Phy
05-08-2007, 03:55 PM
The recent discussion about magic in fantasy settings versus the supernatural element in the real world has collided with an article in the latest issue of The Writer magazine to give me an idea for a story about these very issues.
There is, of course, a twist.
In his Syntax column, Arthur Plotnik writes an article entitled 'When to use 'you' in fiction'. He writes that the second-person voice is 'perilous but rich in possibilities'. That sparked some intriguing daydreaming about all this over lunch today.
I'm thinking about writing a short story that deals with all these elements and culminates with a distinction, a decision, and a bang.
One of the thoughts that came to mind is this:
One can't be a believer and superstitious as the same time (new
wineskin, and all that).
As for the second-person perspective, here's how it looks in print:
"You are not the kind of guy who would be at place like this at this
time of the morning. But here you are... You are at a nightclub
talking to a girl with a shaved head."
Bright Lights, Big City - Jay McInerney
I started thinking about how to write a story in the 2nd person using
the 'you' methodology to detail the distinction between fictional
magic and the RL, and I thought how fun it would be to have the author
writing in the 'you' language. But who is he writing to? Is 'you' himself, or is 'you you, the gentle reader? I already have an idea who 'you' is and what the hook might be. I'm intrigued with the ideas that are already swirling.
Right now, I'm finishing Chapter 11 of The Sky Pirate serial for Issue 22 of Ray Gun Revival magazine (5/15/07) but I like to work on non-TSP-related things in the off-weeks, and this is the sort of story that I'm interested in when I need to break from swashbuckling adventure fiction.
When writing to Christians, I like to write about things you don't normally get elsewhere. My most recent off-TSP story was a Christian sci-fi story at the new quarterly, Wayfarers Journal. It asks if androids have a soul and is told in the first person from the perspective of a narrator who is more than he first appears:
http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/cook.htm
The man sitting across from me in the restaurant wasn't technically human. It is true he used to be a man, and other than the government-mandated purple eyes, he looked like one now.
I, of all people, knew better.
These are the things I think about when I get enough rest and
eat a good lunch while being visited by a new thought over lunch.
There is, of course, a twist.
In his Syntax column, Arthur Plotnik writes an article entitled 'When to use 'you' in fiction'. He writes that the second-person voice is 'perilous but rich in possibilities'. That sparked some intriguing daydreaming about all this over lunch today.
I'm thinking about writing a short story that deals with all these elements and culminates with a distinction, a decision, and a bang.
One of the thoughts that came to mind is this:
One can't be a believer and superstitious as the same time (new
wineskin, and all that).
As for the second-person perspective, here's how it looks in print:
"You are not the kind of guy who would be at place like this at this
time of the morning. But here you are... You are at a nightclub
talking to a girl with a shaved head."
Bright Lights, Big City - Jay McInerney
I started thinking about how to write a story in the 2nd person using
the 'you' methodology to detail the distinction between fictional
magic and the RL, and I thought how fun it would be to have the author
writing in the 'you' language. But who is he writing to? Is 'you' himself, or is 'you you, the gentle reader? I already have an idea who 'you' is and what the hook might be. I'm intrigued with the ideas that are already swirling.
Right now, I'm finishing Chapter 11 of The Sky Pirate serial for Issue 22 of Ray Gun Revival magazine (5/15/07) but I like to work on non-TSP-related things in the off-weeks, and this is the sort of story that I'm interested in when I need to break from swashbuckling adventure fiction.
When writing to Christians, I like to write about things you don't normally get elsewhere. My most recent off-TSP story was a Christian sci-fi story at the new quarterly, Wayfarers Journal. It asks if androids have a soul and is told in the first person from the perspective of a narrator who is more than he first appears:
http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/cook.htm
The man sitting across from me in the restaurant wasn't technically human. It is true he used to be a man, and other than the government-mandated purple eyes, he looked like one now.
I, of all people, knew better.
These are the things I think about when I get enough rest and
eat a good lunch while being visited by a new thought over lunch.