Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Adieu Mr. Hughes, Adieu
John Hughes died a few days ago, and I only now decided to make mention. I was a late comer to his iconic movies. Though I might have been thrilled by "Uncle Buck" and "Home Alone" in my single and early double digit years, I was fully 15 or 16 when I finally saw "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". So it goes.
Monday, August 10, 2009
On Writing
The protagonist awoke/incorporated/turned on early on the day the story started. He/she/it ran through the minutia of beginning a day in the life/function of someone/thing a story is going to follow. Perhaps the protagonist went to work, but then again, perhaps not. Chances are - there is something exceptional about this individual/mass/group that led he/she/it to become the focal of a story.
Some writers believe that anything can be imagined can happen. Robert Heinlein talked at length about this in person and in some of his longer and more boring stories. He called this the “Many Worlds Theory”. I, the writer of this story, believe that is naïve. But Robert Heinlein has written many more books than I have, and is infinitely more popular; so that should tell you, the reader, something about naiveté and what my opinion is worth.
The protagonist had a goal that he/she/it wanted to achieve. And in order to do that the protagonist was going to have to come into conflict with something. This is simply the way it works. Don’t question it – it won’t do you any good. Our protagonist, let’s call him/her/it pro from now on, would have to face a challenge from an external source or an internal source.
Depending on what this story is about, pro might have to do battle with him/her/itself in some way, overcoming some inner demon or weakness on the hero’s journey. On the other hand, there may be an antagonist, someone who will most aid in the development of the character of pro. Then again, pro may be battling the intangible, like nature or society. Maybe pro wants to build a fire under a snowy tree – or maybe he/she/it wants to save a world addicted to a drug that keeps it docile and easy to control. You don’t know, do you?
It’s ok, I don’t really know, either. I have no answers to give you, I’m just telling the story. So: Pro sets out on the hero’s journey. That long and embittered march of character development designed to accomplish an end and create meaningful change. Pro wouldn’t be the protagonist, after all, unless he/she/it was the one character in the story to undergo the most drastic change.
The antagonist may be a villain. Like Snidely Whiplash or Darth Vader. Either of these two kinds of villains will essentially have a neon sign pointing at their head screaming ANTAGONIST. This is effective, but not very creative. All you have to do to make a character like that is flip your protagonist upside down. Alternatively, you can make a friendly character the antagonist. Like Gandalf in The Hobbit. In this case this character is literally the one who facilitates the most change in your protagonist. He may be adversarial at times, but ultimately what he’s doing isn’t going to directly hinder your protagonist on his journey.
I am only telling you this because I don’t want us to misunderstand one another. I’m going to tell you a lie about something that never happened. But there may be truth inside that lie. That’s what Hemingway liked to believe. I am not so sure anymore, myself. I think that truth is very difficult to get at. It’s much easier to tell you lies and entertain you that way. I’m not a very good writer, so this is the game we will play. I will try and fool you into thinking I am not a bad writer, and you will continue to read this gripping story about a protagonist with no name and no capitalization.
The protagonist begins the journey far from home. Because that’s what Odysseus did, and that is the story that everyone bases everything else on. They should probably do it on Gilgamesh, but you see, the Greeks were white people in our understanding, and the ancients Babylonians were brown. This is intimidating to the legions of white writers to think that the game was created by brown people that are known for suicide bombings in this country (which is called the US of A). But perhaps I am over explaining myself? I am not sure.
Pro (capitalized here because it is the first word of the sentence) also has a flaw that will get him/her/it into trouble. Maybe pro carouses too much with the opposite sex/input type, or maybe pro likes to imbibe something hazardous, like whiskey or drain cleaner. Every story is, in the end, the protagonist overcoming his/her/its own demons and developing into the kind of person we all want to be… or they die. Or fail. One could write a whole book using just tabs and if/thens with three or fewer options, like a choose your own adventure, but with fewer pictures.
Once pro gets what he/she/it is looking for, it’s all downhill from there. The goal may not actually be achieved, but you can bet your britches the climax has occurred. This is the highest point in the action where everything boils over to a head. This can be violent, emotional, or exciting – or none of those things, or some, or all. This is what some might call the magic of writing. If, for my climax, I want a penis-shaped pineal gland to burst from pro’s forehead/plate then I can do that, as long as I can tie it in with what has happened before. This might be confusing, but don’t worry.
The action definitely troughs after that. Things wind down, the battle is over, and life begins to move on. The conclusive issue arrives when it damn well pleases, and the story ends. Some might say that no story really ends, the writer just gets tired of telling it. Obviously they were a much better story teller than I am now, because I can’t wait for this to be over.
