Game of Thrones

An ancient order that was originally a great honour, the Night’s Watch guards an ice wall separating the seven kingdoms from terrors that lurk in the snowy north. After thousands of years, the evil creatures slept, leaving only tribal peoples and giants north of the wall. Without an imminent threat, the Night’s Watch dwindled—a place to send criminals and those that didn’t belong anywhere else, like bastard sons with no name and a family that turned them away. It became a punishment, rather than an honour. It was an order to avoid, save as a last resort. It meant years of celibacy marching along freezing walls, or venturing into the north to battle Wildlings, often dying from cold or starvation. The order was also the last hope to keep Westeros safe, when The Others began to awake.

What I find fascinating about the Night’s Watch, is that it brings together a motley collection of people—from disgraced, yet noble knights, to the lowest peasant who was caught stealing a chicken. Men are tall and thin, fat and clumsy, short and ugly, or handsome and graceful, yet all find a place to fit in. The Watch trains recruits in basic skills, then the men go to where they can be helpful—like looking after the ravens, farming, butchering dinner, out as a ranger in the wild, or keeping the fires going. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all attitude that is found in some orders of fantasy groups. In the books, meals are the main community time, as they gather to swap stories, tell jokes, complain, and sing. When Jon Snow first joins the Night’s Watch, he tries to do it on his own. He ends up getting everyone angry with him and nearly ruining the situation. Being part of the order means being in community with each other, even if you don’t much care for the other people. Trying to be alone on the wall only ends in failure and a cold death.

The oath calls for being celibate because of practical reasons. The men need to be wholly devoted to their work, and not be distracted by children running about, or having to choose between the one they love and a dangerous patrol to do their duty. As the force to protect Westeros from The Others, they have to be willing to die without hesitation, and having a family other than the brothers of the Night’s Watch makes a ranger vulnerable. During training, up until the oath, any man can leave (although criminals would be required to face the king’s justice). Taking the oath also means “taking the black” which is the uniform of the Night’s Watch. Everything they wear has to be black, from boots to chainmail. It is for life—any who leave their post and make a run for it are facing a death sentence, yet it is attempted by some brothers despite the danger. Running away from the Night’s Watch means entering the territory of the Stark family—an ancient house that holds the old ways and honour above all, with no tolerance for deserters.

While religion is not the main cause of the Night’s Watch forming, it is an important part of the brothers’ life. There are two main groups—those who worship the Seven, who have a septon (priest) and place of worship to pray to the god of seven aspects (Father, Mother, Warrior, Maiden, Smith, Crone, and Stranger) represented by a seven-pointed star. The other main group follows the Old Faith of the trees and rivers. Their gods are nameless, and they worship in godswoods. On the Wall, a natural growth of sacred trees is nearby, where they can go to pray. A smaller group worships the Lord of Light, also known as R’hllor or the Heart of Fire. It is based on dualism with a fight between fire and ice. Flames are sacred to them, and darkness is considered evil. The Night’s Watch assists the worship of any god important to the brother, and they take their vows in a location that has meaning to them. For example, Jon Snow was of the old religion, so he did not say his vows in the sept, but before a wierwood tree.

The brothers are rough and far from perfect, but that is part of community. They may not have taken vows as a first choice in life, but it is something they live and die being part of, until their watch has ended. Like other parts of Game of Thrones, the Night’s Watch has a realism to it. Somehow despite the cold, danger, and desolation, it is still an order that readers are drawn to, and there is a quiet yearning to say the words.

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all nights to come.

Religious Orders in Fantasy – Game of Thrones Night’s Watch originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 20 May, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

Is there a fight scene in the castle? Beyond using a staircase, how are the characters interacting with the environment and using it as part of the scene? All too often, the setting is a passive element. Warriors in Chinese films use what is around them as a weapon. The bamboo forest turns into deadly spears, a pile of downed leaves is swept into a whirlwind, and bolts of fabric for sale in the market are flung against antagonists to bring them down. In every fight scene, see if there is a way to interact with the setting. Think of it as another character in the battle.

