 Fantasy: April 16, 2008 Issue [#2343] |
  Fantasy
This week: Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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It is told that Buddha, going out to look on life, was greatly daunted by death. "They all eat one another!" he cried, and called it evil. This process I examined, changed the verb, said, "They all feed one another," and called it good.
-Charlotte Perkins Gilman
My life closed twice before its close;
It yet remains to see
If Immortality unveil
A third event to me,
So huge, so hopeless to conceive,
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.
-Emily Dickinson
If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.
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DEATH
One decision we need to make as fantasy authors is how to handle death.
This may sound strange, but think about it: in this world, for all practical purposes, death is The End. Whatever one's beliefs about an afterlife, it's certainly true that when a death occurs, we the living are thereafter deprived of the company of the deceased - except insofar as the lost one has influenced our lives. However, in a fantasy (or even a science fiction) setting, this doesn't have to be the case.
What happens when death is not one of the great certainties? (Come to think of it, I haven't read too many fantasy stories that involve taxes, that other great certainty.) Well, it depends on how you choose to portray death in your world.
To once again reference the founder of modern fantasy writing, Tolkien, the elves in his world were essentially immortal - though at some point, they grow tired and voyage to an unknown land. Which, of course, is not much different from some of our own mythological conceptions of death, except that the whole body voyages, not just the soul.
In the Star Wars series, death isn't necessarily the end. The spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi guides Luke through his trials on his path to becoming a Jedi. In that universe, the spirits of certain of the dead may still have a real influence on the living.
So, in your stories, what happens after death? Does the personality live on, somewhere on an alternate reality - Heaven, Hell, Nirvana, the Summerlands, or whatever? Can the dead speak to the living somehow, as a ghost or in dreams? Does it depend on the deceased's rank or deeds or beliefs during life?
What about the body? What are the customs of the societies about which you are writing concerning death rites and funeral customs? Does the freedom of the soul depend on certain rites being performed? How a culture handles death speaks volumes about the culture, its values and mores. Is death the end, or is it just another transformation, like birth? You can make these decisions for your fantasy stories, even if the jury's still out for those of us in the mundane world.
Figuring these things out as part of your background is important to maintaining consistency within your stories. Usually, you don't want one being to die and come back as a ghost in a world where the souls of the dead usually migrate to the world's moon, to use an example, unless there's a very good reason for it.
So deal with death. It's perhaps the second most defining moment of life, after birth, and cannot be ignored in a fantasy world any more than it can in this one. |
Some different takes on Death:
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Last month, I discussed the problems with giving away too much background at the beginning of a story...
bazilbob: Great newsletter, I too have struggled with reading large passages of backstory at the beginning of a piece. This is not just a potential problem for fantasy writers, often, you write out more than the reader needs to know when writing the first draft. There is nothing wrong with this, it allows you, the writer, to know exactly what is going on, but if it's unnecessary to the reader, it should be cut. I read in 'Writing Fiction: Creative and Critical Approaches' by A. Boulter that you can (and should) usually cut the first 3 paragraphs of a short story, and the first 3 chapters of a novel when editing a first draft for this reason. I think it's solid advice.
I can see how that can work. However, I'm not certain it should apply to all authors, all stories; for instance, if you have your background already worked out on paper, there might not be as much extraneous stuff at the beginning of the actual story. As with any writing advice, if it works for you, great - if it doesn't, try something else.
faithjourney: Gracious, you're right. The Silmarillion was a brain buster without a doubt. J.R.R. Tolkein was one of my favorite writers and The Lord of the Rings was a masterpiece - but The Silmarillion was a bomb. Thanks for reminding us to start with action - and that even the best writers have made this mistake!
To be fair to the Master, Silmarillion probably wasn't intended to be read first. As I noted, it was published many years after the other books, and served as his own historical notes. If read after the stories, it is much more engaging.
Lady Jaela  : Hey! I dropped my character into a situation and my know it all husband asked me if I thought it was a wise idea. I love him dearly, but maybe he should stop reading over my shoulder.
I don't let my wife read anything until it's at least past first draft... and then I don't listen to anything she says, relying instead on people (like the fine folks at writing.com) who don't have a vested interest in complimenting me.
Ladyoz : Great newsletter. I was fortunate enough to read The Hobbit and LOTR before tackling The Silmarillion, which is a hard slog to read. You really have to be a die-hard fan of the series to even bother with it. For those who are die-hards, it's worth the struggle purely for the depth of realism in its history of Middle Earth.
Very true. I don't recommend reading it first, but if you liked the books, definitely read it.
Jason Clayton : Suppose you write a story in one world, and then later you write a story in the same world, and refer to the former even though it may have little more to do with the first story other than setting. Does that get on your nerves? I do that from time to time.
It depends on how it's done, really. If it's too obvious a plug for the other story, I get turned off. If it merely refers to events in the other story, it's good use of backstory.
emerin-liseli : Great newsletter, Robert!
Your advice is certainly sound and very true. One of the biggest problems I originally had with my current fantasy novel is exactly what you said - like three chapters of useless background information  . This is a very important clue to keep in mind, especially for novel writers.
The background information is far from "useless;" it is essential - to you, the author. The reader wants to know that you've done the background.
kim_  : This is a great newsletter that I always read and find informative. Thanks for including my story in your Editor's Picks that was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Hope it got you some extra readers!
Storm Machine  : Engaging as always, Waltz. You're right about not telling the beginning, though fleshing it out gives the writer a solid base to create the story (action) around. Thank you!
I really can't emphasize this enough: just as a writer of historical fiction needs to do a lot of research into the time and setting of the story, a writer of fantasy or science fiction needs to "make up" his or her own research. This can get more complicated than the "factual" research of the historical author! But I suggest you keep most of it internalized until it's needed for the plot.
Columbine : Great editorial this week. I love that you're directly speaking about the biggest issue I have ever had with fantasy: the dreaded info-dump. I would, however, have liked a bit more detailing on how to avoid this error. Thanks a bunch.
At the risk of sounding glib, the way to avoid it is simply to exclude the information from the beginning of one's story. A little mystery keeps readers reading. But too much mystery leaves them cold - you have to find your own balance between explaining and advancing the plot. One author who does this masterfully, in my opinion, is Steven Brust.
And that's it for this week - thanks, always, to all of you for the great comments, questions, and compliments! Next month, I'll try to do something a bit more upbeat. Until then...
DREAM ON! |
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