Writer's Musings
Hello from my last day in Athens!
I am starting to review the books for which I got my rights back, especially the first part of Experimental Magics (working title: Fundamental Magics).
While I am reading the text for the umpteenth time, I am starting to think about altering it quite substantially. Apparently, the ancient Greeks thought that put a story in writing was akin to freeze it, can it, and load it full of unholy preservatives. Now, while I have a unique opportunity to rewrite my book, I can see their point. Telling stories is a dynamic, evolving process.
When I first wrote Fundamental Magics, in 2014, I had no idea where I was going. Back then, I had just released The Walls of Gandarah, a dark and epic fantasy, and managed to find a publisher for it. The comments I got were mostly positive, but the book didn’t have much success. I was advised to “write to market.”
The fashion in French fantasy back then was steampunk, with the beginning of a steampunk series by Pierre Pevel (you can find some of his non-steampunk translated books here). How could I write to market? Then, I had an idea: what would happen to the preindustrial world of The Walls of Gandarah 400 years later? An industrial revolution! That’s how I had a try with The Book Hunter and then Fundamental Magics. Both had much more commercial success. I realized I could earn money and have fun!
As I have said, I am an unapologetic pantser. The idea of Experimental Magics came from a dream, in which I saw 2 scenes: one is now in the middle of the book, where Adrienne is pursued by wolves. The second scene is when she infiltrates the bad guy’s castle. And that was it. I just thought about writing a book including those two scenes. I thought the first scene would be at the beginning, with Adrienne discovering a pack of wolves roaming her old, dilapidated neighborhood, and the second scene would be at the end.
Then, I thought the story had to be linked with the first book which had some loose ends left. So, I had to bring the characters from the first book and make them do interesting things.
I also wanted to link the story to Gandarah (a pivotal place in many of my stories). So, I decided to tell Adrienne’s childhood in flash backs. Where did I get the idea? From Indiana Jones and similar stories centered on an intrepid Wester archaeologist. What about the labourers we see digging in the sand, talking gibberish and being massacred in droves by some angry mummy/bad guys/sandstorm/trap in the tomb? What did they really think about all the treasures passing under their noses?
Finally, the last great idea came when I was watching a documentary about Jules Vernes (I don’t particularly like the guy, but it would be for another post). The documentary was making a point about how time was playing a central part in his stories, along with the then modern technology and travels. What about twisting the idea and turning a character into a railway timetable?
So, in the end, the story didn’t have the rigid, and for some, reassuring structure recommended by the writing gurus (Save the Cat, Three Acts, Five Acts, Seven Points, Pyramid, Triangle, Circle, Square…). I suspect all those structures have been strongly influenced by screenwriting where you have only two hours and a set budget to tell a story.
I think that if you have been raised on fairytales, like me, you would articulate your story intuitively, without spending days wondering what sort of conflict you should throw your characters in. You will still get it spot on. Once, I ran Experimental Magics through one of those newfangled AI who can analyse story structure, and it actually came exactly as a standard hero’s journey, with all the beats exactly at the right place. So much for making outlines.
I believe the plot system I most agree with is the four parts Japanese kishōtenketsu (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kishōtenketsu ) a much wider and flexible structure.
Ki: Introduction - This is where the story begins, setting the scene and introducing characters and the initial situation which may or may not, include a conflict in the “Hollywood scenario” sense. It establishes the baseline situation, from which everything else will unfold.
Shō: Development - Building on the foundation laid in the Ki, the Shō section develops the story, adds new information, elaborates on the setting, and deepens the characters and their world.
Ten: Twist or Complication - The Ten introduces a major turning point or an unexpected element that changes the direction of the story. This twist is not necessarily a conflict in the “Hollywood scenario” sense but can be a shift in perspective, an introduction of new information, or an event that recontextualizes what has come before. It's the pivotal point of the story.
Ketsu: Conclusion - The Ketsu brings the story to a close by resolving the twist introduced in the Ten, tying together the various elements introduced throughout the narrative. This resolution doesn’t necessarily mean solving a problem or overcoming a challenge, as might be expected in Hollywood-type stories. Instead, it seeks to provide a satisfying conclusion that reflects on the journey and its implications.
Here are two interesting articles discussing it much better than me:
Why do I have more affinity for that structure? Possibly because I have not grown up on Hollywood and Disney movies. The other reason is because most of my characters can become the heroes of their own story, so, I am not that focused on one hero.
When applying kishōtenketsu to fantasy, I believe the most important part becomes the twist (not the final battle). In most of my novels, it would also correspond to the hero’s “dark moment” but is usually not about the hero being trapped or incapacitated, but about changing his/her perspective. For example, in Experimental Magics, the twist comes when Adrienne is getting physically threatened and realises that everyone is after an incidental discovery she made in her childhood and she simply cannot ignore it. In the short story Dragon Shield, the twist comes when the hero defeats the bad guy and reveals his identity: it appears that killing the bad guy hasn’t solved the problem. In Holy Grail, the twist is the heroine recovering part of her memory.
The other interesting thing is that when you have a romance in your story, it doesn’t need to rely on some convoluted conflict or gross misunderstanding but can develop more organically.
For me, writing is a dynamic, evolving process. Each story opens up a world of creative possibilities and fun! Now, I guess not every reader is keen on something going beyond the safety of conventions. So, I am very grateful to you, my readers to have followed me so far.
A little housekeeping note: In the next weeks, I will reorganise this newsletter, so don’t be surprised to receive a notice saying you have been unsubscribed and resubscribed again. If somehow, you get definitely unsubscribed by accident, please let me know by sending an email to admin@romansdefantasy.com.
It will soon be this newsletter birthday and for the occasion, I will send some goodies!
Till next time.
Alex
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