There are many questions every writer faces as they write their stories and usually one of those questions is "How big a role will the outside world play in my plot?" All of our characters live in our made-up world, but unless you write in a genre like science fiction or fantasy, real-life events have to be incorporated or ignored.
Many authors have history play a vital role - it would be difficult to find a modern-day spy thriller that doesn't take the war against terrorism into account. On the other hand, if you're the writer of lighter fiction, it's possible that the only role the real world plays in your manuscripts is that your characters carry smart phones and perhaps tweet to their friends or discover their love life is falling apart because of someone's status update on Facebook.
My manuscript's plot takes place in the past which gives me the advantage of knowing how and when events played out. Although my characters are aware of their world, I have not made them main players in it. I don't have Winston Churchill as a character (although he is mentioned in a passing conversation). All my characters, however, have attitudes coloured by the experience of living through World War I as it would be (in my opinion) impossible to write true-to-life characters without taking that into account.
However, they (like us) don't know what will happen next week, next year or tomorrow. We learn from looking backwards since we can't look ahead. A seemingly insignificant event today could be charged with meaning a year later.
If you're a writer, how big a role does the outside world play in your formulation of your plots? And if you're a reader, do you want real-time events to be echoed in your reading, or do you want simply to escape into simpler plots where the outside world plays little or no role?
Elspeth - It really is important to think about how the outside world figures into a story. One of the things that often draws us into a story is that we can imagine the events happening. That's hard to do (my hat is off to people who write fantasy and can really do this) without acknowledging the outside world.
ReplyDeleteIn my own writing, my characters move in today's world, and they live and work in a place I know well. So I pull in the outside world by using some existing place names, today's technology and references to real things like makes of cars and ATM machines. Hopefully those things connect my story with what's really out there.
Since I write contemporary that's practically out of date before it's published, I try to keep anything "current" vague, but things that happened longer ago might get mentions. Like Margot, I'll use real cars, major brand names (despite hoops one publisher makes me jump through before they can actually be on the page). Although I once set a scene in a local restaurant that was out of business before the book came out.
ReplyDeleteTerry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery
Margot; Placing your characters into a world which is familiar to you is a very clever move. I'm very grateful I don't write in today's world because with technology changing so quickly, I'd be worried about dating the book.
ReplyDeleteTerry; I can imagine using certain brand names could cause all sorts of issues. How disappointinging (for you, and I'm sure the owner) about that restaurant!
As a reader, I have more than once been distracted by an author's need to include some real person or event in an otherwise fictional book because that inclusion was more about making the setting real than about the plot. When a character is affected by the historical events, then it makes sense to include them, but to get into too much detail for what is really just meant as a window treatment is distracting for the reader.
ReplyDeleteI guess my test would be: does it tie into the theme or plot of the story? The answer tells you whether or not to put it in.
I agree with Kit about putting real world things in a book just to have them there. When I read I am jarred out of the story when it is obvious the author has done that.
ReplyDeleteWhen writing, I like to use the names of real cars, real people, real places and real things. Terry and I share the same publisher for some of our books and it is the one that wants us to take out all brand names. I have finally convinced them that if the name is not used in any way that reflects poorly on the person or thing, lets keep it in. Referring to a character who is a dead-ringer for Denzel Washington is a much better way of saying the character resembled a handsome,famous black actor. That could mean Morgan Freeman, who does have his charm, but doesn't have that smile. LOL
Kit; I agree completely, famous names or events being dropped into a plot just to be dropped are distracting. As a writer, my litmus test is, if it has something to do with the plot, then it's in.
ReplyDeleteMaryann; I admit, my mind wandered to a different place once you mentioned Denzel Washington. *sigh*
Elspeth, on the very very very remote chance anyone connected with that failed restaurant actually read my book, at least they'll know it's "immortalized."
ReplyDeleteAnd, Maryann -- on that dreaded "Tip Sheet" we have to turn in, I list all the brand names, but point out they're "used in passing" and have rarely had to get permission (or be asked to cut them -- saying a high performance sports car just isn't the same as a a Porsche).
Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery
I believe the outside world has to play some sort of role in any modern novel, especially in the genres I read such as Mysteries and Thrillers. Like you mentioned whether it be mention of Twitter, cell phones, or other technology, these things should be a part of your character's life (or mentioned if they are against technology).
ReplyDeleteAs far as the outside world in relation to scene building, for myself I haven't been to a lot of places I've written my characters into, however, the internet, and research can go a long way to get the facts at least right in areas where they count.
I believe there is some room for imagination as long as it's conceivable.
In my books, technology plays a minimal role, although it does get some mentions. I try to downplay it, though, so it's not distracting--since our books will live forever online as ebooks, I wouldn't want someone to get pulled out of the story by a mention of an app that's no longer around.
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