Hi friends,
Family vacations are now behind us! Whew! 😀
The older kids are starting college classes while the younger ones are balking at the start of “fun learning” again.
That’s what I’ve been calling our homeschooling, but the 7-year-old isn’t falling for it. 🙂
And today, my 16-year-old just got his wisdom teeth out. That, plus other family stuff, like my husband changing jobs and us looking to relocate cross-country next year have been sucking up my time.
But I’m about ready to start publishing my latest book online sometime next week.
I just have one decision about the book that keeps nagging at me and I wanted to ask your opinion:
So, are you a fan of the Tortoise or the Hare?
In other words, do you like to see the character in a new book suddenly gain a lot of achievements, racing from one to the next at the start of a book. (The Hare)
Or
Do you like the character to struggle at the beginning of a book, taking some time to overcome obstacles and only begin to see rewards once you’re a good way into the story? (The Tortoise)
Why do I ask?
Well, I wrote the gaming part of my newest book with the character progressing like the Tortoise. Now I’m second guessing myself and wonder if I should do a bit of a rewrite – make him more like the Hare.
A brief summary:
So, Pax, a street rat orphan, grows up in a medieval-type fantasy world where teenagers are awakened to their class and from then on they can gain skills, abilities, spells, etc. Since he will eventually end up at an academy, I originally had planned for him to increase his level once or twice during each year of school.
If you’ve read any of this type of fantasy with game-like mechanics, you know most stories have the main character leveling-up really fast in the beginning, like they would in a video game, while it’s the later levels that become more difficult and slow to achieve.
Mine is kind of switched around with Pax fighting his way out of the street life and only then, after hardship and the start of a new life, does he gain achievements. As he figures things out and triumphs, he picks up speed.
So, my question to you is, which do you like to read better in a story: the Tortoise or Hare?
What do you think I should do?
- Rewrite the speed of Pax’s achievements to be more like the Hare with faster levels and gains. It’s better to do it now before you write any more of book 2 and have to edit that too.
- Just leave it and see what readers think. There will be plenty who enjoy a character that has to work hard to reach his goals.
I’d love to hear what you think if you have a moment to send me a quick reply.
Oh, and I’m glad to hear from those of you who enjoyed the new Print release of our “Escaping the Virus” trilogy:
Enjoy the stories you read this week – full of both tortoises and hares!
— Misty 🙂
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