Physically interacting with an environment can be humourous—take the BBC show Merlin. The simple act of wandering through the castle delivering medicine in between bites of a sandwich is enough to render the audience giggling with appreciation. What is a character holding during a scene that could be amusing? Is there something they can be doing that irritates another character, like constantly shelling peanuts? Could a knight get stuck inside his armour and be hopping around trying to get it off? What about including a character fond of blowing his hunting horn at the worst moments?

Physicality can bring dark elements to a dramatic scene. Who can forget in Hunger Games when Katniss slammed the knife between Haymitch’s fingers while on the train? When two characters confront each other, what if one of them smashes her opponent’s head into a mirror? As the protagonist rots in a dungeon, a rat bites him awake to find the executioner looming over him. When writing a scene filled with emotion, think about the environment the characters are in and if anything there could augment the turmoil inside them.

Writing fantasy settings—more than an environment originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 13 May, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

Is the scene giving information already provided?
Council scenes can end up being recaps of what has already happened in a book or series of books—characters find themselves caught up in an adventure, and they come together to talk about it and decide what to do. After having seen the exciting things happen, there is no need for people to sit through them being talked about in a boring fashion. Don’t use council scenes as filler to thicken up the book—there are more interesting ways to do that.

Is the scene an info dump?
Other council scenes are used as a means to convey information that later becomes crucial to the plot. While the Lord of the Rings films use council scenes that are recap sessions, the books use them as info dump opportunities. At the Council of Elrond, we hear about a hitherto unknown realm of Gondor having trouble with orcs and freakish dreams, Bilbo’s old friends the dwarrows talking with Sauron about rings, and Gollum’s capture and escape from the Elves. Half of the information we don’t need to know about, much we already know, and the rest could have been shown in an exciting manner, rather than via talking heads in chairs. We have all been on a committee or board at some point—those meetings can be long and dull. Info dumps in fantasy are also dull. Two boring concepts put together do not create an interesting one!

Is the scene introducing new characters?
Unless you want to deliberately make readers / viewers dislike a character, do not introduce someone during a council scene. People tend to be crabby, argumentative, or bored in committees—not a good situation to bring in a character. Readers will skip boring passages in books—usually council scenes are—and they might wonder where the new character suddenly appeared from.

What can be done with council scenes?
The best rule in fantasy is to avoid them altogether and insert a time jump to after the council has deliberated. The one exception is when the scene is used to further characterization and relationships between characters. In Game of Thrones season three, the Small Council gathers to find their chairs bunched together on one side of the table. One character pushes past the others to grab the best chair, another waits in the background, and two of them dramatically pick chairs up to move them. By the time the council has sat down to glower at each other, we’ve learned something about each of them and how they feel about each other. The key is to keep such scenes brief and poignant. Physicality, such as moving the chairs, helps with scenes that involve sitting.

Example A—the boring info dump

Cara stood, light flashing off her emerald tiara. “We have gathered here to discuss the peril of the realm, now that the king is held captive in the tower of Anthosia. It will take months to journey there, and our army cannot withstand the wilderness without support from peasants who now rise against us. To take the tower requires assistance from our Turakian allies in the South, who tarry in coming, and the Liaran armies of the West who will not help heathens believing in but one God. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of our alliance with the South in this time of need. We shall ask of them two hundred caltrops and ten thousand men of arms to breach the walls.”

Example B—characterization over info dump

Harold avoided eye contact as his sister droned on about siege tactics and politics, scratching runes with his dagger on the underside of the table. It was a waste of time sweating in full dress instead of practicing at the castle’s archery range. After a month of being humiliated by Liaran knights, whose skill with a bow was unmatched, he wanted to show them up. “Can we not call upon Liara for re-enforcements?” Harold interrupted.

“You know they think of us as heathens.” His sister sneered. “Do not parade your ignorance before the council.”

Questions to ask before writing a council scene:
— Is the information already covered?
— Could the information be shown, rather than told?
— Does a character grow or change during the scene?
— Are relationships broken or formed during the scene?

Writing council scenes in Epic Fantasy—should they be included? originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 6 May, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

When having trouble with scene and sequel dynamics, I paused to figure out what the groupings were of the characters, and came up with this scheme:

Celan - Hal, Katya, Mycroft
Value: Anti-violence, loyal to the valley of artists

Bosworth - Velda, The Duke, Warwick
Value: Justice at any cost

Agapito - Agapito, Olivia, Gareth, Laira
Value: Honour and compassion

Narmer - Narmer, Anton, Emma
Value: Power and survival

It was astounding how much faster and smoother the writing process became after taking the time to figure out core group values. When pushed against the wall, those characters have a default reaction base. When they cross into another group, it makes it all the more poignant.

I would recommend doing this exercise either before or soon after starting a first draft—it will help the book come together with clearer distinctions that make it easier to read and write!

Game of Thrones—Grouping Characters Makes Plotting Easier originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 29 April, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

10 Sister Clarice Willow / Caprica
While her fanaticism to the One led her down a dark path, she knew what she wanted and was not afraid to stand up and take it. Her character ended up influencing an entire generation, not to mention bringing a love of technology into the world of faith. She may not be a role model, but she is certainly a force to be reckoned with and comes across as a beautiful powerful woman.

9 Number 2 / The Prisoner
Managing to deceive a top spy is not easy—Number 2 successfully convinced Number 6 that she had nothing to do with the mysterious Village that had imprisoned him. Using charm and intelligence, she flawlessly got what she needed from him. Instead of simply leaving for her successor, she took the time to bake Number 6 a birthday cake to celebrate her victory. She did not need to resort to violence or aggression to win, and maintained a poised calm throughout her mission.

8 Ambassador Delenn / Babylon 5
She was willing to give up a position of power to do what she felt was right, even transforming her entire body as a result. Her wisdom, curiosity, and elegant precociousness combined into a woman who would not be easily denied.

7 Jessica Atreides / Children of Dune
After the death of her husband, she went on the run with her child, willing to do anything to keep them both alive. She thinks on her feet in dangerous situations, and has a good heart underneath all the politics. When her daughter was possessed, she managed to keep the loyal tribes together until her grandson took the throne.

6 Helen Cutter / Primeval
Although her methods can be seen as heartless, Helen saw a fabulous new world and wanted to explore it on her own terms. She is independent to a fault, filled with passion about science, and compassionate up to a point.

5 Barbara Wright / Doctor Who
Back when the show was black and white without its current cult following, there was a sassy teacher who ended up as one of the first companions. When The Doctor got out of line, she argued him down, and despite being basically kidnapped on the TARDIS, she managed to enjoy the adventures they had while on board. Think of her as an early and less vocal Donna Noble.

4 River Song / Doctor Who
Quite possibly the most exciting of older female characters, River is part Indiana Jones, part Trinity from the Matrix. She can take out an entire room with one sweep of her blaster, and is clever enough to know when to keep it holstered and negotiate instead. She is fearless, fully in command of her beauty, and proud of who she is.

3 Sarah Jane / Sarah Jane Adventures
While she certainly fit the mold of young and beautiful while on Doctor Who, Sarah Jane eventually got her own series for children that showed how a single middle aged woman can be curious and have adventures on her own. Due to her kindness, she soon attracted a group of enthusiastic children who followed her around. Instead of finding them irritating, Sarah Jane warmed to them and began including them in her investigations.

2 President Laura Roslin / Battlestar Galactica Re-imagined
Despite battling breast cancer, and being put into a position of leadership without warning, President Roslin stepped up to the challenge with grace and strength. She inspired a rag-tag fleet of refugees not to give up hope, made the tough decisions, and found love where she least expected it.

1 Captain Kathryn Janeway / Star Trek: Voyager
Love her or hate her, she changed Star Trek for women. We were not side pieces to be dotted about the bridge for decorative effect, we were leaders. She was truly a commander—making the difficult life-and-death decisions for her crew with wisdom and confidence. She was not a perfect leader, but she was both a woman and a captain, not to mention breaking the look of all women being 20 years old!

Top 10 Middle-aged Women in Science Fiction originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 22 April, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

Character Growth
In order for us to see and understand character growth, we need to know something about the person beyond the superficial. The wittiest most beautiful character in the world does not make up for lack of depth. While Clara gives a good impression initially, we know little about her and she acts the same all the time, making it hard to connect with her. There needs to be a certain amount of looking into a character and venerability for the readers / viewers to become invested.

