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Michelle's Musings

You Can Make this Stuff Up

In this climate of conspiracy theories and alternative facts, the line between reality and surrealism can become blurred at times, which is often the case in magical realism writing.

 

Magical realism differs from fantasy in that the latter contains a unique, fantastical environment or world in which its characters exist. Magical realism, on the other hand, drops a fantastical element into the midst of an otherwise ordinary, real world. A successful magical realism writer must coax her readers into suspending disbelief so that the story doesn't seem silly.

 

Some authors open their stories with a magical element to ground the reader in the genre up front. I'm more a fan of the gradual introduction of magic. For me, that makes the "twist" even more intriguing when it first appears. I'm hooked when I'm given pause to ponder whether what I just read is what the author intended me to understand. I'm motivated to keep reading to see how this bit of intrigue will play out. Either way, I find the genre enthralling.

 

In recent months, I've repeatedly heard, "You can't make this stuff up." I imagine there are lots of Hollywood scriptwriters and producers foaming at the mouth about plotlines and miniseries with themes based in our current political environment. While those headlines don't necessarily implicate magic, there is a sense of surrealism from time to time that might stir the creative mind to consider, What if?

Timing is Everything

I recently started another revision of my novel, Hide and Seek, a magical realism story about a 12-year-old girl with a special gift that she must properly embrace if she is to help her deceased brother cross over to "the other side." Though the intended audience is adults, I have attempted to write it from the perspective of a 12-year-old narrator. I've been advised by experts in the publishing industry that such an endeavor would be hard to pull off. Indeed, it's been difficult to find other stories written this way. The few that I did find tend to take liberty with the child's capacity for an advanced vocabulary, which did not bother me so much. However, I recognized the same in my own work and had made several notations about correcting the language in a future revision—admittedly, a daunting task.

 

Well, this go-around, after being satisfied that I'd composed the storyline I wanted, I began another revision. At the second chapter in, something "clicked," and I realized that the mature vocabulary of an adult gives me more freedom of voice. So, I changed the narrator to that of a young adult looking back.

 

The timing of this epiphany was perfect, as I'd contemplated submitting the first 15 pages of my novel to a couple of fellowship-type programs designed to guide writers through a professional revision process. I immediately went back to my opening chapter and made appropriate changes. My deadlines are in a couple of days, so I've been devoting most of my writing time to the novel revision.

 

As the saying goes, "Timing is everything."

The Final Chapter

Most would agree that 2020 has been a year of many firsts, heartaches, dreams gone bust, and precious little good in between. So many twists and turns that we thought we'd never see or experience. Lots of unique stories found their genesis in the Covid-19 pandemic. Empty store shelves early on set the stage for dark suspense. I imagine that we'll see more than a few creative works incorporating this unfortunate chapter in our history.

 

Although many stories have been written about natural disasters, there's something sacrilegious about exploiting the pandemic theme at this time, mainly because we're still in the throes of something akin to Armageddon, the Plague, or the Second Coming of Christ. While there are numerous plot lines, dastardly characters, and an abundance of tense drama to pull from 2020, we would still need to determine what it is our protagonist must achieve by the end of our story. Of course, you'd need a good antagonist to foil her quest to achieve that goal.

 

As we come to the end of this nightmare of a year, we might envision that nightmare ending on a positive note like any good read. Indeed, there are already signs of light at the end of a long and winding tunnel. But we need to stay tuned in, be focused and vigilant, and keep turning the pages of this hellish narrative to reach that satisfying conclusion.

 

On a brighter holiday season note: While contemplating alternate means to celebrate the spirit of the season with family and friends, consider bringing joy into the life of a stranger by doing something kind and unexpected. It will mean the world to them—and to yourself!

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Tickle Your Fantasy

We are living in rough times, to put it mildly. I can't recall when I've ever known such chaos on so many fronts. We're seeing internal and external interference in our democratic election process in the midst of a divisive presidential election season; an unrelenting deadly coronavirus pandemic with its attendant record unemployment; and ongoing civic protest against longstanding racial injustices. How much more can we take?

 

As writers, we may wonder what we can do to help assuage the negative impact of these dire forces. Turning off the television might help, but we are surrounded by media on which we tend to rely not only for current events but also for information about our industry. So I have another timely idea that syncs with the upcoming National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in which writers are challenged to produce 50,000 words of a brand-new novel during November.

 

For an escape from the madness, I suggest a writing prompt that goes something like this: Create and write about your ideal fantasyland to which you can get away whenever you need a respite. Your destination can be as fanciful and colorful as one of your more vivid fantastical dreams set in a foreign land, or as serene and meditative as hiding out in an austere hut at a faraway beach in the most tropical of locations where the sun reliably shines and the breeze always calms.

 

Good fiction contains a relatable protagonist—you; a strong plot line; conflict (maybe not so much for this exercise!); powerful dialogue (internal monologue will do well here), and a wonderfully detailed setting. All of these aspects of storytelling needn't be present for this short exercise, but try including those you've previously found troublesome. This exercise can also apply to nonfiction writers who want to spruce up their works with a touch of creativity.

 

The point is to write a short story about a destination to which you can periodically venture and nurture your mental health. Only you can create the ideal escape, because only you know what best tickles your fantasy. No one will criticize your work—except you, of course!

 

So go ahead, and dream big. Though we still have to deal with reality, maybe this exercise will help us reemerge from this nightmare with our sanities intact.

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The Gasp

As mentioned in last month's blog post, I participated in a Zoom videoconference by reading a personal essay on racism in which I incorporated a tragic vignette about a long-deceased ancestor. In this post, I'm sharing my unexpected emotional reaction at the conclusion of that reading, which I believe demonstrates the importance of strong character development in writing fiction.

 

The discovery of a bounty notice posted by my White third great-grandfather (confirmed by DNA) advertising a cash reward for the capture of my Mulatto third great-grandmother and her husband (not genetically related to me) was simultaneously shocking and intriguing. Eager to learn more, I explored the discovery from the perspective of an objective investigator hunting for data. I wanted to know what life must have been like back then for this couple. What were their circumstances at the time they fled?

 

Although the presentation of my discovery was rather matter-of-fact, the vignette elicited gasps from the audience. It wasn't until the subsequent question-and-answer session that I was forced to confront the intimate connection I'd unwittingly made with my "character."

 

The first question asked of me was, "What would you say to your great-grandmother if she were alive today?" Suddenly, I was struck with the reality that this woman was my flesh and blood. I'd engaged in a fact-finding search about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, but I'd also traveled back into her soul as if I'd run off with her. Contemplating an answer to that initial question, I was overcome with emotion and unable to speak.

 

Strong character development establishes an emotional bond with the reader that elicits a range of feelings, including empathy. I want to inspire my readers to journey into the heads and hearts of my fictional characters where they can linger and develop a connection as profound as that which I experienced. If I can make my readers gasp, then I'll know I've done a decent job!

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