Working on a post apocalyptic dark fantasy. Could I get some

>Despite there being action scenes, they are not the focus of the story. The main focus is on characterization, character development, themes, and plot progression first, world building second, and action distant third.
>Not YA. Think of any YA cliché you can. This does not include them, don't worry. I hate the genre as much as you do.
>Despite having a protagonist, there are three rotating stories, each with one narrator offering their own unique perspective on the world and situations they face, with some characters exiting their stories and entering others. They all happen at the same time. They all intersect by the climax.

That's it for now. Thoughts?

Also, if it's not too much to ask, I'd appreciate it if all replies elaborated on your opinions. I need to take this advice as much as I can.

How familiar are you with the work of H. P. Lovecraft? (you are I think)
I would recommend the setting to resemble his (The Old Ones and this stuff). The lore of his universe was folded out by a lot of writers and just slightly refering to something that many people know, just a little, will make it more interesting imo

>>9870541
Why yes, my creatures are heavily inspired by H.P Lovecraft's works. In fact, the book itself is. Cosmic horror is a theme I'm going for, but with a different approach. Thanks for the recommendation, man!

Well your setting and premise will always be initially interesting to the post-Lovecraftian crowd that it delivers to, what is going to make your story stand out however is how well you craft your story within this setting. As you've only shared the premise no one can really judge your ability on creating what you call 'the main focus' of the story because you probably havent started yet other than outlines.

Tbh this idea, while I myself am a sucker for, is usually an idea that people in their late teens-early twenties come up with and unless you've been practising your craft daily I doubt you have the skill at the moment to pull off what you say you're gonna do.

My advice is to write smaller within the idea that you have made. Practice writing random scenes between characters or descriptions of settings or of these eldritch abominations. Practice writing and re-writing again and again until your confident to do your idea justice. It will probably be shit to start with, but that's okay because most people are shit to start with. Share snippets of your work with other people or even threads on here that will critique your work otherwise you won't be able to identify what is wrong with it.

I don't mean to sound patronizing btw, just you need to be prepared that if you're going to write something as grandiose as this without much experience its going to be bad, and I like ideas like this. But I'm also fed up of reading shitty Lovecraft knock-offs without any of his skill.

Does the events of the books unravel as the Eldritch abominations appear, or long after it?
A post-Eldritch setting would be really interesting.

>>9870556
Alright, thanks for the feedback. This is a passion project, but I haven't written before. I'll make sure to write other stories so this one can be good. Here's hoping it doesn't disappoint.
>>9870562
The book's Prologue begins with the invasion. The rest is set in the post-Eldritch world a la zombie apocalypse, or alien invasion, or even Shin Megami Tensei, so you're in for a treat here.

>>9870414
Cliche t b h , post apocalyptic works are especially cliche these days though.

>>9870569
I'm well aware of that. I probably won't be publishing this any day soon... or year really. I hope that by then the genre dies out.

Besides, you're ignoring what specific kind of post-apocalyptic fiction is cliché. It's usually the kind with the "evil grown ups" and basically Hunger Games/Battle Royale rip-off. I'm going for something a bit different here that'll be well-written enough to entertain and maybe even save the genre from (temporary but still bad) damnation.

>>9870577
The post apocalyptic genre itself is stale these days m8, if you want to get published you're going to have to come with something new. I really think the genre shouldn't be redeemed but people should focus on new genres imo

>>9870620
I agree, I am sick of this genre in literature. Though that disgust is exactly what motivated me to make this a post-apocalyptic work, to redeem the genre, and make it great again. MPAGA lol.

That being said, do you have any suggestions for alternatives? Not to sound rude or condescending or anything, but I really can't think of a genre that fits my idea of the story better.

>>9870646
Not sure desu, that's why I want people to focus their creative efforts elsewhere.

>>9870695
Got it. I'll brainstorm. Thanks for the feedback.

>>9870414
>>9870416

The concept is at a point where it's success or failure entirely depends on your abilities as a writer and what you do with it. It's not good enough to carry poor writing, it's not bad enough to sink good writing. It's kind of a blank canvas for you to work with.

