I just loaded one of my playlists
to my computer’s music player. I have the following songs among many I am
listening to as I write tonight including Roll
with the Changes by REO Speedwagon, Jukebox
Hero by Foreigner, Bang a Drum by
Bon Jovi, Heartbeat City by The Cars,
Bad is Bad by Huey Lewis & the
News, What it Takes to Win by
Journey, Speed Turtle by Brian
Wilson, Baby Come Back to Me by
Manhattan Transfer, Brand New Day by
Sting, and Africana by Kurt Bestor.
The selections are a bit eclectic but a good mix for me. I realize it is loaded
with what many would consider some older period works (1970’s – 80’s). I have
very vivid memories of listening to groups like Three Dog Night and Journey in the Utah State University Spectrum
(basketball stadium) with more than 7,000 screaming fans (all considered close
friends by the end of the evening). The stage was raised about 6 feet off the
floor with four 20 foot high sound columns on the sides of the stage, a wall of
speakers behind the band that stood 8 feet high and ran the entire width of the
stage. I am convinced that when they powered up the sound and light systems in
the Spectrum the lights dimmed in the rest of Logan. The band would start with
something like Line of Fire (by
Journey) and it would just get better and better. This is not the same
experience you get by plugging in your ear buds and cranking up the volume on
your IPod. Ear buds may be able to deliver a similar decibel level as music measured
in a concert hall but that is where the similarities end. I remember the feel of
the sound waves slamming into me. It was very much a physical thing. One could
feel the bass notes through the floor, your shoes and into your bones. There is
something very real about the feel of that kind of music in that setting.
The best writers, like the best
musicians help us experience stories through our senses. Somehow the reader has
to be able to feel, to see, to hear, to touch,
to smell the story. All designed to create emotion and a sense of
connection. We need an investment in the story. I read one of David Weber’s Honor Harrington series of books about a
naval officer and her exploits. Weber is particularly good at describing naval
battles. The stories are very much science fiction but the terms, the tactics and the weapons are
all well detailed and dovetail together. I remember reading an engagement in
which the good guys did what is called a rearguard holding action. The action
is designed to allow a group to escape but depending on the strengths of the
opposing force, it may bode ill for the defending group. Here it allowed a
group of under armed transports to escape a devastating ambush. I felt heartache
for the dying rearguard force as the transports watched the destruction of this
cover fleet but which destruction allowed the transports to escape. In real
life those purchasing the time usually do not survive and know they are not
likely to. One doesn’t have to have actual experience in death and destruction
to feel the loss however, as Weber evokes emotions through descriptions and
feelings by the characters who survive and those who know they are going to die.
A good writer creates a mental image that one can immerse themselves in to generate
and drive complex emotions, some very intense ones.
L.E. Modesitt Jr. in his writing
has the ability to lay out very complex economic, political and ecological
concepts in such a manner as to make good story telling. Granted, one does not
usually experience death from economic conflicts but it can be the catalyst
that leads to death and destruction. However, with the proper use of such
conflicts a much richer story is delivered. These principles and concepts add
spice, flavors, colors, sounds, sights, if you will. It is important not to neglect
the use of the soft sciences in story telling. These can be part of the back
story or of the world building. They can also add dimensions and layers to main
and secondary characters and create well rounded plots and story arcs. Consider just a few of
Modesitt’s books for particular situations. Parafaith
Wars and The Ethos Effect show
religious expansionism vs.
eco-technology and what can happen. The books are stand alone volumes but written
in the same universe, centuries apart yet linked. A portion of the Recluse series involves the main
character named Lerris who is an order mage but has to earn his living as a
woodworker (a craftsman). He has to practice his trade to get enough money to
travel. Yet because of his trade there are many great story arcs. The first 3
books of the Imager series involves
the main character as a portraiturist and then as a magic user. The painting
stays in the character’s background and colors the story. The entire economic
and political setting is consistent with this aspect. In the Ghost series (a three book series) the
main characters are university professors. The setting is such that it reminds
me of class and all the situations one gets in that setting. Again Modesitt
weaves the occupations into the story which adds story arcs and gives
interesting flavors to the setting and characters. One of my favorite science
fiction books by Modesitt is The One-Eyed
Man. Here a society and social order is build around a planet that is
influenced by a unique lifeform hidden yet in plain sight. The hero is
commissioned to do an ecological survey to see if the settlements are
interfering with the planetary systems. No one wants to upset the balance but
things look poised to do just that.
So,
don’t neglect the full body effect of economic and political settings, ecologic
and environmental aspects and certainly give characters jobs and lives. All will
help generate deeper and more intense situations and many more story arcs,
plots and subplot opportunities. Remember, politics can kill us. Just look at
the French revolution.
