Hi there!
I'm doing a monstrous hybrid of horror and romance... with maybe a bit of urban fantasy thrown in for good measure.
Anywho - I intend for it to get rather philosophical. The characters will discuss the nature of ethics, love, God, damnation, free-will, choice, souls and a whole bunch of other heavy stuff. Heh. I just wondered if anyone has any pointers as to how I could do that, in dialogue and internal-monologue of the characters. I don't want to bog-down readers... but at the same time, I desperately don't want my book to be two-dimensional and offer a shallow, cartoonish outlook on the nature of reality. I also wish to avoid cliche`s.
Thoughts? Questions? Screams of agony? ;)
Lou
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Here's to the creation of meaning.
65,882 / 50,000
oct. 18, 2007 - 08 55
Hmmm... I say just kind of let it flow... Work with the characters, give them free reign, and see what happens. If all that is supposed to come out in some way, it will. If you force it, it WILL be boring and tedious. But if you let the characters have room to play, it will flow more easily and come off more naturally.
14,600 / 50,000
oct. 18, 2007 - 19 01
Good call. Forcing it sounds like something I'd do...
So natural... flow... I think I can give those a try! :)
Thanks so much!
65,882 / 50,000
oct. 18, 2007 - 19 33
You're welcome!
I've done enough RP with my characters and other to know that, at least for me, if I try to force, they shut up or it sounds forced. That's why I really haven't pushed Maggie, my middle character, that much. I know she's a key piece and I don't want her to be all pissy and stop talking altogether. :)
98,941 / 50,000
oct. 21, 2007 - 23 33
I have found that internal monlogue is quite helpful in fleshing out characters and giving them more dimension. Also by putting their beliefs into prose you have more latitude.It need not be dry.
66,494 / 50,000
oct. 30, 2007 - 12 08
I'll take Screams of Agony for 500 Alex ;)
Seriously though, I would recommend just remembering that very few people live life without doubts of some sorts. Maybe it'll help to have them questioning a specific belief or have a main character meet someone that causes them to question what they believe. Just a thought.
13,175 / 50,000
nov. 2, 2007 - 04 40
I can relate...I am new to all of this and I, too, am wanting to avoid the shallow. I thought today after writing...is this pathetic? Is it too shallow? But I like the advice above...let it flow...so that is what I am going to do. I feel like I am on a ride in an amusement park... a good ride...not scary...just uncertain. I also keep wondering if in fact I'll only have half of the novel at 50,000 words they way I'm describing every nuance...
anyway...keep having fun!
15,175 / 50,000
nov. 4, 2007 - 00 22
I'm writing a very philosophical novel as well. So far I've come up with a couple of techniques to get deep.
First of all, I'm handwriting my novel. This slows down everything a LOT. If that sounds like horrible torture to you, you might try writing the heaviest parts out in longhand first, and typing up the nuts-and-bolts type noveling stuff.
Second, think about how your novel is structured. You can do anything. I recently read a novel that had a little prologue at the beginning of each chapter, where the hero would write a journal-style entry in the first person, something relevant to the chapter ahead. Afterwards the storytelling would resume in third person. I am using this to get closer to my characters, to learn about them and give them space to muse on what's happening. Whether I use it or not, I'm learning a lot about my characters that I wouldn't otherwise if I hadn't given them that space to vent.
Third, I'm keeping serious writing near me. Right now it's Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov", a great choice because he gets deep really fast. The novel basically begins in a monastery, with Alyosha, one of the brothers, being totally rapt in the divine. The characters open by arguing the nature of religion-based statehood versus a secular government model. This is SERIOUSLY heavy-handed, and it's still among the most famous novels ever written. I am personally going for something slick and accessible, but it's very helpful to see how other writers cut to the real stuff.
Please feel free to PM me or email at dogson at gmail if you want to discuss this further, I'm always available.
18,418 / 50,000
déc. 7, 2007 - 08 21
Sometimes, entwining ideas in characters can help. If it is coming from some deep down confused/angry/questioning/something emotion the characters have, it can seem more realistic, rather than as if you are just plonking philosophical debates into a normal novel (which by the sounds of it you will avoid anyway:-P) this might especially work with the Romance side of the novel:-) Also horror............
Human: "What is this monster trying to eat me?? Doesn't God love me anymore?? Maybe God didn't ever exisARRGGH-"
Monster:"Mmm, person"
0.o I've had too much caffeine today. Hope I helped rather than frightened:-P
14,600 / 50,000
déc. 7, 2007 - 08 24
*laughs*
Great advice and extra points on the delivery! XD
1,645 / 50,000
févr. 19, 2008 - 22 02
Shallow isn't always bad...take Cloverleaf for example. (You know, the monster movie that begins with a 20-something yuppie party in a NY flat!) I despized most of the humans in that movie, but Hud (short for Hudson, the dude holding the videocamera.) and the hilarious comments he made at the most inappropriate times gave my 3 friends and I something good to talk about afterwards (Besides a giant Lagoon-creature destroying NYC, of course). So, don't always think that you have to be deep and meaningful all over the place, especially in the beginning. Take a look at my excerpt, the first part of the first part of the first part of my Nano07. it's not very deep or meaningful at all, and I'm writing in the Religious fantasy genre.