Whether or not I wanted to read it would depend on what themes you are presenting, and who the characters are.

General advice from a wannabe writer interested in somewhat similar kinds of work, you don't need to explicate or spell out everything. Why tell when you can show, why show when you can imply. Don't go out of your way to be vague, but a sense of mystery and wonder is hard to maintain when reading autistic details about what should be near-incomprehensible.

Along Lovecraft, read Dunsany, Machen, Blackwood, Poe, Hawthorne, and maybe Vandermeer and Mieville for modern takes on the weird-horror-fantasy genre.

A final note, I don't particularly enjoy pure stark, McCarthyan bleakness (something to which Apocalyptic stories are particularly susceptible), so I like to see it tempered with a bit of humour. Plenty of people do like it, so take the suggestion with a grain of salt, but that's my own preference.

>>9870541
>>9870554

True Detective S1 is a good example of invoking Lovecraft (he didn't create the King in Yellow but the two are thoroughly linked by later mythos stuff) without just name-dropping Cthulhu and using the terms "Eldritch" and "non-Euclidean" every paragraph.

Because the "mythos" is done to death and cliched, to an extent, and because so much of what most people associate with it is actually the brainchild of Derleth and not Lovecraft, I would be wary with this and, again, imply it and let it bleed in at the edges without letting your story turn into fanfic.

Loveraft himself tended to delay and hint at the horrific entity until the end of the story, which is harder to do when your narrative essentially begins at the mental of the "reveal", and you will have several "reveals" throughout rather than just one at the end, but it can still be done with some subtlety, I think. When describing a monster, it's often more frightening if details are left blank, or not clearly seen, because fear of the unknown is so effective. Sometimes something very simple and yet deeply revolting can be wholly described and even more effective (Brown Jenkin kept me up all night when I read Dreams in the Witch House for the first time at age 16), but it's more hit-or-miss. Overuse of the bizarre can make it become mundane, and if you reveal too much too soon, then you have nowhere to go when you want to raise the tempo for the climax.

Think about how these concepts relate to your themes. If your themes don't need psychologically-precise horror or a progression from dread to horror to terror, then don't worry about it, but if they can benefit from a more measured treatment then it might be useful to rethink how you want the narrative to progress.

Lovecraft's stories were usually more limited in scope than a fully "apocalyptic" novel, one character or small group working toward one climactic discover or realization, so these methods might not entirely fit with what you are working toward.

Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a contrary example, where the reader is barraged with the bizarre on every page, so it might be particularly helpful for you if you want to eschew the kind of limited "subtle" approach.

>>9870756
>Themes and characters
I'm working on those, although obviously I won't spoil them yet
>Show don't tell rule
I am very much familiar with that rule, but thanks for reminding me anyway.
>Recommended authors
I've read Poe and really enjoyed his works, and Lovecraft is on my bucket list. Still, thanks for all the other recommendations.
>2edgy bleak dystopian future
Don't worry about it. I will include some comedy and light-hearted scenes, lest I drive myself and my readers to insanity. One of my favorite manga, Berserk, has those while at the same time still being dark as fuck.

>>9870799
>True Detective
Holy crap, I had no idea it had those, I thought it was just another live-action AMC/HBO crime series. I'll give it a shot.
>Lovecraft mythos
My creatures will be unique. I don't want to plagiarize such another author, much less such a significant one whose works are currently on public domain.
>Monster reveals
That's an interesting point you have there. You know, going back to Berserk, the manga begins as a dark fantasy story with demons, which then cuts to a long prequel arc. The story is like a normal medieval war story, making you forget that demons even existed. Some demons do appear, but their appearances are very scarce, making their great appearance in the end of the arc all the more horrifying. I will keep that in mind, lest I sacrifice the "cosmic horror" element. It does revolve around the fear of the unknown after all.
>Unknown details
Yes, wonderful. I was told once that in regards to certain details like world building, it's best if some details are left to the reader's imagination.
>Themes
You know, I was going for philosophical and psychological themes, although I know those can apply to the kind of story I am writing.
Thanks for the book suggestion, and thanks for your feedback.