Mysterious Characters
Having someone we instantly know everything about is not interesting. It involves an info dump of boring stats, and does not allow for spinning theories. People love figuring things out and having the gratification of being right, or excitement of finding out the solution to the mystery. Who can forget the first time watching Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back and seeing a certain exchange between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader? Remember the months before the final Harry Potter book came out when readers eagerly tried to guess as to what the final Horcruxes were and where Harry would find them? There should be some mystery infused into characters.

Finding a Balance
Beta readers are helpful to suggest where characters are confusing or boring and out in the open. Some Doctor Who fans are commenting they feel Clara is so mysterious they don’t feel she is real and therefore have trouble connecting with her. Other Doctor Who fans complained about Rose Tyler because she was out in the open with her life and feelings. There is no right or wrong, but keeping readers / viewers in mind when creating mysterious characters is a good thing to think about. If someone is ultra mysterious like Clara Oswin Oswald, there better be a good reason for it that will not send hordes of fans wielding burning torches after the writers.

Doctor Who Clara Oswin Oswald and Writing Mysterious Characters originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 15 April, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

Location
Giving sets of characters a particular location to rally around and be influenced by helps split them into major categories. The Starks are in a northern winter environment—they are often in furs, a bit cynical, and tough from the weather up there, so when in soft sunny areas they feel out of place. The Greyjoys have the sea in their blood and are often near or talking about ships and the coast. Grounding character groups in a specific place helps keep them straight. For individual characters, splitting them between different locations helps differentiate who they are. Jon Snow being on the Wall separates him from Robb Stark out in the battlefields and their brother Bran Stark in Winterfell.

Culture / Religion
In addition to outside influences such as weather and geography, the culture and beliefs of each group are distinct. Lannisters have no issue with siblings marrying and having relationships, and are more interested in wealth than ruling. Starks tend to be fiercely loyal, honourable, but naive, and follow the old gods and traditions. When belief systems clash, the story is forged. Giving either character groups / individual characters a strong set of beliefs and cultural norms helps the reader understand why conflict arises. When trying to keep all the characters and houses straight, observing their values helps show who is in a scene. Only Eddard Stark would give up a position of power over a question of morality, and only Theon Greyjoy would betray a friend to get a ship and his family’s respect back.

Small Group Settings
When there are multiple characters, try to avoid having them in a scene at the same time. Council chambers, feasts, and large gatherings are not good when juggling a large cast. Inner chambers, small groups journeying, and intimate conversations best carry the story forward—Jon Snow on the Wall talks with a friend, Eddard Stark argues with his daughter, Bran Stark exchanges stories with his nurse. If there are more than three people in a scene, use that setting sparingly. Endless council meetings are boring, one-on-one conversations seeped in veiled threats, emotions, and politics are tension driving.

Physical Presence
How do characters walk through the scene? Are they skulking around corners overhearing others? Do they stride loudly down the hall? Are they poised and elegant, gliding through rooms like Elves? Giving a character distinct physicality can help readers figure out who is who. When first meeting Bran, he is the Stark that loves climbing everything. We see his character hanging off beams, clutching castle towers high up, and bounding around. In contrast, Eddard Stark has a grounded aging soldier physicality to him. And yes, I am completely biased in favour of House Stark.

What are some techniques you use to give characters distinctive personalities?

Ensemble of characters—what we can learn about writing from Game of Thrones originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 8 April, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

1877 (Buckeye Cookery)

For colds, drink hot pennyroyal-tea and gargle with hot water. Beef-tea can be made more palatable for some patients by freezing it. To prevent a cold, fold a newspaper and spread across the chest underneath clothing. Large papers should be spread between quilts at night, adding much to the warmth. When feeling a cold in the head coming on, put a tea-spoonful of sugar in a goblet, and on it put six drops of camphor, stir it, and fill the glass half full of water; stir, till the sugar is dissolved, then take a dessert-spoonful every twenty minutes.

Sore Throat
Take five cents’ worth chlorate of potass, dissolve, and take a tea-spoon every hour, and also gargle with it. Use cayenne pepper-tea by putting a quarter of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a tea-cup; pour over hot water and sweeten with sugar. Steep horseradish in a gill of vinegar, add a gill of honey, and take a tea-spoon every twenty minutes.

