As a lot of you probably know, given my previous posts. I'm in love with Period Pieces, they are the only things I feel really comfortable writing in. I was thinking about writing a family saga, spanning about 2 or 3 generations starting 1870 or '75. How do YOU feel about Period Pieces, and Family Sagas? How do you feel about them put together?
I don't mind them. I think I've read a few peices where the sequel focused on the previous book's descendants. I myself have ideas of a family saga that features two families and their descendants from the 1700s to modern times. It all depends on how interesting you make this family, I think. What are they doing? What's the plot?
Well I find that "Idle Rich" factor of the Victorian Era very intruiging to write about. So I was going to focus on a well-to-do family, and their exploits. The trouble they get into, (infidelity, scandal etc.) The first generation that I'll focus on is born in the 1850s, then I plan to stretch on to the pre-World War One, or maybe even go in to the mid-20s.
If the writing is good, I'll read it. If the writing is boring, I'll probably pause and set it on my reading backlog, never again to see the light of day.
The time period is interesting to me. I can't say I'm a huge fan of family sagas, but that could be because I've never read any (unless Steinbeck's East of Eden counts, and I love that book). Go for it. As everybody says, if it's well written, it'll be worth reading.
Like everyone else, I'll read it if the writing is good. The most recent family saga novel I read was The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Franzen tells the story by switching back and forth between several time periods. You should give the book a try if you haven't already read it. Perhaps it'll give you a few ideas.
Well I actually got my inspiration when I watching a tv show called the "Forsyte Saga" on Netflix back in January, I then downloaded the novel on my NOOK, and I was just in awe, the story was beautiful, and VERY well written. So I thought I would try it out. I've already created my family trees, and I've started profiling my characters. I'm anxious to begin the actual writing process, but I want to go slow, and draw out details. So that I don't make many mistakes like I have in the past when I started rushing. I plan on trying to get published, so I won't post the entire book here, but I will share chapters with you guys every now and then.
Bumping this thread because, after two years, I'm deciding to revisit this idea. I'm still very much interested in family sagas but since I found my inspiration for it from another story--I feel like I would catch myself snatching ideas from the novels that made me want to write one. Authenticity is the key. You have to be able to find ideas that aren't overused, somewhat original and put a unique twist on them. There are, of course, some ideas that are just cliched. It's somewhat of a slippery slope.
I guess I'll throw my two cents out on family sagas. So, if they're good, great. But if it's JUST a family saga, meh. What I'm doing is incorporating it into my own work. The first book I've got in my series (The New Order), follows one character and his friends. The prequel I want to write one day will follow an ancestor 500 years in the past that has importance to the story. The last book in the series that I've toyed with writing (The Plane of Life, first three chapters are in the workshop somewhere if you want to look at how I've incorporated it) is set with The New Order's main character's kids as the main characters. It can work if it's good. I don't know anything about period pieces so I won't talk about those.
Since this thread is back, I'll mention Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, which is quite possibly the most famous example of a family saga.
