Dear hypothetical reader

[rheasilvia]

Please help me out, friendslist! A fragmentary old story idea is finally coming together, but there is a reader perception question that I need input on.

Imagine you are reading a story in which the main character can enter and travel between fictional worlds (novels, short stories, poems, plays... anything goes). The main character gets lost and finds himself in a fictional world he doesn't know; it is a pleasant spring setting outside the gates of a near-by city, where people from various walks of life are taking in the sunshine in 19th-century garb.

A large poodle begins sniffing around the main character just as something goes wrong, and in the confusion, the dog is carried along with the main character to the next fictional world.

Do you have any feelings, opinions or preconceptions about the dog at this point in the narrative?

Comments

[carose59]

No preconception, or opinions. The feeling I have--which isn't really about the dog but about the story--is where is the dog from? Don't tell me, because I really want to read this story. *g*

[rheasilvia]

That is a very good question - and the fact that the main character doesn't know the fictional world the dog comes from is indeed a factor with significant impact on the plot. :-) It'd be okay for the reader to recognize the world, but from the feedback I've gotten so far, I think chances of that are relatively low.

Thank you for your feedback! :-)

(This story may be quite some time yet, btw - I have a different one to finish before I even start in on it. I'm just glad things are coming together plot-wise, because fragments of the plot have been stuck in my head for ages.)

Might I ask one more thing? Would you have a preconception or opinion about the dog if any or all of these factors came into play:

1 - the main character is warned by his handler to leave the initial fictional universe as soon as possible (which seems strange, since it's a nice and peaceful scene)
2 - when the main character tells his handler he's been followed by a poodle and describes the fictional scene the dog came from, the handler emphatically instructs him to stick to non-fantastical worlds (with no magic or mystical elements whatsoever) for now
3 - a character in the initial fictional scene addresses someone else as "Dr. Faust"

[extempore]

Naja, *irgendwas* sollte mit dem Hund dann schon passieren, und wenn er nur umgestülpt und tot am Ende des Weltenwechsels ankommt. Anderenfalls wäre es sinnlos, ihn überhaupt näher einzuführen.

Über eine mögliche emotionale Bindung zu diesem Punkt kann ich nichts sagen, das hängt ganz vom Geschriebenen ab, und ob dem Hund entweder bereits Charakter gegeben wurde, oder er in irgendeiner Form eine erste Verbindung zum Helden/der Heldin hergestellt hat.

[rheasilvia]

Eine sofortige emotionale Bindung an den Hund ist zwar eine mögliche Art der Leser-Reaktion, aber es gibt da ja noch wesentlich mehr Möglichkeiten, in irgendeiner Art etwas über das Tier zu denken / zu vermuten / so ein wie auch immer geartetes Gefühl zu haben. ;-)

Danke dir für das Feedback! Ich bin froh, dass ich gefragt habe, denn anhand der Rückmeldungen sehe ich deutlich, dass ich hier mit meiner "freihändigen" Einschätzung der wahrscheinlichen Leser-Reaktion tatsächlich eher daneben gelegen hätte. Manchmal überlagert da das Hintergrundwissen der Autors zu sehr den hypothetischen Leser.

Erlaube mir auch an dich eine weitere Frage (auf Englisch, denn ich bin zu faul sie zu übersetzen *g*):

Would your initial impression change if any or all of these factors came into play:

1 - the main character is warned by his handler to leave the initial fictional universe as soon as possible (which seems strange, since it's a nice and peaceful scene)
2 - when the main character tells his handler he's been followed by a poodle and describes the fictional scene the dog came from, the handler emphatically instructs him to stick to non-fantastical worlds (with no magic or mystical elements whatsoever) for now
3 - a character in the initial fictional scene addresses someone else as "Dr. Faust"

[extempore]

Die ersten beiden Fragen würden mich neugierig auf den Pudel machen, der dritte Punkt macht dann einiges klar.

Ich mag es allerdings, wenn ich als Leser lange im Dunkeln gehalten werde bzw. wenn die Hinweise nicht ganz so "in your face" sind. Daher würde vor allem Punkt 2 mich dazu bewegen, neugierig dran zu bleiben, während Punkt 3 mir schon zu viel Information ist, vor allem wenn diese früh in der Geschichte erfolgt. Hängt natürlich davon ab, worum es in der Geschichte geht. Wenn es eine zwingende Voraussetzung ist, den Hund als Dämon zu erkennen (etwa, weil die Story sich um die Beziehung zwischen dem Dämon und dem Helden dreht), dann kommt man um Punkt 3 wohl kaum herum.

[rheasilvia]

Ich denke, wenn ich in dem Punkt vage bleibe, wird es viele Leser geben, die niemals darauf kommen, was es mit des Pudels Kern auf sich hat. Selbst mit Nr. 3 wird es davon genug geben.

Die Frage ist allerdings wirklich, wie notwendig diese Erkenntnis ist, und ob sie nicht später nach und nach deutlicher werden kann. Im Grunde kann diese Frage eigentlich nur beantwortet werden, wenn ich die Geschichte tatsächlich schreibe und sehe, wie sie sich entwickelt. :-) Vielleicht reicht vorerst ein etwas mulmiges Gefühl bei der ganzen Sache.

Danke jedenfalls!

[extempore]

Ich muss mich übrigens einem Kommentar weiter unten anschließen: wenn der Held bewusst und gesteuert durch Literatur zappen kann, dann fände ich es doch eher unglaubwürdig, wenn er Faust, und somit den Pudel nicht erkennen würde.

