1. DriedPen

    DriedPen Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2020
    Messages:
    250
    Likes Received:
    219

    When Fiction and Reality Combine

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by DriedPen, Nov 15, 2020.

    I am about to start my next novel, but I have a hesitation. It is in an era when just a few years ago, a lot of people died because of corporate greed and lax laws. In some ways the corporations made amends by creating a fund for the deceased they killed, but I am not sure if it is a true heart-felt change, or they are doing it as a means to simply look better in the eyes of the public. The corporate killers literally got out of it by technicalities, knew they could, and kept on doing it until they had accomplished what they needed too.

    I have already done the dedication of my book to the fallen, and want to bring up their plight because it was entirely ignored during that era. I think it will make for a great fictional romance-thriller, but it still seems cold hearted. I have buried a son, and know what that raw emotion is like. Its great for a fictional novel like a Romance-Thriller, but we are talking people's lives and families here. I am not on this earth to continue the pain of loss...

    Does anyone else struggle with that sometimes?
     
  2. whatnots2015

    whatnots2015 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2021
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    7
    That's an interesting point. I've had to stop reading books because they have "touched a nerve" with me and got too upsetting. I guess that different things trigger different people. Some of my own story ideas have been inspired by lockdowns around the world starting in 2020 but I'm not sure how entertaining any eventual readers would find this because lockdown has really messed with people's minds, relationships and livelihoods. Rather than an explicit mention of the reality of the laws in a particular jurisdiction at a particular time, I've decided to go for a hypothetical world, an unspecified place and time. Would this be an option for your novel?
     
  3. Lazaares

    Lazaares Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2020
    Messages:
    545
    Likes Received:
    686
    Location:
    Europe
    Can't pass social commentary without stepping on some nerves. Orwell had 1984 written & published during the Berlin airlift. He wrote about the lengths to which totalitarian governments go to enact their terror and control - all the while a totalitarian dictatorship blockaded a city, seeking to starve its people into submission.

    I am eager to see what literature will be born from the pandemic era, but no further comment on that as per forum rules.

    I personally prefer a story that steps on nerves, one I can connect to recent events and current issues. I believe issues are better discussed in the front than buried and left to fester.
     
    Lifeline and whatnots2015 like this.
  4. whatnots2015

    whatnots2015 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2021
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    7
    I'd better check out those forum rules! Some people really like to read harrowing stories; my mum went through a phase of reading books about children who had experienced abusive childhoods. Also my own writing is helping me to process the lockdown in my own head, rather than stirring up upsetting thoughts and it could well help readers too.
     
  5. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2015
    Messages:
    4,282
    Likes Received:
    5,805
    Location:
    On the Road.
    I believe every good fiction has a grain of truth at its centre. If it's there, you won't forget this story in a hurry, no matter in what time or world it's set. And, as @Lazaares said, you can't ever know what people will read into what you write. I actually think this is the beauty of writing, that no two people will take away the exact same interpretation. Don't focus on the bad, but that you're going to enrich some people's lifes.

    It's real easy: On our public boards, discuss writing; we're not a debate board for politics and social grievances. Respect each other's opinion and keep it kids friendly. Enjoy the camaraderie, learn the craft, and have fun writing. There are a few more curlicues but in essence, that's it :)
     
  6. whatnots2015

    whatnots2015 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2021
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    7
    Ah I see, I was thinking more about human kindness, government control etc to do with characters and world building :) No politics and social grievances :) At the moment I'm mostly doing bits of research by reading fiction and reading a little news from around the world. I haven't done a lot of writing but hopefully that will come in the future. In a way I enjoyed reading Three Men in a Boat, the obnoxious characters and the satire on society in that time and place but don't want to be so sarcastic in my own writing and some parts of the book were so sad. I don't think that I could read 1984 again, I might find it too upsetting.
     
  7. TJ Waters

    TJ Waters Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2021
    Messages:
    49
    Likes Received:
    52
    I am intrigued by your theme. It sounds like something I would read. I am always looking for books that wrap fiction around history and the historical facts are wrt to government policies that effect people's daily lives. They are rare. Perhaps for the reasons you set out. But if you struggle with it, for personal reasons, you may find it difficult to write.

    One thing that interests me, and I know it's not your question, is that you say tax laws caused people to die. I would think that the lack of tax laws would be more in keeping with human peril. I understand you may not wish to give away your plot, but I am curious which laws these are. But I completely understand if you don't wish to share it at this point.
     
  8. NobodySpecial

    NobodySpecial Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Messages:
    2,075
    Likes Received:
    3,423
    Faction is a thing. Robert Coover uses a lot of reality twisted to his purpose to creat some rather messed up storylines. (ie; The Universal Baseball Association, inc, J. Henry Waugh Prop) One of my own works involves a suicide. I’m having a time trying to write it to invoke the reactions I want without making it so real it risks becoming an instruction manual. The circumstances surrounding the event in my story are too real and too common to chance it.
     
  9. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2019
    Messages:
    12,456
    Likes Received:
    13,500
    Location:
    Way, way out there
    I believe the specific rules mentioned are that no discussion of Covid is allowed on the forum except in the official Covid and Writing thread, except on the Covid thread in the debate room. But you can include it in a story segment posted to the workshop, that's a different animal. Discussion and critique of story are handled under somewhat different rules.
     
  10. DK3654

    DK3654 Almost a Productive Member of Society Contributor

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2018
    Messages:
    1,244
    Likes Received:
    1,384
    Location:
    In the vibe zone
    The comparison I would make is that fiction about the holocaust is generally accepted. And that's the holocaust.
    If you put good work into making sure it's not a misleading or insensitive portrayal, you should probably be just fine.
    If you can, consulting with relevant people on how to approach it will help
     
  11. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2016
    Messages:
    22,566
    Likes Received:
    25,882
    Location:
    East devon/somerset border
    You could also discus the craft of writing a covid related story in any of the other writing boards, so long as your question and subsequent discussion focused on the craft of writing, not arguing about the disease... e.g you'd be fine to ask for help developing the character of a doctor working in a covid ward, in character development

    However we would not be okay with using those sorts of threads as a stalking horse to discuss the pandemic itself or the response to it and so forth.. those discussions belong in the debate room thread only (and only there within the rules established for that thread)
     
  12. The Multiverse

    The Multiverse Member

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2020
    Messages:
    80
    Likes Received:
    28
    Location:
    Georgia
    I see you're not a greedy person. I'm afraid to tell you that most companies would rather spend insane amounts of money to win lawsuits than to waste money on the dead. If 1 or more companies are found by the supreme court to be clear of any blame and legal liability, those companies would never give money away after that. If the court finds them guilty, then every death up to and following that guilty verdict would make that company legally liable to everyone harmed. That's why they fight so hard in court, they don't plan on stopping nor do they wish to continue pating the families of people tgat had worked rhemselves to death on behalf of the company.

    As for the trouble of mixing fantasy with reality, all good stories deserve a little embellishment. You'd be amazed at how many people do this in real life on a daily basis.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice