To whom it may concern

[quinara]

In cheerier news than my flight from France (which in the end was made easy by no one asking questions at reception when I left), my drafts of the Spikeid's last three books are now complete! Betaing and editing is still in progress, definitely, but the hard part is done and the end is in sight. I'm so excited! (And a little relieved to be free...)

One thing I would really like to do, though, is put together an introduction post for the whole fic, hopefully explaining things people haven't quite 'got' along the way. Like the title. And why it isn't just prose. So what I'd love to know here is anything you've been confused by, especially people who've started to read and then found themselves too lost/bored to continue. Tell me all your issues, even if they're just 'I don't like poetry'!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, my twelve-book post-NFA epic poem is archived up to book IX here. I'm just about to go off and start revising book I in time to post with the ending, but the story's all there and II-IX I'm happy with!

So, yeah, hassle me with your thoughts, people!

Comments

[stultiloquentia]

Wow, that's huge! Congratulations. Can't wait to read your intro notes, too.

[quinara]

Cheers! I hope the intro notes will be interesting (once I've worked out what they are...)! :D

[evilawyer]

Glad to hear the flight wasn't a bad as it could have been.

I confess I stopped reading Spikeid after a quick peek at the first post, mostly because I don't read WIPs. Looks like I'll start reading it soon, though (even if I don't like poetry). Up to part 9 --- that's quite an accomplishment.

[quinara]

Mmm, I think a lot of people don't like WIPs (moreso as the years have gone on since the show, I think), but I'm hoping people will like it all in one go! It's going to be about 50,000 words in the end, so I'm reasonably proud...

[next_to_normal]

I don't like poetry. :-P

Heh, but more seriously, poetry isn't my favorite thing ever. It just doesn't capture my attention the ways prose does, so I find it hard to get into - especially an epic poem. I think when I started reading, you already had a fair amount of books written, and it seemed very daunting to read that much poetry. (I confess, I can't remember where I gave up.)

I would like to go back and try again, though, perhaps with your introduction as a guide.

[quinara]

:P I was asking for that one rather, wasn't I?

I think book I in its original form was quite heavy-going (/not written how I would write it now), so I'm hoping when it's all finished I might be able to tempt you (and everyone!) to give it another go. I think poetry can be a bit heavy going sometimes, if only because I think it asks for more commitment - reading every line rather than jumping through paragraphs for the gist - but in terms of word count, what you're committing to is a lot less than a novel, even if it might take the same length of time to read.

What sort of thing would you like to see in the introduction (she badgers incessantly)? I really want to get people reading, so d'you think some sort of advice on how someone might go about reading this much poetry would work? I don't want to be patronising, but then I have no idea how many people have ever read a long poem before...

[next_to_normal]

I think advice would be good! A sort of "Long Poems for Dummies," perhaps. :) The only one I've read in its entirety is The Iliad, and that was with the assistance of a college professor. :)

You could maybe separate it from your other notes, if it seems patronising. Like, "for a beginner's guide on how to read this sucker, click here" or tell people to skip that section if they already know how? Or, if necessary, you could just say, "This is especially for Eowyn, who received a subpar education." :)