yourself and your story. If you don't get it right, your beta readers will tell you, right? And it's just words, you can change them on edits.

It is hard to figure out how to specify this-isn't-normal without contrasting it with normal. I sympathize heartily. I have a story in which everyone is brown-skinned - it's set in an equatorial rainforest, go figure. But without a pale person to contrast with, that's hard to get across elegantly.

Here's another book you might look at for ideas. Just thought of it. The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford. The way he introduces the different elements into his alternate-history is just beautiful. And it might give you ideas as to how to introduce yours, if you're worried :)
 

Selcaby

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But I have to say that my case, my situation, is a bit more complicated than other stories like Harry Potter, because I don't have "ignorant human characters thrown in to a new world and exist as a sort of vessel to give information about this new world to the reader."

My point about Harry Potter was that although he's thrown into a new world at the start of the series, by the end he is not new any more, yet is still fairly ignorant because he hasn't been particularly interested in learning. Hermione is just as new to the wizarding world as he is, yet she's streets ahead of him in knowledge even in book one.

In childhood we're all ignorant of the world we're born into. And some of us stay, or are kept, in some little corner or ghetto where we don't pick up so much of what goes on outside. There can be any number of reasons for this. Political censorship. Lack of opportunities due to discrimination or poverty. A restrictive family background. Language difficulties. Blindness, deafness, autism, etc. Or just simple "I don't need to know this" arrogance. I used to know a clever 18-year-old who didn't know where to find her own country on a map of the world. I was astonished when I found out, but probably this sort of thing is not too unusual.
 

Dawnstorm

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Hi,

Introdcuing the differences early on is a good idea.

On the other hand, I remember a short story or novella I read once, by Eleanor Arnason, "The Lovers". The idea was that the story was one written by aliens and translated for the benefit of the readers. There were (very few, but well chosen) translator footnotes, the first of which right at the title. It told us that the more literal translation for the title would have been "The Breeders", but that translating the title like that would have woken false expectations. Quite interesting, I thought.
 

Nyna

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As some people have pointed out, your problem is not really unique. You can look at practically any fantasy author since Tolkein for examples of how other people have dealt with it, and quite a lot of science fiction, too. I would personally suggest you read some of the Discworld novels, by Terry Pratchett. The best advice I can really give you is to check out how other people have done it, and what mistakes they made, and what mistake they didn't. We've come a long way, stylistically, since Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Also, Battlestar Galactica is awesome. Recommended.
 

Selcaby

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Well, Terry Pratchett does narrate to the Earthling reader and use analogies from our world (at least, in Equal Rites, which I've just been reading) so he's perhaps not the best example for you to follow. He makes it work, though. Perhaps it suits his style because he's writing comedy.
 

ishtar'sgate

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I don't think your problem is much different than it is for those of us who write historical fiction. We have to plunge the reader at once into an unfamiliar time with unfamiliar customs etc. In order to orient the reader you should probably open with something unique to your 'world', even if it's simply by having your MC appreciate the evening sky with its three moons or something like that. It immediately grounds your story as otherworldly and the reader is ready to appreciate it as such.
Linnea
 

dirtsider

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People have already given some really good ideas. The example of Harry Potter is a good one - someone "new" to the situation needs the ettiquete/customs of that situation. Say your MC arrives at a new school or enters a religious order - show your MC settling into things. Use that to show the differences.

The original Battlestar Galactica from the 1970's used a voiceover during opening credits to set the situation up.

In my WIP, the story will be based on Earth but involves a subculture that one of the MC's isn't familiar with. I'll be using a combo of her reacting to things and/or have the other MC explain things.
 
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HourglassMemory

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The thing is that my MC is part of that world that I want to introduce to the readers.
How do I do it without adressing directly or indirectly, my readers?
Because the story is supposed to be narrated by a conciouness, a narrator, that only knows that planet.
And it's not like a very alien thing. It doesn't have squids and extremely deep and diferentiated cultures and such meeting in markets and what not.
It has pretty much a 19th century feel to it.

Another one of my issues with this is how do I make the readers aware that, even though it has a lot of similarities, it is not the 19th century people are used to? How do I convey that it is not Earth that these character walk on.
 
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Shweta

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Another one of my issues with this is how do I make the readers aware that, even though it has a lot of similarities, it is not the 19th century people are used to? How do I convey that it is not Earth that these character walk on.

Hm. You might want to read Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. Or Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. Or Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

Or at least the first pages thereof. See how they do it.
 
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