What are the odds⎯if you have devoted a major portion of your life to reading novels and writing creatively⎯that in pursuit of the latter, you will sooner or later cross the line that separates the realm of original thinking from what some might call plagiarism? I’m not speaking of the conscious act of copying word-for-word the language from another author, but something subtler
As a reader, I’ve regularly devoured novels for more than sixty years. I’ve cobbled words together creatively for the last decade. This past summer, I began to reread novels published and read long before the idea to try my hand at writing creatively was born. One scene, in a novel published and read some fourteen years ago, was so close to what I had written only four years that I stopped reading and began to ask a question.
How was it possible that two pieces of writing, separated by nearly a decade, could be so similar as to the situation in which the main character finds himself, how he feels about the situation, and the physical actions he takes to alleviate his feelings? My thought, after some consideration, is that the separation may not be as wide as it appears.
Those who conduct research on human memory agree that every event experienced since birth is stored in the brain’s memory cells. These stored memories are used as a reference (a process called prior probability) to identify new events, and how to react to them as they occur.
The experts have not suggested that every word of every novel read is stored in the brain’s memory cells. However, it is not uncommon to start reading a novel with the assumption that it is a “new” read. At some point, a particular scene brings the realization that the book has been read at some time in the past. But nothing up to the point of realization has been remembered, and nothing that follows can be recalled.
So is it possible for the process to work in reverse? Could an author’s creative effort to describe a moment in his or her protagonist’s life be influenced subconsciously? Could what the author considers original thinking be, without realizing it, only new words to describe a scene from another novel, read and then filed away in the brain’s memory cells?
WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL HOME OF BRONSON L. PARKER. A native of Tennessee, "Bo" is a former journalist and writer of historical non-fiction. His creative writing career began after retirement from his day job as an appointed public servant in his adopted town of Hampton, VA. "It isn't a gipe site," he says. "If I enjoy something I read, or learn something about the writing game that I think is worthwhile, I'll have a few comments to make. His goal is to make it a fun site, both to write and, hopfully, to read.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Do Writers "Become" the Fictional Character They've Created as Their Protaginst in Novels
When I gave in to those who were urging me to write a mystery, which would be set in my hometown, there was only one thing I knew with what I thought was an absolute certainty. It would, in no way be autobiographical. Beyond that, I knew enough to know there were many things I didn’t know.
Included among what I didn’t know was that there is such a vast plethora of books written by “experts” on how to do it. That is why⎯until way too late in the game⎯I was ignorant of what one “expert” had written. “Developing a despicable villain is the key to writing an excellent novel.”
I’d always heard that one should write about what one enjoyed reading. That made sense to my naive mind. Since I get no enjoyment from reading about despicable villains, I started thinking about the main character. If I were lucky enough to beat the insurance company’s mortality tables⎯live to write enough books to call them a series⎯this would mean I’d be living with the character for several years. I’m too old and set in my ways to live with someone I don’t like, even if they are fictional.
It was easy to decide what type of person the protagonist would NOT be. He would not be a cartoon character, driven by an overdose of testosterone and ego. He would not be a person who believed he knew all the answers, was invincible, and on a mission from god to right all he perceived as wrongs in the world.
I turned to novels I’d read, ones with main characters about which I enjoyed reading. From this exercise came a list of traits pulled from characters created by at least a dozen different authors. The next step was to create a physical picture. Again, there was an effort to not create a self-portrait.
To use a clique if I may, the effort became⎯using physical features and personas from people I had known over the years⎯the creation of a character with enough intelligence to talk the talk, and with the physical ability to walk the walk, doing both without being arrogant.
The name: Joe McKibben. How did I come up with that? I’d like to say I did extensive research, collected a list of surnames, all filled with hidden meaning. But that didn’t happen. The name must have been observed on a bottle label after a long night at Sarah’s Irish Pub. The only research came late in the game, a determination that there was not a person with that name living in Hampton.
So what should Joe to earn a living? Many of my working years were spent in the company of members of the law enforcement community, local, state, or federal. From observations, and relationships developed over the years, it was felt that some of these men were a reflection of the persona I wanted the main character to be.
But I didn’t want a working cop. The day-to-day routine would be too restrictive. It would not allow the freedom to write Joe into scenarios where he had the freedom to pursue the mysteries he was driven to solve. But he had to be more than a retired cop who had moved to Florida, and chased retired schoolteachers. That’s why Joe is in the historical research business, the one exception I made of a personal nature.
I had a main character. It was time to start writing a story. But at that time, one of the most drastic things that can happen in a person’s life occurred. It became a constant battle as I began to write to keep personal conflicts, feelings and fears out of Joe’s story, to keep it from becoming autobiographical.
