I’ve been reading The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. It’s one of the best books on writing I’ve read so far, and is written in such an encouraging and easy-to-read format that I can easily see myself coming back to it again and again.
In chapter 24, Bell says “A writer with a credo will not be tempted to settle for mediocrity.” He uses the credo of John D. MacDonald as an example, giving three essentials for a successful novel. After some careful thought, I’ve come up with a rough concept of my own writing credo. Here it is:
I want to write stories that transport readers to another world, make them care deeply about characters in dire situations, and take them deeper into life itself.
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This three-part statement mirrors MacDonald and Bell’s essentials somewhat, but worded in a way that is uniquely mine and addresses the essence of what I want to write.
First, transporting readers to another world – this is the suspension of disbelief that is necessary for readers to fully immerse themselves into a fantasy world of my creation. This includes the nitty-gritty details of world-building, but also the sense of awe and magic that are essential. Readers have to be fully convinced that this world I’ve imagined makes sense within the rules I’ve established, but that it is also an amazing place that they wouldn’t mind visiting again.
Second, making them care deeply about characters in dire situations – this is the story itself, with a focus on the characters themselves. The story has to make sense, there has to be a good plotline, but most importantly, the characters have to be real. They have to have their own existence that will draw readers into their lives. And when bad things happen to these characters (as they will, of course), it must be told in a way that makes the readers truly care about what happens next. They need to love the protagonist, cheer when the protagonist succeeds, and weep when the protagonist suffers. They need to hate the antagonist, cheer when the antagonist is defeated, and be horrified when the antagonist succeeds (with variations on these, of course).
Finally, taking them deeper into life itself – this is taken from a lecture by John Stonestreet about entertainment. He said that good entertainment takes us deeper into life, while bad entertainment takes us away from life. This applies to fantasy stories perhaps even more than other forms of fiction. (I could quote lengthy passages from J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous essay On Fairy Stories, but I suggest you go read it yourself. It supports this idea in many ways.)
Fantasy stories have, over the decades, been accused of being nothing more than escapism, while “real life” stories enrich our “real” lives. I find this to be nonsense. While I could, perhaps, enjoy a story set in modern times about a character who struggles with the temptation of absolute power, it would, by its very nature, tend toward sermonizing and tedium. However, place that same kind of story in a world filled with elves, dwarves, dragons and more, make the source of the absolute power a magic ring, and have all the characters within that story react to that ring and its temptation in different ways… now you’re talking. Now I’m caught up in this concept without even realizing it, and learning about the temptation of power.
Or take Lord Foul’s Bane, the epic (and somewhat controversial) fantasy by Stephen R. Donaldson. When a friend first suggested I read it, the concept (involving rape) repelled me at first. I don’t necessarily want to read a story about rape and its consequences. But… put that within the constraints of a fantasy novel with a deep character that you both pity and hate at the same time and… suddenly, it’s something different, something that eventually leads deeper into life.
Going deeper into life means that my stories have to have meaning. That doesn’t mean they have to have some easily-quotable theme or pithy lesson. But they do have to make one think and care. And maybe even consider changing something.
That’s my credo. Now comes the difficult part: living up to it.