Post by account_disabled on Dec 27, 2023 21:35:39 GMT -6
My novel had a big gap: it was missing the so-called world building , the setting, which especially in a science fiction story must be clear and detailed. I, on the other hand, had deliberately left everything vague, because that first part of the novel is set so far in the future as to make it impossible to imagine. This, of course, smacks of apology, even if it isn't. Sorry or not, the reader who sits down to read that novel will wonder where the characters move, when that event happens. It will ask legitimate questions to which the author was unable, or unwilling, to offer an answer.
The 5 Ws of narrative journalism Index Who? Who is the main character? What? What are you doing? When? When does the event happen? Where? Where does the scene Special Data take place? Why? Why does this happen? Beginnings of The Betrothed Beginning of The Puppy To solve that problem, that gap, I proceeded to create a setting, also drawing the map of the city with the main streets and the sectors into which it is divided. I then took a series of notes that I will need to insert useful details. Thinking back to the work done to make that first part clear and also credible, I discovered that I had applied the famous 5 W rule of Anglo-Saxon journalism, which now also applies to copywriting, blogging and who knows what else.
It is an easy rule to remember, because in English the 5 initial words used to ask as many questions all begin with the same letter: W. With us it would become the rule of 2 C+Q,D,P: for once it is useful and smart to leave english. Should we always use the 5 W rule to write an incipit? No, to tell the truth. For the occasion I read the incipits of various famous novels and in many one of the 5 Ws or even a couple were missing. I would say that the author, from time to time, will evaluate whether to use them all or not. Certainly, in my opinion, it is good to answer all 5 questions, even if you decide to omit one or more answers.
The 5 Ws of narrative journalism Index Who? Who is the main character? What? What are you doing? When? When does the event happen? Where? Where does the scene Special Data take place? Why? Why does this happen? Beginnings of The Betrothed Beginning of The Puppy To solve that problem, that gap, I proceeded to create a setting, also drawing the map of the city with the main streets and the sectors into which it is divided. I then took a series of notes that I will need to insert useful details. Thinking back to the work done to make that first part clear and also credible, I discovered that I had applied the famous 5 W rule of Anglo-Saxon journalism, which now also applies to copywriting, blogging and who knows what else.
It is an easy rule to remember, because in English the 5 initial words used to ask as many questions all begin with the same letter: W. With us it would become the rule of 2 C+Q,D,P: for once it is useful and smart to leave english. Should we always use the 5 W rule to write an incipit? No, to tell the truth. For the occasion I read the incipits of various famous novels and in many one of the 5 Ws or even a couple were missing. I would say that the author, from time to time, will evaluate whether to use them all or not. Certainly, in my opinion, it is good to answer all 5 questions, even if you decide to omit one or more answers.