Cough
Mix one lemon sliced, half pint flaxseed, two ounces honey, and one quart water, and simmer, not boil four hours; strain when cool, and if there is less than a pint, add water. Dose one table-spoon four times a day, and after a severe fit of coughing. Guarranteed to cure in four days. A cordial for coughs is taking elecampane, spikenard, dandelion, sarsaparilla, licorice-root, Indian turnip, comfrey and horsehound. Boil roots in two quarts soft water until reduced to one pint, add one pound loaf-sugar, and give one table-spoonful three times a day, before eating; or dissolve one-fourth pound gum-arabic in half pint boiling water, add a half tea-cup sugar and honey, and two table-spoons lemon juice, steep for five or ten minutes; bottle, and cork, add water, and take.

1899 (Aunt Babettes Cookbook)

To break up a bad cold, take a strong mustard foot-bath before going to bed, wipe the feet quickly and dry, then take strong, hot lemonade. In the morning, dose yourself with quinine, and keep it up; take a dozen pills, two grains each, in two days. Do not let any person use the same spoons, goblet, or any dish used by the patient. Never use anything but light blankets as covering for the sick, and brush teeth twice daily with warm water and powdered borax.

Sore Throat
Take equal parts glycerine and tincture of iron, mix well in a bottle. Use half a teaspoonful in a little water as a gargle. Do so every two or three hours, an hour before meals, or an hour after. You may swab the throat with this occasionally. Keep on a strictly milk diet if the fever is high, followed by brandy mixed with milk, say one teaspoonful of brandy to six of milk every two hours. The sure cure for the worst form of sore throat is gargling once every hour with one tablespoonful of alcohol and four tablespoonfuls of water. To make a bacon bandage for sore throat, cut the bacon in strips one quarter of an inch in thickness and two or three inches in width and long enough to pass entirely around the throat. Remove the rind and any lean meat. Sew the bacon to a strip of flannel and apply to throat and neck without being uncomfortably tight. The throat and neck should be completely swathed with the bacon. If after an application of eight hours the patient is not better apply a new bandage in the same manner.

Cough
Rub the chest well with equal parts camphorated oil and turpentine; when using at bed time heat the mixture. Heat a flannel and saturate it with the oil, lay across the chest, so as to cover the lower part of the throat at the same time, pin carefully to the night dress, so as to keep it in place. If the tonsils are much swollen rub the mixture along the glands and back to the ear; put a piece of heated flannel over the ears, fastened on top of the head. Do this two or three nights in succession if necessary.

Laryngitis
Roast a lemon in the oven, turning it now and then, so as to cook all sides. It should not break, but be soft all through. While the lemon is warm, cut a piece from one end, fill with as much sugar as it will hold, and eat on going to bed, or heat some honey and mix juice and honey and eat while warm. Another remedy is beating the white of an egg into a stiff froth, add a teaspoonful glycerine, the juice of a lemon and two tablespoonfuls of honey, stir it up well and let the patient take this mixture every two hours.

1901 (Pilgrim Cookbook)

The most delicate cleanliness is necessary. Spotless napkins, shining glass and silver, and care to prevent slopping over as one carries the tray, are the right of every invalid, and appetite will often be absolutely destroyed where they are lacking. Prepare only a small amount of anything, surprise will often arouse a flagging appetite. Chemistry has proven that gelatine is not nourishing, and do not be satisfied to feed a patient on jellies. Bread from brown flour will be more nourishing than the ordinary flour. Cornmeal is especially valuable. Do not give fruit jellies to invalids, but use fresh firm fruit cut into slices on small pieces of ice. Place sweet peas beside an invalid to drive away flies from the sickroom, as the odor is offensive to them.

Breakfast
A mould of cracked wheat made in a cup and turned out in a dish of cream with sippers of thin, lightly-buttered toast. A cup of hot water with sugar is better than tea or coffee. Alternately, a slice of Boston brown bread with cream, poached egg on thin toast, with hot water. Also oatmeal porridge, oysters on toast, and a cup of cocoa. Another breakfast is boiled eggs, baked apple, and corn bread, with sweet oranges sliced.

Dinner
A slice of rare roast beef, a small baked potato, apple sauce, and chocolate custard. Also fricasseed chicken, mashed potato, a little lettuce with lemon juice, whole wheat flour pudding and hot sauce. Or a lamb chop, spinach on toast, and baked custard. Another dinner is broiled chicken and stewed corn with farina pudding on rice.