[rheasilvia]

Das ist auf der Basis des Szenarios, das ich beschrieben habe, ein sehr berechtigter Einwand, doch ganz so einfach ist die Sache nicht. Es gibt einen guten Grund, weshalb der Held nur streckenweise Ahnung von fiktiven Welten hat... und er hat sich den Job auch nicht ausgesucht. :-)

[a_q]

Based on that, without knowing the genre, I might assume that the dog is there to highlight some crucial point for the plot (like moving from one fictional world to another will eventually kill the main character or something)

OR the dog is humorous sidestory, OR the main characters new sidekick/companion (in case the main characters needs an apt listener.)
But I wouldn't have any trouble believing it if the dog just ran off and was never heard again?

[rheasilvia]

Cool, thank you! :-) This is very helpful. It can be so difficult to gauge how things that appear obvious to me (obviously, because they originate in my own brain *g*) will read to someone else.

Of course this is a very tricky question to answer with so little context, you're absolutely right. I'd say... non-humorous fantasy, with a somewhat broody and taciturn hero who is not a dog person?

Might I ask one more thing? Would your initial impression change if any or all of these factors came into play:

1 - the main character is warned by his handler to leave the initial fictional universe as soon as possible (which seems strange, since it's a nice and peaceful scene)
2 - when the main character tells his handler he's been followed by a poodle and describes the fictional scene the dog came from, the handler emphatically instructs him to stick to non-fantastical worlds (with no magic or mystical elements whatsoever) for now
3 - a character in the initial fictional scene addresses someone else as "Dr. Faust"

[a_q]

In that context, I would view the dog as an important sign of something (most likely something bad), especially with those three factors. Also, I would suspect that the dog is more than what it seems.

And considering what you say about the hero, I would believe both actions: that they drove the dog away OR if they allowed the dog to stay, but I would also expect there to be some significant consequences either way.

With this extra information, I would be disappointed if the dog had no function in relation to plot or what happens to the hero.

[rheasilvia]

Excellent! Thank you again. The dog definitely has a function in the plot and a large impact on what happens to the hero, so that should not be a problem. ;-)

[torch]

I would probably assume that the dog was a gun on the mantelpiece. (Unless I were writing the story myself, in which case the dog would be comic relief with only minor plot effects.) Anyway, if the dog is there and accidents along, and then is disposed of (in plot terms) and never heard from again, I might be a bit annoyed.

[rheasilvia]

No worries, this poodle will definitely be fired. Uhm. Or something. ;-)

Thank you for this! I find that I really would have misjudged reader reaction here, even though I was already prepared for there to be a discrepancy between what how scene would look to me as the writer, and the way it would appear to readers. (I find this difficult at times; it sucks to realize that when I thought I was subtly, but clearly indicating some plot point through obvious (to me!) hints, I was actually being totally obscure to anyone not actually living inside my own brain!)

Might I ask one more thing? Would your initial impression change if any or all of these factors came into play:

1 - the main character is warned by his handler to leave the initial fictional universe as soon as possible (which seems strange, since it's a nice and peaceful scene)
2 - when the main character tells his handler he's been followed by a poodle and describes the fictional scene the dog came from, the handler emphatically instructs him to stick to non-fantastical worlds (with no magic or mystical elements whatsoever) for now
3 - a character in the initial fictional scene addresses someone else as "Dr. Faust"


ETA: OMG typos. Sorry!

[torch]

It's probably hard for any of us to give a truthful response, though, since your description here doesn't really tell us how you're going to describe the dog, etc. Also, I nearly gave you a list of all my associations with poodles, which yes, would have included the devil, but it was hard to know which one would have been uppermost in actual reading of the actual scene!

As for your questions, um, my impressions wouldn't exactly change through 1, since I'd still be expecting the poodle to be fired, and this would be even more intensified by 2, whereas if there was a 3, I would scowl and try to dodge the falling anvil and wonder if this character who can travel between fictional words doesn't actually do any reading, himself. So, depending on his responses there, I might also take against him a bit.

It's hard, though, to try to estimate the reaction to something without knowing how it's presented! Word choices can make a huge difference.

[rheasilvia]

I'm glad to know that one of your poodle associations would indeed have been the devil! If I thought most readers would have the possibility in the back of their head, that would be quite enough at this point in the narrative... but from the feedback I've gotten to this question, I conclude the majority of readers would simply worry about the dog's welfare. (Maybe if it were a mean-looking Rottweiler things would be different, but evidently a poodle just doesn't scream "do not worry for me, worry about me. *g*)

I take your point about the anviliciousness of #3... maybe I can get away with simply creating a foreboding atmosphere about the dog, for now. It'll be difficult to weave in the "devil" reveal through literary allusions later on, but Mephistopheles can always just come out with it himself (or at least strongly hint). That would, after all, be entirely in character. ;-)

You are, of course, entirely right that it's impossible to truly gauge a reaction on the basis of a bare-bones scenario like this. Still, this has already helped me a lot; I'd actually assumed a strange poodle in the setting in question would be Super Obvious in itself. (When I am well-marinated in a plot idea, I often mistakenly think it will be Super Obvious to everyone. Fortunately I am at least aware of this tendency...)

My poor main character can't be blamed for his lack of literary knowledge, btw, although that is in itself a rather complicated issue. *g*