forum Writing Advice Please!

Started July 04, 2018 by @Relsey

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I'm writing a book with lot's of large complicated rituals and Ceremonies, I'm worried that If I enplane the rituals before hand they'll be boring, but if I don't I'm worried it will be confusing. Help

K Imma try and help just fyi I suck so pardon if I screw up

Any advice is gratefully accepted

Please guy's I desperately need advice on this one.

Hi Relsey! What you probably need is a balance between informing the reader and drowning them in explanation. If you could explain your rituals a bit (or link to your information) for me, I might be able to help with how you can present the needed information in an engaging way. Are these religious rituals? Political ceremonies? Who’s involved and how important are they to the story, etc.

The one I'm trying to write right now is the calling of an heir, It's a mixture of both political and spiritual. When a child of royal blood reaches 16 a portion of the kingdom, and royals from other countries, gather and watch the 16 year old perform a series of Light (Kinda like magic) challenges and such, that kingdoms Star (Basically a priest) will cover the 16 year old's arm with an special ointment, and if all goes well the kingdoms crest will appear, if that child wasn't fit enough or the right person to be the next ruler the crest would appear for a moment then disappear signalling that a different royal is the true heir. There are a few other things that go on but that's basically it

Thank you for the added detail. :)

I don’t think the ointment ritual is too detailed, but you’re going to want your readers to understand what it means if the crest appears, so you will need at least a little bit of information beforehand.

What I would suggest is that you tell it through the eyes of whoever your main character is. If your MC is the Star, have them remember a previous ritual where an earlier royal was tested. “The crest appeared on his arm but, alas, it lasted only a moment and swiftly faded, signalling to all present that he was not worthy of ruling Such-and-Such Kingdom,” for example.

If your MC is the royal being tested, they can be nervous about it (I really hope I pass) or really confident about it (there ain’t no way the crest’s disappearing on my arm) or whichever emotion suits their personality in this context.

If your MC is a random in the crowd, have them remember what the ritual’s about, or if it’s not a common ritual and they don’t know about it, have them ask and an older, more experienced person give a quick explanation.

If you write your characters reacting to the meaning of the ritual, your readers will pick up on it better too. A favourite royal doesn’t pass? Then have him be upset, and onlookers disappointed.

It’s more important that your readers understand the MEANING of the ritual rather than the exact specifics. Even if it matters in story, your readers won’t care whether the ointment is blue or red, whether the Star applies it with bare hands or protective gloves, etc. The important part from what you’ve mentioned is whether the crest stays or not, so that is the one bit your readers need to know the meaning of.

If you make sure that any explanation you give is written in a way that shows us more about your characters (thoughts, emotions, motivations, personality, etc.) or furthers the plot, your readers will not find it boring. :)

Thank you so much @Riorlyne !