Supper
A rice cone in hot sauce, graham bread and a glass of grape juice, or a small dish of spaghetti and tomato sauce, stewed peaches, thin toast, and hot water. Other suppers are corn meal and mush with milk, whole wheat rolls with grape juice, cup of clear soup, and stewed prunes with cream.

Broths and Tea
Cut lean beef into small bits and soak for an hour in a pint of pure soft water, then cover closely and boil for 10 minutes. Pour off the juice, season with a dash of salt, and use with thin toast or wafers. A jelly good for the sick is taking 4 tablespoonfuls of rice and boil for 20 minutes in 3 pints of water; then let simmer for two hours. Force through a fine hair strainer, allow it to cool. Place in an ice chest over night. To use, dissolve two tablespoonfuls of it in half a pint of milk. Other suggestions include, gruel, Tapioca, panada, and chicken broth.

Victorian / Edwardian Cold and Flu Remedies originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 1 April, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

Third Person (Limited Omniscient)
Most books are written from the narrator’s point of view. It has an authentic voice “this happened…she said” and can easily bring the reader exactly where the writer wants them to go. It is the armchair way of telling a story and is therefore orderly, clear, and feels comfortable to readers.

Third Person (Major/Minor Character Viewpoint)
While there is still the armchair feel to the book, it is through the eyes of only one or a few of the main characters. If King Arthur is not in a scene, the book would not talk about that scene. If King Arthur is on his way to Camelot, the book would follow that journey. Most of the time it is better to use a First Person POV when choosing this, because readers will want to know why they aren’t being told things, and can get tired of the constant narration with a limited viewpoint. When choosing a minor character, it can be an interesting perspective. For example, instead of following King Arthur, what if the writer was following a young kitchen lad and seeing his perspective on major events?

First Person (Major/Minor Character Viewpoint)
This can be either exciting or dull based on how well the voice of the character comes out. If the internal thoughts and feelings of the character sound like a narrator, it can be boring to listen to. If the unique voice of the character comes through, it can bring the reader along like a wave. Not everyone enjoys reading a first person book, because it can spark serious reactions due to it being phrased as “I…” to which the reader may respond in their head “I would never do that!” A well written first person perspective is a personal experience that can draw readers closer to the story on a more emotional level than third person.

First Person (Multiple Viewpoints)
One way of avoiding a long book from one person’s POV is to jump back and forth between different first person POV characters either sequentially, separately, or going back and forth based on scene content. This can be confusing for readers, so characters must have distinct voices and the transitions need to be solid and clear.

Unreliable Narrative
While most people strive to be trustworthy, we always have our own ideas and biases. Occasionally we are more biased than ever due to illness, emotional upheaval, or outside influences. Most of the time, a story will take place during some sort of internal or external crisis for a character which causes their limited perspective to narrow even more. This can be from either third or first person—look at Jane Austen’s Emma. The main character is convinced she knows exactly what is going on, when in reality she’s completely out of touch. As readers, we see through her eyes, and are equally blind. If Lord of the Rings were rewritten from Lord Denethor’s perspective as an unreliable narrator, we would have a completely different picture than if it were rewritten with Samwise Gamgee’s bias. The drawback to using it is the reader can sometimes feel betrayed. In Emma, when she finds out who Jane is engaged to, both she and the reader are able to think back and see it foreshadowed enough not to be angry about its suddenness. It needs to avoid the deus ex machina resolution.

Present / Past Tense
It still feels comfortable for readers to live in a past tense world—”he journeyed through the deadly poison wood…” and most books are written with a solid looking back perspective. With our buzzing world of social media and getting things now culture, some books are being written in present tense. Usually it is easier to write when combined with first person, “seeing the poison wood ahead, I pull the reins in before we enter.” There is an immediate, unedited feel to situations, which is uncomfortable and also engaging. The story is no longer with the feeling of sitting in a parlour being read to—it is looking down at a phone waiting to see the responding text from a friend about her BFF’s betrayal.

If not sure which combination of narrative to choose, try writing the first chapter in all of the above. Which seems natural and flows well with the story? Which one reads as most interesting? If after a rushed first draft, the reread does not seem interesting enough, try rewriting it with a different combination to see what happens.

