Knots, Ties and Tides: The Questionnaire!
With the new year and the ending of the Uses of Enchantment series, I've found myself focusing more and more on writing Knots, Ties and Tides as my Official Fandom Project for 2008-- especially since the lovely adore184 recently requested the next chapter of the series as her birthday present. ;) But with that said, excited as I am about continuing the series (you think one Solidor is hard enough on Penelo? Wait till more enter the scene!), I find myself at a bit of a cross-roads with it. Though I'm enjoying writing it, I still have some issues that I want to resolve in regards to the series, especially since it keeps becoming more and more and more complex as time goes on. Thus, I wrote this questionnaire on some of the issues of characterization and plot that keep bothering me.
I would very, very, very much appreciate any or all of my readers participating in this, though I know this can be a time-consuming process. And please, feel free to answer only the questions that interest you, skipping whatever you'd like to skip. And thank you ahead of time for helping me in this way, btw! The FFXII fandom really is the best damn thing I've ever been involved in online and it's all because of people like you. ♥
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Questions about Characters:
1. What are your general thoughts on Penelo's voice as a narrator? Do you find her interesting/boring to read? Easy/difficult to follow? Too prone to making wise-cracks or angsting? Too emo or too flippant? Does she manage to be both fun to read and yet still appear like a relatively normal teenaged girl?
2. One of the things I'm most concerned with is making Penelo feel "real" and like a person with her own unique foibles, instead of some irritatingly divine Mary Sue archetype of perfection. Thus, I've tried to have her make enough mistakes and have enough defects in her personality to make her seem real. Thus I really want to know: Is she generally a realistic narrator? Has she ever done anything that made you feel she was completely in the wrong? Do you feel you can forgive her even when she acts cruelly or lashes out against others?
3. Another characterization note I'm concerned about with Penelo is making her seem both realistically clever/insightful yet also often outgunned/outplotted by the more experienced/intelligent people around her. Do you feel that Penelo is generally an intelligent/insightful person? Do you find it believable when she still manages to make mistakes and bad judgment calls? Is it believable that, regardless of how clever she can be, both Ashe and Larsa (and others still to come) can still run circles around her when it comes to politics? Does she still seem smart even if she's being taken advantage of by a twelve year old?
4. What do you generally think of Larsa's characterization? Does he come off as intelligent/idiotic? Sensitive/bone-headed? Loving/selfish? Cute/creepy? Gentle/domineering? Like a lost little boy, a political agent who knows what he wants and aims to have it and/or like an obsessive tyrant in the making?
5. How realistic, understandable and sympathetic is Larsa's desire to get engaged/married to Penelo at a young age? (This was mostly discussed in chapter 10, btw.) I'm terribly worried about it coming off as completely creepy (in the To Catch A Predator sense of the term). Is that the case at all? Did his wanting to kiss Penelo in recent chapters come off as icky or believable, considering he hasn't quite hit thirteen yet?
6. Do you think Penelo and Larsa could ever be happy together through this rout of politically arranged marriage? Why or why not? And if not, what would have to change to make them happy?
7. So far, I've been focusing mostly on writing Penelo, Larsa and Ashe (in order of importance). However, I want this to eventually be more of an ensemble story with more characters pulled in for important plot-lines. Who would you like to see more of within this story? Do you have any general suggestions on how to include them? Would you like to see some stories written through their POV? (Like the Gabranth-POV story written.)
Questions about Plot:
1. How believable/interesting is the arranged marriage plot that Ashe and Larsa are conspiring on together? Does the plan to first elevate Penelo to a real Dalmascan noble and then make her the first Dalmascan-born Empress of Archadia (and thus a living tie between Dalmasca and Archadia that won't compromise Dalmascan sovereignty) actually seem feasible?
2. What do you believe will happen in the story in the future?
3. What would you hate to see in this story in the future?
Questions about Pacing:
1. Is the story too fast or too slow so far? Would you like to see the action move to Mount Bur Omisace within the next two or three chapters or to see more character development unfold before then, in Dalmasca?
