Writing Blog: Audience (Patreon)

One of the most annoying parts of writing Ave Xia Rem Y is coming up with new names.

Sometimes, I’ll put it off for as long as I possibly can, leading me to use placeholder names like “Sorta Clueless” or “Would Wear Glasses” for several chapters.

Inspired. I know.

For every new named character, I have to consult a list of Chinese first and last names and cross-reference it against the names I have already used in the story and the ones that are reserved for important characters. I also check what the names mean in Chinese, but that’s a secondary concern.

Ultimately, my main concern is picking out names that, even though they are Chinese, will sound good to an English-speaker. I always try to keep an eye on stuff like that.

This holds especially true when it comes to female characters. Imagine, for example, if you’re reading a story, and the author introduces a female character, going on for several paragraphs about how beautiful she is and whatnot. Then you finally learn her name.

Bob.

Can you imagine that? The disconnect would be too big. Every time you read Bob, your mind wouldn’t go to the description of the beautiful woman the author wrote. Instead, your mind would go to every other Bob you can think of. That’s the sort of thing I want to avoid. I want to pick names that will sound cool to people who aren’t used to Chinese names.

And I guess that says a lot about what audience I’m writing for.

The Xia in the title stands for xianxia, but my mindset is fundamentally more western than eastern. I have a different understanding of the tropes of xianxia compared to someone who actually comes from the culture that birthed them. The way I tackle the tropes of the story will be affected by that. By default, that kind of means Ave Xia Rem Y is aimed at people who share that cultural common ground.

Basically, Ave Xia Rem Y is very much aimed at a western audience.

Yeah, I know. I know. When I say it like that, it sounds like the most obvious thing, but it is honestly not something I put much thought into while starting out. 

Back then, my thinking was just, “I want to write this type of story.” Getting an audience was just something that happened somewhere along the way, and I think identifying what my audience is is something that has helped with a few things.

Oh, and also, Interlude: Her Name is now out for Outer Disciples, so check that out. 

Edit: I meant to schedule this post for tomorrow, but I guess it's posted now.