What mode do you like to write in? Post a comment below!

Choosing a narrative mode when writing fiction originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 25 March, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane

One of the things I love most about the genres of sci-fi and fantasy is their capacity to explore moral and philosophical propositions on levels that “real-world” stories can’t. One of the most obvious examples is the “dystopian future” corner of the sci-fi genre. The Terminator warns us that if we become too dependent on machines we will ultimately be consumed by them. The Book Of Eli warns of the destructive power that can be wielded by those who twist scripture to suit their agendas, but also highlights the unique ability of the Bible to transform lives for the better.

Other stories and genres present meaningful themes in other ways. Superman Returns (despite some considerable script flaws), The Matrix and Harry Potter all remind us of our need to be rescued from the evil state of the world, and present savior figures who are wounded to save us and even “rise from the dead”.

One of the reasons these genres work so well to explore moral/philosophical themes is their detachment from reality. Ideas that are controversial or emotionally weighty can be looked at from a safer distance when surrounded by fairies and laser guns. Weighty moral issues can be contemplated and absorbed without heated, personal confrontation.

Of course this same strength in the medium can also prove harmful if the ideas being presented in a given piece of entertainment are false or destructive in the long-term. But provided we as consumers remember that entertainment serves best as a springboard for exploration of ideas (rather than the medium through which we should evaluate them), symbolic storytelling in entertainment is a great device with immense value.

One can start and stop with John Bunyan alone to see how symbolic or allegorical storytelling can be a powerful way to communicate ideas that are otherwise difficult or cumbersome to talk about. Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress” for many years was second only to the Bible in the number of Christian homes it could be found in. And the ideas present in his work still resonate today, although modern readers are likely to find his style archaic or even outright foreign.

C.S. Lewis is probably the name most Christians would come up with today when the subject of symbolic storytelling in Christian fiction hits the table. But there is a rising wave of Christian creators who are striving to tell compelling stories in geek genres like sci-fi and fantasy (even horror as well!) that also give audiences plenty to think about with relevance to their day to day lives and spiritual growth.

In 2006 I began counting myself among this small but growing number, as I launched Spirit Blade Productions, a small company that creates entertainment and resources to equip, encourage and inspire Christian geeks to live more and more for Christ.

We’re currently in production on the third part of our Spirit Blade audio drama trilogy, an epic story blending sci-fi, fantasy and a splash of horror. A parallel project is (surprise, surprise) a re-imagining of John Bunyan’s classic work, now retold and subtly retitled as “Pilgrim’s Progress“, the story of an instructor of magic on a quest to cure a widespread curse in a fantasy land

But entertainment need not be produced from a Christian worldview in order to highlight universal truths. Geek entertainment from all sources can resonate with timely themes worth contemplating, even as we thrill at fearsome dragons, cybernetic overlords and ruthless alien invaders. At The Spirit Blade Underground podcast and community, we celebrate and examine all kinds of geek entertainment, mining them for ideas we can apply to our lives and use to enrich our faith and understanding of truth.

So the next time you hear a superhero musical theme, remember that it’s God’s plan to rescue you from the broken world we live in. The next time you see a vampire wipe blood from his chin, remember that, by contrast, God wants us to depend on him for strength and trust him with the length of our lives.

God is the creator of creativity. And as we use scripture to sift out the impurities, we see that in the worlds of imaginative fiction God is active and speaking. So pick up your dice, your controller or your book, then grab your Bible and your thinking cap and see what God may be saying to you!

___________________________________________________________

GUEST POST BY:
Paeter Frandsen

Visit his podcast—The Spirit Blade Underground
Paeter Frandsen is the owner and creator of Spirit Blade Productions LLC, which he launched in 2006. He is also the producer and host of The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast. Paeter lives in Mesa, Arizona with his wife and two boys.

Interested in writing a guest post for this blog? Write a comment below.

Genre Fiction as Christian Allegorical Storytelling originally appeared on Alexa Chipman Blog - Writings, Books, Papers, Poetry, Translations, Religion on 18 March, 2013.

View the original blog post by author Alexa Chipman © 2012 at Imagination Lane