I'm currently publishing my gothic novel as a serial, releasing one chapter per week for my newsletter subscribers. Start with the prologue, in which a mysterious woman turns up at the Plantation St. Vincent.
Bravo! I love the hints at a mysterious backstory and the all the questions raised by an arrival under such circumstances (trying not to add spoilers here).
"and in her arms she held a portrait of the Virgin Mary weeping." Wow. It's got style, I'll say that for it. It's bold.
This sort of thing is so hard to pull off. The fractured metaphors. The world-glimpsed-through-lightning quality. It can so easily fall into parody. The words can so easily get in the way of the picture they are trying to paint. But your have avoided all of that.
One is aware of the words, certainly, aware of how daring the exposition is. Reading it feels very much like watching a tightrope walker walking over a roaring chasm without a net. One expects the author at any moment to put a foot wrong and plunge into the depths, losing the story in a crash of broken words. But it doesn't happen. A stark image emerges through the whirl of words, and so the bold exposition becomes part of the thrill of the story.
What will the next chapter bring? Will the author make the tiger jump through the flaming hoop or will she get mauled? Have to watch to find out!
Obscurity, The Prologue
I love the mood and language of your writing so far!
So, beautifully written. You've got me hooked. On to Chapter One
Elle, where did you find the images for each chapter?
Bravo! I love the hints at a mysterious backstory and the all the questions raised by an arrival under such circumstances (trying not to add spoilers here).
This definitely set the tone. I’m hooked!
Congratulations on the launch, Elle. 🎉 You have my attention. I am looking forward to more. 😀
"and in her arms she held a portrait of the Virgin Mary weeping." Wow. It's got style, I'll say that for it. It's bold.
This sort of thing is so hard to pull off. The fractured metaphors. The world-glimpsed-through-lightning quality. It can so easily fall into parody. The words can so easily get in the way of the picture they are trying to paint. But your have avoided all of that.
One is aware of the words, certainly, aware of how daring the exposition is. Reading it feels very much like watching a tightrope walker walking over a roaring chasm without a net. One expects the author at any moment to put a foot wrong and plunge into the depths, losing the story in a crash of broken words. But it doesn't happen. A stark image emerges through the whirl of words, and so the bold exposition becomes part of the thrill of the story.
What will the next chapter bring? Will the author make the tiger jump through the flaming hoop or will she get mauled? Have to watch to find out!