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Multiple Realities Ideas and Worries



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Thu Jun 23, 2016 2:29 am
OmegaEmerson says...



Hello, my name is Emerson, and I'll keep this brief.

I'm about 3-4 chapters into my SciFi Epic, and I've almost reached the huge plot point of the reality break, where the protagonists find themselves in four separate realities, where only one is real.

I want to bounce ideas off of you guys and gals to see how and what you think about this worry of mine: Will a reader following four separate realities (all in different times and with different enemies and dangers) be too confusing to the reader, or is it a matter of good writing to make it work?

It was originally seven realities, but I trimmed it down to four. Now, I want to do three or maybe even two, thinking four is too much, but I'm not sure. If I do four separate timelines (basically), will the average reader be able to follow it, or will it get too convoluted?
  





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Thu Jun 23, 2016 2:59 am
Holysocks says...



I think it really does depend on how you write it. If the realities are very similar, than it might get very confusing- but if there's obvious differences like say... one reality everyone floats a foot off the ground, and in another one oxygen is poisonous... I think people will be able to follow easily! And obviously the differences don't have to be so dramatic- they can be as simple as one of the main characters having a lisp in that reality or something.

Also, if the narrators were different characters in the separate realities- as in they're technically the same person but maybe one grew up in Texas and has an accent! Even just the way people talk, and tell a story can be different. So maybe the "same" people have different styles of talking- one loves sarcasm, another is big on dark humour, the other one is always trying to think of ways to prove they're the real reality. I mean that depends on if you're planning on going between POVs... but yeah. I don't think it will be too confusing.
100% autistic
  





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Thu Jun 23, 2016 4:40 am
Rosendorn says...



How do you plan on splitting the realities up? Like, showing there are multiple ones?
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Thu Jun 23, 2016 2:12 pm
OmegaEmerson says...



Rosendorn wrote:How do you plan on splitting the realities up? Like, showing there are multiple ones?


At the end of every chapter, the main characters change realities. As the chapter ends, he starts to feel woozy, and blacks out to conclude the chapter. The four realities are, tundra, ship, maze, and town

They're all completely different environments and dangers.

As they cycle through, they begin to eliminate realities (dying in them) until they (maybe) find the right one
  





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Thu Jun 23, 2016 4:48 pm
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Rosendorn says...



A Song of Ice and Fire has 14 main PoV characters, with another 10 minor PoVs and 7 who only show up in prologues/epilogues.

Inception is a whole movie based around "what reality is real". Admittedly, it is a movie, but the point remains. It's a brain bender.

I'm currently reading a novel with 6 PoV characters, timelines overlapping.

Two main points:

1- The concept of multiple realities is not new and if you look around, you'll find tons. This type of plot dates back to the Odyssey, and you can find tons of literature examples here.

2- If you're worried about chaos, and having such clean breaks between each reality, I'm not sure where the worry comes from when there are such high profile examples of readers keeping track of much more complicated scenarios. If you're dumbing down your idea because you think it won't make sense or readers won't like it, don't. Readers are smarter than you think, and if the writing is good, will put in the effort to keep track of everything.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  








Excuse me I have never *lied* about a character I just don't tell the truth
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