posted
I'm thinking about writing a story which aside from the first page or two (it probably won't be very long) rationality gets a nice chuck out the window. It starts off with all the main characters seperating themselves from their bodies because they care so little about the world that they can focus their attention on other things. Then they go join up with Queen Rebecca, the queen of the universe. From this place they become known as the uberslackers (the generals at least) [I came up with the idea when I was explaining my name to someone]. They have to fight a war against invading ' 'presences' that are trying to come into the universe. Would this be absolutely way too crazy or would some people accept it at the allegorical value I intend it?
posted
Sounds surreal. Personally, I like my surreal to be humorous. I'd give it a look, though. I guess if you abandon rationality completely, you'll be alright. What will kill you is trying to rationalise irrationality. JK
Posts: 503 | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Hey, if it's consistent and clear within the constraints of its irrationality (in other words, if it works and the readers can make sense of it), then go for it.
Just remember the three questions that every writer has to be sure to answer for the readers (according to OSC):
posted
For irrationality done well (IMHO) you should read some novels by P. K. Dick. They are great reads, and in some cases, extremely weird.
Specific books I'm thinking of would be: Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and Game Players of Titan...(others, anyone?)
The first two of these are must reads, period.
Also there is award winning Man in the High Castle, which is a different kind of book (alternate history), also excellent. Stay away from the Valis trilogy.
This may not be quite the same kind of irrationality that you have in mind, but in any case, I think these books could offer some useful techniques in keeping readers interested as all the rules fly out the window.
posted
Sweet! Someone else who likes Dick! In my social circles, nobody's ever heard of him, it seems like. IMHO one of the greatest short story writers of all time. You could do worse than him for an example.
'Paycheck' has to be my favorite mystery short. :-) Very cool.
posted
The general idea really doesn’t sound that out-there to me as I read over it. I think if worked right, you could actually make it sound fairly credible (SF credible anyway).
It does seem like it would need some length to do that though, and I’m not exactly sure where the allegory part comes in.
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I'm not really even trying to make it sound credible. I would need a very long story in order to explain all the phenomena that would allow me to write a story and that's something I really don't want to do. The allegory has to do with what they have to fight (the forces from outside) and who is doing the fighting. (Slackers). Plus it has something to do with my theory that slackers (at least my brand) aren't all bad. Really I guess the way I'm telling it it's more fantasy than SF, which is usually how I write anyway.
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By SF, I meant speculative fiction, which I was under the impression was the preferred blanket term for science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history, and any other type of fiction where the rules of our universe don't exactly apply.
I suppose it could be some other sort of fiction, if the idea above was just some sort of day-dream that happened to a character in the story, but if you are assuming any sort of literal use of the idea (which is how I read the initial post), then I think that’s pretty much SF.
posted
I'm mainly posting to stand amidst the ranks of PK Dick fans. His stories work on so many levels, driven by allegory almost as much as Joyce stories. I'm not even into SF as much as I once was, but his stories go beyond genre limitations. Try 'The Pot Healer'. Nothing to do with drugs.
As for Uber, I think anything can work depending on the narrator's view of it and his/her voice.
posted
Phillip K Dick is a fabuous writer of short stories. I keep meaning to delve into some of his novel-length stuff....
As for abandoning rationality, I would give you a very enthusiastic "go for it"! But, as others have pointed out, one really has to know the rules through and through before one can break them effectively. Where a lot of writers fall flat is in having a brilliant idea, but writing it ineptly. Your idea sounds fascinating, but the key will have to be internal consistency. You can draw readers into the most bizarre, surreal circumstances, through completely foreign experiences, and expose them to weird points of view, as long as you write it well. There have to be underlying reasons why your irrational universe works the way it does.
As long as the reader cares, doesn't feel insulted/condescended to, and isn't distracted by internal inconsistency, the universie is at your command.
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