Fantastic essay. Lots of helpful points. One that I'm chewing on that your essay highlighted is the need in spec fic to avoid having readers sit and stew in anxiety about what might come to pass in the real world. Rather, use a fantastical world to help readers enter more deeply into their own with curiosity and wonder, and in so doing gain new insight not into the problem but into their own contribution to solutions...what really matters to them and how that can spur them to reevaluate relationships, values, passions and actions for the good of others.
"Rather, use a fantastical world to help readers enter more deeply into their own with curiosity and wonder, and in so doing gain new insight not into the problem but into their own contribution to solutions..."
That's a fantastic point. If you're able to produce an actionable result in your reader, then you've really taken a meaningful step as an author. It would be thrilling to have a reader tell me they were moved enough by my fiction to do something in the real world. Thanks for commenting!
In a world devoid of meaning the zombies worship “the science” as defined by the masters. They begged for protection and begged the masters to take their souls in payment. The masters replied “we already have them” and begun the slaughter.
This is why meaningful fiction can be so important. Most often those under any fog do not regain a clear vision by being slapped across the face. It's a slow process of identifying untruths or half-truths, but that needs to happen using more subtle forms of narrative that reach a different part of the brain.
Thanks for sharing this, Brian! New subscriber here. Really dig your overall point about deepening our work. These genres have such an amazing ability to reflect culture's unsavory parts without paralyzing its readers. I tend to write sort of grounded science fiction to get around preconceived notions about what it means to be human, and how technology effects our relationships. What's extra cool is I feel through writing this way, we can find a deeper understanding of where it is our beliefs really lie--which stories compel us and why has so much to do with how we view the world where we move and act.
Thank you for subscribing, Jon! I feel the same way about how the writing helps solidify our own beliefs. Hopefully you'll be able to participate in a future season and show the community your writing. Thanks for reading and commenting!
If you haven't already, be sure to check out Fictionistas! Another great community of cross-genre fiction writers gathering together for occasional meetups and writing articles about how to help one another.
Thank you Brian, this was such a helpful essay! Two points stood out to me in particular. First, don't let your character hold a minority view just to support the theme you're trying to convey as the author. Characters should have personal and even selfish reasons for holding the beliefs they hold, not just because it serves the story.
And secondly, don't "bless" your main character with extra powers... Let all the characters have the same potential in your magic system, and force your main character to draw on other resources like relationships and internal motivations to achieve the outcome.
Funny how what stood out to me was mostly about writing relatable and realistic characters. I will definitely keep these points in mind!
Thank you, Sarah! Yes, you hit on a great point about blessing your main character with extra powers, and I love that word "bless" to describe it. Our protagonists should have flaws that are relatable, desires, temptations and virtues that we can understand, and should not be all powerful. Thank you for reading and commenting!
"However, you’re not trying to sell your perspective to the readers."
Such an important distinction. This is also how you make room for complexity.
Personally, I often put my own preferred views at a disadvantage. Part of this is just the interesting position to attack my own strongly held beliefs, but the other part is that I hold politically radical positions which aren't necessarily popular. Pretending like people suddenly love these ideas is just wishful thinking.
I try to do the same, but I'm not always successful. It's hard to put aside our own conditioning when writing a story, but it makes it much more interesting when we do.
"Pretending like people suddenly love these ideas is just wishful thinking."
So true! Thanks for reading and commenting radicaledward.
Those are good points, but I write to escape my reality, not copy it. I don't write about modern war, or nuclear disasters, and I try not to get political. My creations hearken back to a day when magic was real, honoring the gods meant something, and men were men and women were women.
The few Sci-fi pieces I've written are more about characters and situations than the equipment around them.
Thank you, Joseph. You're not alone. I write more character driven stories as well, and I really aim for high entertainment and escape value. Recently though, I've found the stories that resonate with readers most are those that have some relationship to the real world. It's a fine line between propaganda and telling a more meaningful story, but it does help a reader see through a different lens. Thanks for reading and your feedback!
Thanks for your insightful essay, Brian. I agree that my favourite speculative fiction books are all comparable to the real world and really get you to think. Sadly, a lot of the people I know don't see too much value in reading fantasy (but more of them do appreciate science fiction).
Thank you, MYINC! We just need to find you more fantasy folk. 😉 I trend toward science fiction as well, but I am trying to broaden my fantasy list. I have a few on my TBR to make that happen. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I dunno. I still think you need to start with a sound story and character(s) who evoke strong emotional responses in your readers before you really start to build the themes and deeper messages that you are trying to convey. Otherwise, it just becomes cardboard-y and shrill.
I never set out to advocate specific points in my fiction. But by the way I craft my characters, by the way I set up their journey through the events of the story, I present my point of view on an issue.
I usually won't start unless I have a hint of a story brewing, and I know how it will end, which has more to do with how I approach the craft than meaning. The way in which my characters evoke a strong emotional response though, is by expressing themselves in alignment with the overarching theme and meaning.
Hmm. Differing approaches. I build the character and the theme/meaning arises from the character construction process--that is, their reaction to the situation I put them in, based on their temperament and backstory. If I try to force them to align with the theme and meaning, the results aren't always what I want.
