Single Universe

[Britva415]

I really enjoyed the "same event from different perspectives" thing in the first couple of books of Piers Anthony's "Incarnations of Immortality" - by the third or fourth I was rolling my eyes. You can only go to that well so many times

The trick is to make sure that they aren't the same story. Or even "versions of" the same story.

A good example is Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow: Ostensibly just "same events from different perspectives" but that's a major oversimplification as well as really being just wrong. It really is two different people's individual and very-different stories. Because neither of those stories is really about "the events."

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

It was hard work making sure there were no continuity errors,

There is the truth as I see it.

There is the truth as you see it.

There is the truth as any other witnesses saw it.


The same goes with story telling. Each character sees, hears, remembers and retells the details differently.

Those slight inconsistencies or continuity errors can be a bit of fun.

How many would the readers pick out? How many would read both versions?

 

[Writer61]

How many would the readers pick out? How many would read both versions?

I have, and continuity errors piss me off entirely.

 

[anthrodisiac]

My series and a lot of the stories I've written all take place in a universe I've called the Syrensverse after a band that's popped up repeatedly. It's all my modern anthro stories that take place in there, and there are a lot of character overlaps between the main series I'm working on and stories involving characters who showed up as minor characters in the series. More than half my works take place in that one universe.

 

[JohnBJohn]

What I didn't want to do in my written universe is make someone have to go back to an earlier series to understand what's going on. Each of my different series is connected by the various characters, but I provide enough information that the reader needs so they do not have to go back and start from the very beginning. Sometimes a brief (very brief) blurb at the beginning to tell the reader where some of the characters have their own stores and the one thing that they need to know. Everything else comes in the story itself.

And the sci-fi story is set on the future, so it definitely is not part of my universe (unless I have one of those characters reminisce about an ancestor, and name drop them, who was elected president? Ooooh, that's an idea!)

 

[Voboy]

What I didn't want to do in my written universe is make someone have to go back to an earlier series to understand what's going on.

To me, this is the key. The trick is to ensure each story in the universe is completely separate and distinct, needing no exposure to prior material.

I think of my universe’s references to other stories as “Easter eggs” that dedicated readers (all three of ‘em!) might get. For the rest, it lends a sense of depth to any of my stories.

 

[TammyTang]

To me, this is the key. The trick is to ensure each story in the universe is completely separate and distinct, needing no exposure to prior material.

I think of my universe’s references to other stories as “Easter eggs” that dedicated readers (all three of ‘em!) might get. For the rest, it lends a sense of depth to any of my stories.

I completely agree! Unless it's a series, I try to keep each story self contained within the rules of the universe. Other characters make cameos, or might be mentioned, but their involvement is more like an "Easter Egg" as you say.

It's fun to sprinkle in bits of world building for those that are paying attention and reward reading with cool details.

I like using known characters as background events, a sort of "so that's what they do on their days off!" realization. In my world, it's also fun to see the named people being used so casually in other stories - a kinda extension of the overall theme!

 

[JohnBJohn]

I completely agree! Unless it's a series, I try to keep each story self contained within the rules of the universe. Other characters make cameos, or might be mentioned, but their involvement is more like an "Easter Egg" as you say.

Some of my characters have had their story told already, so they'll show up on occasion as not much more than moving scenery, but I won't heavily involve them in the plot. I think it's entertaining to bring them back for a cameo, but it's pretty much just entertaining myself. Maybe someone will catch the cameo, but I doubt too many people would notice.

 

[Voboy]

I think it's entertaining to bring them back for a cameo, but it's pretty much just entertaining myself. Maybe someone will catch the cameo, but I doubt too many people would notice.

People do. They'll let you know in comments or in emails.

Or, as I suggested earlier, there'll be a sense of depth to your stories. Even the uninitiated will feel like those NPCs in your stories are fully fleshed out, somewhere. That's powerful.