Maybe I shouldn't say "hate." Hate's a strong word. Rather, I'm indifferent to politics. I don't really care. They're boring.
But politics in a story is something else. Politics in a story oftentimes make the story more interesting. Politics in a story (and in real life, I realize) affect everything, from nations to individuals. OSC often uses politics, and does so with skill, making me, as a reader, interested in something I otherwise find dull and mundane.
So how do I, as a writer, infuse my WIP with the politics that I'm so indifferent to? I can't fake it. Readers can spot a poser from a mile away. So how do I convincingly weave this tapestry of motives and ambitions towards power?
My first recommendation would be to read some political thrillers, like Clancy's.
My second recommendation is to pick a cause and then exaggerate the reactions to that cause.
The most important thing to do is show both sides equally. Each side feels they have the correct view. To pull off a politician (or several on opposing sides), you'll have to balance the partisanship with one's core beliefs. And, oh yeah... COMPROMISE.
But you can also make it as nasty as you want...
Good luck.
[This message has been edited by HSO (edited April 21, 2005).]
Seriously though, to get a grip on politics, you don't have to focus on legislative or parlimentary proceedings. The dynamics of politicing can be found everywhere from the office to the playground to...yes, the WWE (or daytime soaps if that's more your thing ).
The goal is to understand how and why people react in particular ways and then apply that understanding to various situations.
For example: Several years ago, I worked in a clothing and jewelry store with 6 other women. The other stores in our chain were all manned by women as was our warehouse and head office, with the only exception being one of the owners (the company was owned by a married couple).
We weren't running any elections but I can tell you I have never in my life been surround by so much politics playing. The gossiping, the back-biting, the power trips, the manipulation, the backdoor dealing, the butt kissing -- it nearly drove me crazy.
It was because of the politicing that I eventually quit. Far too much estrogen in that place! I learned a lot though. There were patterns that I can see when I watch the news or read the paper (two things avoid at times)...
BTW, is there a specific reason why you want to write about something you're not that interested in?
posted
What is it that interests you when you see politics in fiction? Whatever that is -- that's your interest! (If there's nothing, then politics DOESN'T make fiction interesting to you, and I doubt you'll be able to make it interesting to your readers.)
My problems in putting politics into my novel were: * detaching from making it identifiable -- I don't want to alienate half my readers by showing preference to the other party * making it personal. I let the reader get to know the contenders as people, and their ideologies were an afterthought. I think ideology makes for powerful rants but horrible fiction
quote:So how do I, as a writer, infuse my WIP with the politics that I'm so indifferent to? I can't fake it. Readers can spot a poser from a mile away. So how do I convincingly weave this tapestry of motives and ambitions towards power?
Don't. Weave a tapestry of motives and ambitions towards something that makes you anxious and excited.
I don't care about the machinations of power, you don't care about power plays, I say you skip the whole thing and write something we do care about. Write about how interesting people are given to make unseemingly bold decisions.
[This message has been edited by Tanglier (edited April 22, 2005).]
posted
HSO, I strongly disagree with you. Tom Clancy's books are not political thrillers, they are techno-thrillers.
When Tom Clancy gets into domestic politics, he makes certain you cannot tell the political beliefs of his characters.
He treats foriegn politics differently. Usually, Clancy's bad guys lose because they don't believe in American values and his good guys win because they do. But those values are never couched in domestic political terms, and never become points of conflict in the story.
If you want to create your own political conflict you only need to do one thing: create two characters with different ideologies. The idologies can be vastly different or barely distinguishable, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that the characters hold onto their ideologies strongly.
Any time any human believes anying strongly it always leads to conflict, violence, and destruction. At least in fiction. Try it on some characters, you'll see the amazing power of ideology in fiction.
There’s a big difference between being a poser and being creative. Plenty of writers write about subjects they have minimal first hand experience in. My recommendation is to NOT shy away from a concept just because it's not something you already know a lot about. Extend yourself. Take a risk. Go to your local library, grab a couple poli-sci books, maybe a bio of a well known politician who mirrors the character you’re trying to create, and do the research. Proper research can add a lot to a story, while lack of proper research can show like a beacon.
Also, if you have the option, take your finished work to someone with knowledge of politics and see what they think.
posted
After sleeping on it, I find I must disagree with myself. Some of Tom Clancy's stories are political thrillers.
