Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Unreality Made Real

I am a writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. I often mix them together. I prefer them to other genres because they allow me to imagine uninhibited. They allow me to make even the common surreal and interesting. In fantasy, horror and science fiction, anything is possible.

Strangeness without reason is nonsense, even in genre fiction. Ideas are meaningless if they are not taken seriously. The weird and fantastic must be finely crafted if they are not to be ridiculous. My mind wanders as it processes fancies and notions. I focus the swirling materials and refine them as I express them. The vibrant chaos is articulated into worlds, things and personalities. I begin with as much as possible and finish with as little as I may. My dreams are boundless but my art is minimalist. I see the truth in "the least is the greatest and the greatest is least."

Nonfiction is useful for study... but it is only a telling of what already is. It can only predict within the limits of what is already known. It is detrimental if fraudulent or inaccurate. Even good nonfiction can become outdated. Fiction grounded in reality is innately limited. Only quality genre fiction can broaden our minds beyond what is truly known. Only by imagining beyond our confines can we transcend beyond them.

fantasy: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356617
horror: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/361280
science fiction: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/375781


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4 comments:

  1. T.K. WadeDecember 4, 2013 at 5:05 PM

    Focus is very important when you write. Sometimes, thoughts and ideas come in great numbers and you just want to give the reader everything at once, but that is a big mistake if you set out to do that. Taking all that inspiration and refining it into a smaller package (basically focus) is a much more acceptable way to send out the message. It is also much easier. Once you have accomplished that portion of it, new roads will open. The world will continue to expand at a pace that is more manageable. This pace is also more palatable to the reader and feels more real even if the subject matter is fictional.

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    1. Shawn O'TooleDecember 4, 2013 at 5:07 PM

      Indeed. Even the weirdest stories take a lot of work to get right.

      Delete
  2. Donald WhiteDecember 4, 2013 at 7:45 PM

    It takes a great deal of care to make the unreal real. I always write my fantasy according to the rules of reality. Even that which is not real should feel like it could be...

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    Replies
    1. Shawn O'TooleDecember 4, 2013 at 9:15 PM

      Indeed. Every rhyme must have its reason if we are to esteem it poetry.

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