Monday, June 22, 2009
Well, I haven't actually had major writers' block for some time, but I thought that since I started this blog, I may as well write something in it.
Answer this. How can an author write about a character who has lived much longer and experienced much more than him? (Her in my case.) When I really think about it, it doesn't make much sense. How can these people be real to myself -- not to mention my readers -- if I don't understand what's happening to them? So far, I have been drawing from my own small experiences and trying to guess how my thoughts, feelings, and actions would change or expand in the situations and circumstances my characters face.
I want characters whose choices determine the direction their lives take. One of my pet peeves when I read a book or watch a movie is when the protagonist is merely a pretty face and a cool name, and they're thrown into an unusual situation and make choices based on what the writer thinks will make an exciting plot. My characters' actions will be based on their own personalities, backgrounds, and environments. Of course there will be outside influences and events beyond their control, but I can't force a real person to do anything, can I? If I want my characters to be real people, I can't make them do anything, even if it would make a cool plot. They have got to choose how they respond to uncontrollable factors. I often find that if I let my characters choose how they respond and act (or don't act), the plot works out much better than if I try to force it. It's more natural and believable, even if it is in a fantasy world.
Now, if I'm going to have believable characters, they've got to live in a believable world. Hold on! What about the goblins, sprites, unusually fast-growing mountain ranges, and lights that glow without flame or electricity? (No, the latter are not glow sticks.) Alright, so there's a little magic involved, but even then, it's got to make some sense -- at least to a left-brained person like me. Let me explain. Real people are parts of real cultures and nations with real languages, norms, beliefs, etc. These, in turn are built upon real and continuing history. A significant factor in history is real geography. Am I making sense here? Tell me if I'm wrong -- and please be polite while you're at it. So, I made a map of Vael,* plate tectonics and all included. (Thank you, Dad, for the fifth grade geology lessons.) From there, I found some bits of history. This group of people lived at a strategic point, so their nation became the seat of an empire. However, because of such and such distance, internal factions, and outside pressure, the empire weakened and collapsed, and everybody split into small warring tribes again... It still needs a lot of research. With what I've found though, I've been able to add things I couldn't have imagined before to the characters, plot, setting -- everything.
I guess what I'm getting at is this: I want my readers to be able to connect to my writing so they can learn something useful. The best books I've read may not be floating around in the unreachable realm of intellectual acclaim or racing around in the ever-shifting popular circles. They endure. I can go back to them any number of times and still experience epiphanies and apply them, because I can believe them, even if they are fantasy. (That's why I would recommend The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and pretty much anything else that Tolkien worte.)
So, there you have it: my first blog entry and some of my literary philosophy, too.
Answer this. How can an author write about a character who has lived much longer and experienced much more than him? (Her in my case.) When I really think about it, it doesn't make much sense. How can these people be real to myself -- not to mention my readers -- if I don't understand what's happening to them? So far, I have been drawing from my own small experiences and trying to guess how my thoughts, feelings, and actions would change or expand in the situations and circumstances my characters face.
I want characters whose choices determine the direction their lives take. One of my pet peeves when I read a book or watch a movie is when the protagonist is merely a pretty face and a cool name, and they're thrown into an unusual situation and make choices based on what the writer thinks will make an exciting plot. My characters' actions will be based on their own personalities, backgrounds, and environments. Of course there will be outside influences and events beyond their control, but I can't force a real person to do anything, can I? If I want my characters to be real people, I can't make them do anything, even if it would make a cool plot. They have got to choose how they respond to uncontrollable factors. I often find that if I let my characters choose how they respond and act (or don't act), the plot works out much better than if I try to force it. It's more natural and believable, even if it is in a fantasy world.
Now, if I'm going to have believable characters, they've got to live in a believable world. Hold on! What about the goblins, sprites, unusually fast-growing mountain ranges, and lights that glow without flame or electricity? (No, the latter are not glow sticks.) Alright, so there's a little magic involved, but even then, it's got to make some sense -- at least to a left-brained person like me. Let me explain. Real people are parts of real cultures and nations with real languages, norms, beliefs, etc. These, in turn are built upon real and continuing history. A significant factor in history is real geography. Am I making sense here? Tell me if I'm wrong -- and please be polite while you're at it. So, I made a map of Vael,* plate tectonics and all included. (Thank you, Dad, for the fifth grade geology lessons.) From there, I found some bits of history. This group of people lived at a strategic point, so their nation became the seat of an empire. However, because of such and such distance, internal factions, and outside pressure, the empire weakened and collapsed, and everybody split into small warring tribes again... It still needs a lot of research. With what I've found though, I've been able to add things I couldn't have imagined before to the characters, plot, setting -- everything.
I guess what I'm getting at is this: I want my readers to be able to connect to my writing so they can learn something useful. The best books I've read may not be floating around in the unreachable realm of intellectual acclaim or racing around in the ever-shifting popular circles. They endure. I can go back to them any number of times and still experience epiphanies and apply them, because I can believe them, even if they are fantasy. (That's why I would recommend The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and pretty much anything else that Tolkien worte.)
So, there you have it: my first blog entry and some of my literary philosophy, too.
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