Pro has overcome the jaunty symmetry thrown in his/her/its path and has come out on top, or has died. Other characters may mourn the loss or hold pro up over what passes for their heads. As the story concludes, pro begins to wonder what to do with the rest of his/her/its existence, and if a sequel is to be set up, this is the time to do it. There will be no sequel, however. Pro has walked the path and has come out the other end burned and singed. He/She/It has conquered the demons needed conquering, and lost to the ones that were greater than him/her/itself. Such is life, and such is the stuff of fiction.
Some writers believe that anything can be imagined can happen. Robert Heinlein talked at length about this in person and in some of his longer and more boring stories. He called this the “Many Worlds Theory”. I, the writer of this story, believe that is naïve. But Robert Heinlein has written many more books than I have, and is infinitely more popular; so that should tell you, the reader, something about naiveté and what my opinion is worth.
The protagonist had a goal that he/she/it wanted to achieve. And in order to do that the protagonist was going to have to come into conflict with something. This is simply the way it works. Don’t question it – it won’t do you any good. Our protagonist, let’s call him/her/it pro from now on, would have to face a challenge from an external source or an internal source.
Depending on what this story is about, pro might have to do battle with him/her/itself in some way, overcoming some inner demon or weakness on the hero’s journey. On the other hand, there may be an antagonist, someone who will most aid in the development of the character of pro. Then again, pro may be battling the intangible, like nature or society. Maybe pro wants to build a fire under a snowy tree – or maybe he/she/it wants to save a world addicted to a drug that keeps it docile and easy to control. You don’t know, do you?
It’s ok, I don’t really know, either. I have no answers to give you, I’m just telling the story. So: Pro sets out on the hero’s journey. That long and embittered march of character development designed to accomplish an end and create meaningful change. Pro wouldn’t be the protagonist, after all, unless he/she/it was the one character in the story to undergo the most drastic change.
The antagonist may be a villain. Like Snidely Whiplash or Darth Vader. Either of these two kinds of villains will essentially have a neon sign pointing at their head screaming ANTAGONIST. This is effective, but not very creative. All you have to do to make a character like that is flip your protagonist upside down. Alternatively, you can make a friendly character the antagonist. Like Gandalf in The Hobbit. In this case this character is literally the one who facilitates the most change in your protagonist. He may be adversarial at times, but ultimately what he’s doing isn’t going to directly hinder your protagonist on his journey.
I am only telling you this because I don’t want us to misunderstand one another. I’m going to tell you a lie about something that never happened. But there may be truth inside that lie. That’s what Hemingway liked to believe. I am not so sure anymore, myself. I think that truth is very difficult to get at. It’s much easier to tell you lies and entertain you that way. I’m not a very good writer, so this is the game we will play. I will try and fool you into thinking I am not a bad writer, and you will continue to read this gripping story about a protagonist with no name and no capitalization.
The protagonist begins the journey far from home. Because that’s what Odysseus did, and that is the story that everyone bases everything else on. They should probably do it on Gilgamesh, but you see, the Greeks were white people in our understanding, and the ancients Babylonians were brown. This is intimidating to the legions of white writers to think that the game was created by brown people that are known for suicide bombings in this country (which is called the US of A). But perhaps I am over explaining myself? I am not sure.
Pro (capitalized here because it is the first word of the sentence) also has a flaw that will get him/her/it into trouble. Maybe pro carouses too much with the opposite sex/input type, or maybe pro likes to imbibe something hazardous, like whiskey or drain cleaner. Every story is, in the end, the protagonist overcoming his/her/its own demons and developing into the kind of person we all want to be… or they die. Or fail. One could write a whole book using just tabs and if/thens with three or fewer options, like a choose your own adventure, but with fewer pictures.
Once pro gets what he/she/it is looking for, it’s all downhill from there. The goal may not actually be achieved, but you can bet your britches the climax has occurred. This is the highest point in the action where everything boils over to a head. This can be violent, emotional, or exciting – or none of those things, or some, or all. This is what some might call the magic of writing. If, for my climax, I want a penis-shaped pineal gland to burst from pro’s forehead/plate then I can do that, as long as I can tie it in with what has happened before. This might be confusing, but don’t worry.
The action definitely troughs after that. Things wind down, the battle is over, and life begins to move on. The conclusive issue arrives when it damn well pleases, and the story ends. Some might say that no story really ends, the writer just gets tired of telling it. Obviously they were a much better story teller than I am now, because I can’t wait for this to be over.
Pro has overcome the jaunty symmetry thrown in his/her/its path and has come out on top, or has died. Other characters may mourn the loss or hold pro up over what passes for their heads. As the story concludes, pro begins to wonder what to do with the rest of his/her/its existence, and if a sequel is to be set up, this is the time to do it. There will be no sequel, however. Pro has walked the path and has come out the other end burned and singed. He/She/It has conquered the demons needed conquering, and lost to the ones that were greater than him/her/itself. Such is life, and such is the stuff of fiction.
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