2. Would you like more action-filled chapters or does the slower pace and more developed dialog in each chapter suit you?
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Once again, thank you very much for participating! And remember, it doesn't mater if you answer only one or all of these questions. I'd be pleased with any feedback whatsoever, no matter how short or detailed, regardless of how much or how little of the story you've read. ♥
I would very, very, very much appreciate any or all of my readers participating in this, though I know this can be a time-consuming process. And please, feel free to answer only the questions that interest you, skipping whatever you'd like to skip. And thank you ahead of time for helping me in this way, btw! The FFXII fandom really is the best damn thing I've ever been involved in online and it's all because of people like you. ♥
*
Questions about Characters:
1. What are your general thoughts on Penelo's voice as a narrator? Do you find her interesting/boring to read? Easy/difficult to follow? Too prone to making wise-cracks or angsting? Too emo or too flippant? Does she manage to be both fun to read and yet still appear like a relatively normal teenaged girl?
2. One of the things I'm most concerned with is making Penelo feel "real" and like a person with her own unique foibles, instead of some irritatingly divine Mary Sue archetype of perfection. Thus, I've tried to have her make enough mistakes and have enough defects in her personality to make her seem real. Thus I really want to know: Is she generally a realistic narrator? Has she ever done anything that made you feel she was completely in the wrong? Do you feel you can forgive her even when she acts cruelly or lashes out against others?
3. Another characterization note I'm concerned about with Penelo is making her seem both realistically clever/insightful yet also often outgunned/outplotted by the more experienced/intelligent people around her. Do you feel that Penelo is generally an intelligent/insightful person? Do you find it believable when she still manages to make mistakes and bad judgment calls? Is it believable that, regardless of how clever she can be, both Ashe and Larsa (and others still to come) can still run circles around her when it comes to politics? Does she still seem smart even if she's being taken advantage of by a twelve year old?
4. What do you generally think of Larsa's characterization? Does he come off as intelligent/idiotic? Sensitive/bone-headed? Loving/selfish? Cute/creepy? Gentle/domineering? Like a lost little boy, a political agent who knows what he wants and aims to have it and/or like an obsessive tyrant in the making?
5. How realistic, understandable and sympathetic is Larsa's desire to get engaged/married to Penelo at a young age? (This was mostly discussed in chapter 10, btw.) I'm terribly worried about it coming off as completely creepy (in the To Catch A Predator sense of the term). Is that the case at all? Did his wanting to kiss Penelo in recent chapters come off as icky or believable, considering he hasn't quite hit thirteen yet?
6. Do you think Penelo and Larsa could ever be happy together through this rout of politically arranged marriage? Why or why not? And if not, what would have to change to make them happy?
7. So far, I've been focusing mostly on writing Penelo, Larsa and Ashe (in order of importance). However, I want this to eventually be more of an ensemble story with more characters pulled in for important plot-lines. Who would you like to see more of within this story? Do you have any general suggestions on how to include them? Would you like to see some stories written through their POV? (Like the Gabranth-POV story written.)
Questions about Plot:
1. How believable/interesting is the arranged marriage plot that Ashe and Larsa are conspiring on together? Does the plan to first elevate Penelo to a real Dalmascan noble and then make her the first Dalmascan-born Empress of Archadia (and thus a living tie between Dalmasca and Archadia that won't compromise Dalmascan sovereignty) actually seem feasible?
2. What do you believe will happen in the story in the future?
3. What would you hate to see in this story in the future?
Questions about Pacing:
1. Is the story too fast or too slow so far? Would you like to see the action move to Mount Bur Omisace within the next two or three chapters or to see more character development unfold before then, in Dalmasca?
2. Would you like more action-filled chapters or does the slower pace and more developed dialog in each chapter suit you?
*
Once again, thank you very much for participating! And remember, it doesn't mater if you answer only one or all of these questions. I'd be pleased with any feedback whatsoever, no matter how short or detailed, regardless of how much or how little of the story you've read. ♥