In reflection, it seems that the most popular political thrillers pose a conflict of ideologies on an international scale, not a personal scale. For example, Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of the Jackal is certainly a political thriller, even though the political views of the antagonist (Lebel ) and antagonist (The Jackal) are never expressed. The political conflict is between the French government and the OAS (a group opposed to Algerian independence). This political conflict is the impetus for the story, but it is not the dramatic conflict of the story.
I suppose this is how all the popular political thrillers work. Strange that I had never considered it before.
[This message has been edited by Doc Brown (edited April 22, 2005).]
posted
My first reaction was to tell you not to write about something you're not interested in but then I started thinking...
Politics infuses our daily lives in subtle ways. LIfe is politics, and in that way of looking at it there has to be something of politics that interests you or you would have no interest in life.
Politics is definitely not just Mr. Bush and his cronies doing things from on high that have very little to do with my life. It is definitely not just reporters sensationalizing sex as if only dirty politicians ever have affairs.
Politics is in the power games we play with our friens and family. Politics is positioning, making yourself look good, and making the best life for yourself. Office politics are some of the most brutal.
Last night, my husband came home after working yet another twelve-hour day. He started at 5:30 in the morning and game home in time for a dinner and a couple of hours with me before going to bed to start it all again. In those couple of hours he informed me that his boss not-so-casually suggested that it "looks better" for him to stay late in the evening rather than come in early in the morning. This is politics. I am bad at politics, because my answer was to want to get on the phone with ihs boss and tell him to shove appearances up his tight little ass. Fortunately, I don't know his number.
Now, I say this and then I tell you this: Write about what you like. Write about what you know or even want to know. But know life. Observe life. That's all the politics you need.
posted
I have to say, it always amuses me when people impune Machiavelli's morality with such casual distain. It is not just the rough men standing ready to do violence on those who would harm you, but the careful men calculating where those rough men should be unleashed to keep you safe in your beds at night.
I'm not a careful man, because I don't regard it as particularly important that anyone sleep safe in beds at night.
I don't believe my disdain is casual at all! I am shocked by the cold and calculating way Machiavelli-- and those he was writing about-- looked at their political opportunities. People were seen as mere chess pieces. And I DO understand that such a viewpoint is neccessary for those who really are "playing the game," but I still found the sentiments deplorable. If we aren't about our fellow men, then what ARE we about? One can be powerful, superior, and cynical, but I don't believe one can feel those things and be truly happy. Such a person will only ever be alone.
I did find The Prince a fascinating history of Italy. I can see how the mafia and other "secret murderous societies" were created and came to flourish in such an environment.
I guess what I'm trying to say, in my non-eloquent way, is that I DO believe Machiavelli is an important read. I am a firm believer in "understanding the enemy," after all! And yes, I do understand that those moving the pieces are the ones to fear, as opposed to the mere pawns who do the dirty work. I believe there are many of these sorts of lessons we need to learn in this day and age...
posted
Why would I want to write about something that doesn't interest me?
That's a good question.
The truth is, I was influenced by Children of Dune, and OSC's Shadow of the Giant, both of which heavily featured politics. The desire to gain or maintain power by one person or another motivated the entire storyline.
I suppose seeing it done well made me want to attempt it.
In any case, I think the advice presented here should be more than enough to springboard towards a more convincing story.
posted
Make the character indifferent to politics but trapped in a world where others are strongly political. Then go to some political websites and write to reflect on your own confusion and angst when confronted by strong opinion. Tell the story as an emotional outsider.
I don't write about politics often, but when I need some background info on the fringes of the mainstream I go to places like www.democraticunderground.com/ where the molten lava runs just beneath the surface.
If you are making up someone who has blundered into a totally alien political universe like Jose Farmer's character 'Simon Wagstaff' in Venus on the Half Shell you may need more crackpottery. I haven't visited this site for a while but it used to ba a good source for political satire material 'way beyond the fringes. http://www.phact.org/e/crack.html (I just looked up this site again, and it isn't as good as I thought it was five years ago, but it still has some political crackpot links toward the bottom of the page.)
[This message has been edited by keldon02 (edited April 24, 2005).]
posted
RobynHood is right. Politics is everywhere.
Even goats have politics. There is a pecking order and always someone in charge. And there is intrigue as the lower animals make friends and enemies and try to take over leadership. It's really quite involved in an "I'll give you such a head-butt" kind of way.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
