We see her. We see her life. We have a sense of who she is, and what "normal" is like for her.
In the film version, they go from black and white of Kansas to the multi-color of Oz, giving us a visual sense of just what that experience was like for her.
I mention this, because I started reading a book. Not any of the Oz books, but another "person gets whisked away into a fantastic world" and although the writing was good, I just wasn't getting into it. I couldn't figure out why.
What I realized was that it jumped right into the story. Someone was bored. Boom they were taken somewhere else.
We had absolutely no sense of who this person was or what their life was like. Might the book explore that further? They probably do. (or at least I hope they do) But that grounding of reality is important, otherwise when you rip it away, why should anyone care?
It's not just fiction either. Prose of any kind needs some kind of entry point. Maybe it's the character who is being introduced to a fantastical place, alongside the reader. Maybe it's setting up the "normal life" circumstances of a non-fiction piece, just before (insert life events here) happened.
What are some of the things that can make it more difficult for YOU to slip into a story?
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Btw - Contestant Only Voting is still going on! http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/756961.html So make sure to get your votes in!
I'm going to go ahead and mention this, in case it hasn't crossed your minds: The longer you take to vote, the longer it is going to take me to count! I say this because every year there is a HUGE influx of votes in the last 6 hours or so. And then people sit around wondering why I don't have results up yet! ;)
Obviously, take the time you need to read and decide. But, if you have the opportunity to vote before "last minute", do so. If not, then please be patient! :)
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There is also a Killing Floor happening, that seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle - with people putting themselves out there, asking for concrit. I hope you can give them some love!
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I asked this in a thread yesterday - but it kind of got lost as well:
Since you can't see the votes. WHO do you think might be in trouble, but *shouldn't be*?
Basically - who deserves to get more attention from your fellow contestants than you perceive them as receiving?
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