The Appendix of a Novel: Why?

[hooplala]

If one can read your book, skip the appendix, and not lose much enjoyment, the index probably is a waste.

OR, it could be considered gravy?

[e]

WoT could have used a lot of things.  Like 6 fewer books.

The idea of an appendix is usually "This is related information, but doesn't have a *direct* bearing on the story at hand" if it's fictional, or "This is related information which is useful to have, but doesn't necessarily need to be read" if non-fictional. 

I've read some books where the appendix was really useful, enjoyable, and an interesting read.  Then there have been some where I've read a bit of it and understood why it wasn't included in the main text: it sucked. 

I think it depends partly on the type of tone you're trying to set in the book if it's fiction, where an appendix can really lend weight to the idea of a world that really exists outside the confines of the story.  If it's nonfiction, appendices are neat, generally contain interesting information that's only tangentially related, and don't need to be read if people don't want to.

What's the book about and what are its potential appendices?

[Triple Zero]

appendices can also be used for giving a short introduction to required knowledge, like Fourier Theory or Arithmetic Encoding (compression), which is then mentioned in the book with a little footnote "for spags that have never heard of Fourier Theory, see the appendix for a short introduction, continue reading and then get back to school wtf are you thinking, DUDE".

[Cain]

I think the idea of extra material which may help extend the book from purely fictional terms is a good one to go by.  As 000 mentioned, if you're referencing certain areas of knowledge that are less well known, it can be an idea to have one.

I would also generally agree the larger the scope and the text, the more likely an appendix will work with the book in question.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

In the case of Illuminatus! the publishers told the Bob's that their book had to be cut by *insert large number that I don't remember here*. So they pulled out a lot of material and then, found that they could shove a good portion of it in the appendices.

Maybe you should write your book and let the editor edit it

[hunter s.durden]

Write an appendix or I'll kill myself.

[Dido]

Can you hold back the appendix untill the second edition?

[hooplala]

What's the book about and what are its potential appendices?

It's about five people who have 're-written' their lives in varying ways, and to varying degrees of success... the central character is rather eccentric and often spouts off about bizarre circumstances as proof of her ideas - the circumstances are real occurances but sound fictional (Emperor Norton, Cyrus Teed, some strange cases of spontaneous human combustion, etc) also just a few strange throwaway comments from other characters are linked to real life events (like a case of a waitress encountering a strange customer who didn't know how to eat a steak at Max's Kansas City in John Keel's "Mothman Prophesies" to an unnamed waitress, which I claim happened to a character in my book, but will reference Keel).

Also that central character is a Discordian, but only vague references are made throughout... I would go into some more detail about Discordianism.

Also, there is a LOT of backstory that, while technically relevant, doesn't necessarily HAVE to be told to tell the story, so I thought I could add some of it in there.

Plus, the outcomes of the lives of strictly minor characters, but not major ones - which I just find funny.


What do you think?  Appendix worthy?

[hunter s.durden]

Plus, the outcomes of the lives of strictly minor characters, but not major ones - which I just find funny.


What do you think?  Appendix worthy?

Yes, people are about characters that are initially minor (See: Boba Fett, Janitor, Jesus)

[hooplala]

Can you hold back the appendix untill the second edition?

Your optimism amuses me.

[Dido]

Optimism?

Write an appendix or I'll kill myself.

If you say so.

[hunter s.durden]

In summation: The best part of your book would be where I kill myself.

[hooplala]

That's the best part of any book.

[Triple Zero]

In summation: The best part of your book would be where I kill myself.

That's the best part of any book.

demonstration:

John Stalvern waited. The lights above him blinked and sparked out of the air. There were demons in the base. He didn't see them, but had expected them now for years. His warnings to Cernel Joson were not listenend to and now it was too late. Far too late for now, anyway.
John was a space marine for fourteen years. When he was young he watched the spaceships and he said to dad "I want to be on the ships daddy."
Dad said "No! You will BE KILL BY DEMONS"
There was a time when he believed him. Then as he got oldered he stopped. But now in the space station base of the UAC he knew there were demons.
"This is Joson" the radio crackered. "You must fight the demons!"
So John gotted his palsma rifle and blew up the wall.
"HE GOING TO KILL US" said the demons
"I will shoot at him" said the cyberdemon and he fired the rocket missiles. John plasmaed at him and tried to blew him up. But then the ceiling fell and they were trapped and not able to kill.
"No! I must kill the demons" he shouted
The radio said "No, John. You are the demons"
And then John was a zombie.
And then Hunter killed himself.

[Dido]

What's the book about and what are its potential appendices?

It's about five people who have 're-written' their lives in varying ways, and to varying degrees of success... the central character is rather eccentric and often spouts off about bizarre circumstances as proof of her ideas - the circumstances are real occurances but sound fictional (Emperor Norton, Cyrus Teed, some strange cases of spontaneous human combustion, etc) also just a few strange throwaway comments from other characters are linked to real life events (like a case of a waitress encountering a strange customer who didn't know how to eat a steak at Max's Kansas City in John Keel's "Mothman Prophesies" to an unnamed waitress, which I claim happened to a character in my book, but will reference Keel).

Also that central character is a Discordian, but only vague references are made throughout... I would go into some more detail about Discordianism.

Also, there is a LOT of backstory that, while technically relevant, doesn't necessarily HAVE to be told to tell the story, so I thought I could add some of it in there.

Plus, the outcomes of the lives of strictly minor characters, but not major ones - which I just find funny.


What do you think?  Appendix worthy?

It sounds like the perfect disguise for the actual point which is, in fact, the appendix.