Fantastic essay. Lots of helpful points. One that I'm chewing on that your essay highlighted is the need in spec fic to avoid having readers sit and stew in anxiety about what might come to pass in the real world. Rather, use a fantastical world to help readers enter more deeply into their own with curiosity and wonder, and in so doing gain new insight not into the problem but into their own contribution to solutions...what really matters to them and how that can spur them to reevaluate relationships, values, passions and actions for the good of others.
Thank you, Eric!
"Rather, use a fantastical world to help readers enter more deeply into their own with curiosity and wonder, and in so doing gain new insight not into the problem but into their own contribution to solutions..."
That's a fantastic point. If you're able to produce an actionable result in your reader, then you've really taken a meaningful step as an author. It would be thrilling to have a reader tell me they were moved enough by my fiction to do something in the real world. Thanks for commenting!
In a world devoid of meaning the zombies worship “the science” as defined by the masters. They begged for protection and begged the masters to take their souls in payment. The masters replied “we already have them” and begun the slaughter.
More here; https://wakeuppeople.substack.com/p/the-psychological-war-in-your-mind
This is why meaningful fiction can be so important. Most often those under any fog do not regain a clear vision by being slapped across the face. It's a slow process of identifying untruths or half-truths, but that needs to happen using more subtle forms of narrative that reach a different part of the brain.
Reality is becoming stranger than fiction, weird, very weird...
This is an excellent, in-depth essay with a lot of relevance.
Thank you, Jim, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing this, Brian! New subscriber here. Really dig your overall point about deepening our work. These genres have such an amazing ability to reflect culture's unsavory parts without paralyzing its readers. I tend to write sort of grounded science fiction to get around preconceived notions about what it means to be human, and how technology effects our relationships. What's extra cool is I feel through writing this way, we can find a deeper understanding of where it is our beliefs really lie--which stories compel us and why has so much to do with how we view the world where we move and act.
Thank you for subscribing, Jon! I feel the same way about how the writing helps solidify our own beliefs. Hopefully you'll be able to participate in a future season and show the community your writing. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I look forward to it, Brian! Thanks for the reply. Being new on a platform can feel quite lonely, yet-- I'm finding a lovely community here.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out Fictionistas! Another great community of cross-genre fiction writers gathering together for occasional meetups and writing articles about how to help one another.
https://fictionistas.substack.com
Thank you very much, Brian.
Thank you Brian, this was such a helpful essay! Two points stood out to me in particular. First, don't let your character hold a minority view just to support the theme you're trying to convey as the author. Characters should have personal and even selfish reasons for holding the beliefs they hold, not just because it serves the story.
And secondly, don't "bless" your main character with extra powers... Let all the characters have the same potential in your magic system, and force your main character to draw on other resources like relationships and internal motivations to achieve the outcome.
Funny how what stood out to me was mostly about writing relatable and realistic characters. I will definitely keep these points in mind!
Thank you, Sarah! Yes, you hit on a great point about blessing your main character with extra powers, and I love that word "bless" to describe it. Our protagonists should have flaws that are relatable, desires, temptations and virtues that we can understand, and should not be all powerful. Thank you for reading and commenting!
"However, you’re not trying to sell your perspective to the readers."
Such an important distinction. This is also how you make room for complexity.
Personally, I often put my own preferred views at a disadvantage. Part of this is just the interesting position to attack my own strongly held beliefs, but the other part is that I hold politically radical positions which aren't necessarily popular. Pretending like people suddenly love these ideas is just wishful thinking.
I try to do the same, but I'm not always successful. It's hard to put aside our own conditioning when writing a story, but it makes it much more interesting when we do.
"Pretending like people suddenly love these ideas is just wishful thinking."
So true! Thanks for reading and commenting radicaledward.
Those are good points, but I write to escape my reality, not copy it. I don't write about modern war, or nuclear disasters, and I try not to get political. My creations hearken back to a day when magic was real, honoring the gods meant something, and men were men and women were women.
The few Sci-fi pieces I've written are more about characters and situations than the equipment around them.
Thank you, Joseph. You're not alone. I write more character driven stories as well, and I really aim for high entertainment and escape value. Recently though, I've found the stories that resonate with readers most are those that have some relationship to the real world. It's a fine line between propaganda and telling a more meaningful story, but it does help a reader see through a different lens. Thanks for reading and your feedback!
Thanks for your insightful essay, Brian. I agree that my favourite speculative fiction books are all comparable to the real world and really get you to think. Sadly, a lot of the people I know don't see too much value in reading fantasy (but more of them do appreciate science fiction).
Thank you, MYINC! We just need to find you more fantasy folk. 😉 I trend toward science fiction as well, but I am trying to broaden my fantasy list. I have a few on my TBR to make that happen. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I dunno. I still think you need to start with a sound story and character(s) who evoke strong emotional responses in your readers before you really start to build the themes and deeper messages that you are trying to convey. Otherwise, it just becomes cardboard-y and shrill.
I never set out to advocate specific points in my fiction. But by the way I craft my characters, by the way I set up their journey through the events of the story, I present my point of view on an issue.
I usually won't start unless I have a hint of a story brewing, and I know how it will end, which has more to do with how I approach the craft than meaning. The way in which my characters evoke a strong emotional response though, is by expressing themselves in alignment with the overarching theme and meaning.
Hmm. Differing approaches. I build the character and the theme/meaning arises from the character construction process--that is, their reaction to the situation I put them in, based on their temperament and backstory. If I try to force them to align with the theme and meaning, the results aren't always what I want.