My brain is absolutely bursting with my latest idea for a story. That's not the problem though. This is--everything that happens hinges on a current foreign country changing from communism to democracy. How do you do this? Is it necessary to set the action some ten years down the road to help readers accept the change more readily, or can I make the year an unknown and just TELL my readers that this change has happened (including as much back story as necessary to make it plausible)? I'm more accustomed to fiction that makes up the bits about the people, not about institutions as large as an established gov't. If anyone knows of a book that has resolved this sort of dilemma effectively (or not so effectively) please let me know so I can check out how they accomplished it. Please also share any of your own personal ideas.
Posted by rainsong (Member # 430) on :
I haven't worked with this kind of story before, but it might be a good idea just to write the story several years in the future and let the reader know what happens through little bits and pieces of information--dialogue about the current government, recollections of how the change happened...
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
One thing you need to remember when setting a story in a different place or time (whether it's the future or the past, another planet or a fantasy world): people take things for granted.
And the things they take for granted, they don't talk about or explain. They just go on from there.
Can you imagine a character on tv explaining to another character what cars are for? Of course not. They may still explain to each other what the internet is for, but not cars (not unless they're talking to someone from another planet or a very backwards culture).
Go ahead and have your change from communism to democracy. Have it in the past and take it for granted. (Just as you probably take for granted the fact that Eastern Europe is no longer communist. I'll tell you right now that if you'd asked me twenty years ago, there is no way in the world I would have believed that Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union would be democracies before the year 2000.)
Posted by Jessi D (Member # 791) on :
Hey thanks! I think I was already contemplating a combination of both your suggestions. I was really leaning toward setting it present day AND having my characters reveal the pertinent information through dialogue (mostly arguments) because the change is **very** controversial and the conflict is a big part of what happens to my protagonist in the end.
I have a Group now (many heartfelt thanks, Kathleen)and they seem very gung-ho, but I still plan on hanging out here as well. You guys throw out some pretty schwank (sp?) stuff sometimes.
Peace out.
Posted by JK (Member # 654) on :
Personally, I like to set such things in the future but not mention any specific dates. This way, I feel, it can be a good idea without you having to explain the little details of how it happened, that aren't really necessary for the story anyway. What is gung-ho? JK
Posted by Jessi D (Member # 791) on :
Gung-ho? Sorry, what I meant to say (as every self-respecting editor would tell me to do: "Say what you mean, dangit!") was that they are excited and apparently quite prolific. Several even have multiple novels they would like us to read. I'll get back to you on the 'gung-ho' issue as soon as I have something intelligent to report on definition or etymology or whatever.
"If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?"--Voltaire
[This message has been edited by Jessi D (edited January 11, 2001).]