Monday, July 12, 2010

An Introduction

The more I work on my novel, The Golden Gryphon, the more I realize the need for an Introduction.  I've waffled on this for quite a while, but am finally committed to it.

I wrote a new version today:

Introduction

Long ago, when the mountains were taller and the seas younger, a reclusive race of people lived between the Dagger Mountains and the Cobalt Sea.  The Hanorja were smaller than humans, less magical than elves, and not at all like dwarves.  For one thing, their menfolk  had no beards, and for another, they loathed being underground.  The common people possessed a common sort of magic, useful for lighting fires and preserving food through the long winters. Those descended from their kings were taller in height and gifted by Heaven with stronger magic in order to defend and rule their kingdom, which they called Belhanor.

The men and women (or rather, the hamen and hawen) of Belhanor  were an industrious people who lived by a strict code of honor.  They believed that everything they made should be beautiful as well as useful.  It is impossible to say how many artifacts in museums around the world today are actually of Hanorjan make, nor which mountain range upon which continent is “the Daggers” and which body of water,“The Cobalt Sea.”  The few scholars who acknowledge their existence believe that the Hanorja either died out or merged with humanity long ago.  Very little of their history remains, and what does has only been recently discovered.

This book you now hold in your hands is one of their stories.  It was unearthed from the archives of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., wrapped in brown paper and string, addressed in firm, Victorian handwriting to “Curator of Rare Books.” There was no postmark, and it had never been opened or read.

Until now.

6 comments:

  1. I love the ending of your introduction!

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  2. i know how hard it's been for you to make a decision about this.

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  3. Wow. Just wow. I totally love it. Great job!

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  4. (blush) Thank you. Some readers didn't like the idea of an introduction. But several have indicated that it was very helpful in giving critical world-building details.

    It's 3 pm. I have to go pick my son up from day camp. With new scenes and cutting and pasting, I have 17,809 words done. I'm past the worst of it, I think. Much of what I've written now can just be dumped in to complete the first half of the book. The second half needs the most work.

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  5. huh. i've never written an introduction (tho i've done prologues a plenty). i guess i never realized introductions were an option

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  6. Write it and keep it in until an editor/publisher tells you to take it out!

    Intros for this genre are common, so no harm. It's written well.

    - Eric

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I apologize for the word verification. I hate it, but the spammers made me do it.