Well, first things first. I started school this morning, and I’m still cringing over the fact that I just spent a hundred dollar on a book that’s not even an inch thick and I probably won’t get thirty dollars back for. Anyway, as I was sitting bored in a class on the first day because all we did was an introduction, I got to thinking about an email I got in reaction to one of my fics, particularly the emotions it invoked. As a result, all I’ve been thinking about for most of the weekend is how I want people to react to my writing.
When I say this, I don’t mean a character does something and it just outrages the reader. Of course I’d like it if that happened to, but what I really want is for my writing to touch people on a personal level.
Now that doesn’t mean I want to write some deep intellectual literary story, because that’s not my goal. I write fiction. The point of fiction is to entertain and because of that, my mother was not happy when she found out I wrote fiction because she’s big on consciousness and holds the belief that there’s enough entertainment in the world. But fiction can be more than that. And I realized that from the email I got.
So while my primary goal is to entertain, my secondary goal will be to touch the hearts the people who read my novel. Make them really able to somehow relate to what’s going on and I mean that universally. I mean I want the reactions of the characters in the novel to mirror so closely the reactions of people in real life that people will say that this situation or issue, fantasy or no, mirrors what they went through or took them back through those emotions so that they felt the emotions coming off the page as though it were real.
No I know, I know. Fiction is fiction and fiction is primarily to entertain when you write novel, particularly in my genre, and I understand that. But can’t fiction be entertaining and mirror the emotions of real life. Just because I write a scene or a story about a woman being pregnant or giving birth, does it mean I have to start with the dramatic “Oh no! My water broke!” or that the pregnancy has to be the funniest thing or the most dramatic experience ever? No. I hate those types of scenes, that dramatizes or makes a big deal out of things that shouldn’t be and underwhelms things that should be a little more dramatize.
And it’s not just about the drama, it’s about capturing the emotions that come with reaction to a situation. Not just happy, sad, angry, etc. And I realized, that’s my goal. That’s the standard I shoot for when it comes to realism, even though I write fantasy.
So yeah. Some people are going to say that’s a hard feat because money is in entertainment when it comes to writing novels. But who’s to say I can’t entertain and appeal be able to really touch on the emotions of human beings while doing so. I can do both. I know I can in fact and still appeal commercially I think.
Anyway, just a random thought while I’m waiting for my next class. What was I thinking when I decided to take two classes with a three hour break between them. NTS: Bring workout clothes rain, hail, snow, or shine.
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