Read on Twitter
One of things with the Black Legion Series is what to show, what to reveal, and what to leave as a mystery. Especially in the opening trilogy.
One fan's "Finally, now we know X!" is another fan's "I liked it better when it could've been A or B."
I think about this a lot.
One fan's "Finally, now we know X!" is another fan's "I liked it better when it could've been A or B."
I think about this a lot.
As a general rule, I try to add more mystery to the setting when it comes to my solo work. I think it's the possibility/mystery that grabs most of us in our grabbable regions.
But you have to balance that with the fact that, depending on the subject, some people want answers.
But you have to balance that with the fact that, depending on the subject, some people want answers.
Anyone saying this is easy to juggle is lying. There's no consensus; "the fandom" isn't an amorphous blob that agrees on anything. The writers have different takes, too.
You have to go with your gut. What you feel serves the story & setting best. What you think makes 40K better.
You have to go with your gut. What you feel serves the story & setting best. What you think makes 40K better.
Historical fiction is my touchstone for 40K.
In the best HF you're outside the mind of the Famous Person, not always seeing the Famous Moments laid bare.
You see the fallout from those moments, the impact on the ground level, framed through the eyes of people living through it.
In the best HF you're outside the mind of the Famous Person, not always seeing the Famous Moments laid bare.
You see the fallout from those moments, the impact on the ground level, framed through the eyes of people living through it.
The best King Arthur story never shows him getting Excalibur. The best story about the Spartans has the main character (not even a Spartan soldier) never fighting properly in the phalanx.
You get glimpses, allusions, flashes of insight: grounded, real, and sometimes terrifying.
You get glimpses, allusions, flashes of insight: grounded, real, and sometimes terrifying.
I muse over this with the Black Legion Series - and I'll be honest, I go to a lot of authors, editors, and designers for their takes.
What's too much? What's a mystery worth keeping? What's a mystery better dispelled? What are people expecting? Does that matter?
Why?
Why not?
What's too much? What's a mystery worth keeping? What's a mystery better dispelled? What are people expecting? Does that matter?
Why?
Why not?
There are a lot of answers. Most are narrative. Some are about expectations, a double-edged sword in IP work.
Sometimes it even comes down to lore that wasn't viewed as optimally presented at the time, now open for a polish or rewrite. That's its own rare but fascinating avenue.
Sometimes it even comes down to lore that wasn't viewed as optimally presented at the time, now open for a polish or rewrite. That's its own rare but fascinating avenue.
I'm coming very close to the end of Black Legion III now, and - as usual - it's not the book I thought it would be.
Please Note: They never are. Ever. Not even once. I've never been able to even remotely predict how a novel will go.
Please Note: They never are. Ever. Not even once. I've never been able to even remotely predict how a novel will go.
Just like always, I'm at the point of looking at the questions a book answers, the answers it carefully avoids giving, and the new questions it sets up for the future.
BL3 has a lot of expectation, just like The Talon of Horus (BL1) did. You can't predict how these things'll go.
BL3 has a lot of expectation, just like The Talon of Horus (BL1) did. You can't predict how these things'll go.
I don't like talking about this element of writing; I worry it comes over as self-indulgent and/or boring, but thinking about it is part of the craft.
The Siege of Terra is now past the halfway point, and BL3 is basically done, so these thoughts are more relevant than ever.
The Siege of Terra is now past the halfway point, and BL3 is basically done, so these thoughts are more relevant than ever.
Anyway, those are my 5:30am thoughts while I take myself too seriously writing about toy soldiers fighting scary space wars.
Please enjoy the rest of your Tuesday, or indeed the final grimy dregs of your Monday.
Please enjoy the rest of your Tuesday, or indeed the final grimy dregs of your Monday.
: )