Fortunately, the late William Tapply had agreed to become my mentor. His guidance, his advice on to how to deal with these personal issues became invaluable. He encouraged their inclusion, but showed how to keep them within the context of the story as it was written, rewritten, rewritten, and rewritten, until he said, “Okay, you got a publishable story.”
With the first book published, a second being rewritten, and a third one underway, a question has arisen. Can an author write fiction without at least some visceral part of self find its way into the story? A friend, after our discussion about this question, gave me a coffee cup with the following inscription. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Is that a way of saying fiction writers become the characters they create?
Included among what I didn’t know was that there is such a vast plethora of books written by “experts” on how to do it. That is why⎯until way too late in the game⎯I was ignorant of what one “expert” had written. “Developing a despicable villain is the key to writing an excellent novel.”
I’d always heard that one should write about what one enjoyed reading. That made sense to my naive mind. Since I get no enjoyment from reading about despicable villains, I started thinking about the main character. If I were lucky enough to beat the insurance company’s mortality tables⎯live to write enough books to call them a series⎯this would mean I’d be living with the character for several years. I’m too old and set in my ways to live with someone I don’t like, even if they are fictional.
It was easy to decide what type of person the protagonist would NOT be. He would not be a cartoon character, driven by an overdose of testosterone and ego. He would not be a person who believed he knew all the answers, was invincible, and on a mission from god to right all he perceived as wrongs in the world.
I turned to novels I’d read, ones with main characters about which I enjoyed reading. From this exercise came a list of traits pulled from characters created by at least a dozen different authors. The next step was to create a physical picture. Again, there was an effort to not create a self-portrait.
To use a clique if I may, the effort became⎯using physical features and personas from people I had known over the years⎯the creation of a character with enough intelligence to talk the talk, and with the physical ability to walk the walk, doing both without being arrogant.
The name: Joe McKibben. How did I come up with that? I’d like to say I did extensive research, collected a list of surnames, all filled with hidden meaning. But that didn’t happen. The name must have been observed on a bottle label after a long night at Sarah’s Irish Pub. The only research came late in the game, a determination that there was not a person with that name living in Hampton.
So what should Joe to earn a living? Many of my working years were spent in the company of members of the law enforcement community, local, state, or federal. From observations, and relationships developed over the years, it was felt that some of these men were a reflection of the persona I wanted the main character to be.
But I didn’t want a working cop. The day-to-day routine would be too restrictive. It would not allow the freedom to write Joe into scenarios where he had the freedom to pursue the mysteries he was driven to solve. But he had to be more than a retired cop who had moved to Florida, and chased retired schoolteachers. That’s why Joe is in the historical research business, the one exception I made of a personal nature.
I had a main character. It was time to start writing a story. But at that time, one of the most drastic things that can happen in a person’s life occurred. It became a constant battle as I began to write to keep personal conflicts, feelings and fears out of Joe’s story, to keep it from becoming autobiographical.
Fortunately, the late William Tapply had agreed to become my mentor. His guidance, his advice on to how to deal with these personal issues became invaluable. He encouraged their inclusion, but showed how to keep them within the context of the story as it was written, rewritten, rewritten, and rewritten, until he said, “Okay, you got a publishable story.”
With the first book published, a second being rewritten, and a third one underway, a question has arisen. Can an author write fiction without at least some visceral part of self find its way into the story? A friend, after our discussion about this question, gave me a coffee cup with the following inscription. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Is that a way of saying fiction writers become the characters they create?
Monday, November 7, 2011
What's Been The Biggest Surprise Since Ist Novel Was Published
“What’s been your biggest surprise since becoming a published author?”
Answer: the questions readers ask.
Time and space prohibit a full listing, assuming I could remember them all. It is safe to say, however, there are only two or three things about which a question has not been asked. No one has asked what I eat for breakfast, or if I wear boxers or briefs. But it would not be a surprise to hear both.
Some questions are easy. Why Hampton, Virginia, for the setting? The Tidewater area of Virginia (including Hampton), other than references and inaccurate video snippets of the place on the TV show NCIS, is not among the top ten settings for novels. But the choice, other than it’s the place I've lived and come to know over the last forty-six years, is that it represents the “platform,” the market for which I write.
A combination of factors⎯age, health, dislike for large crowds and extensive travel, and laziness⎯led to an early decision that the dark side of writing, book peddling in both the traditional sense and what it has become, would not be a part of my life.
A look at the area around me, within a hundred mile radius of my home, revealed some interesting statistics. The area includes over three million permanent residents, over 35,000 military personnel, and major, destination-type tourist attractions that draw some eleven million visitors a year.
My guess that this area would be as big a piece of the pie as I wanted has proven to be true. It keeps me busy, but also limits the amount of time that book peddling takes away from my first love. Word cobbling.
Next question, next time. Which came first? Plot or character.
Answer: the questions readers ask.
Time and space prohibit a full listing, assuming I could remember them all. It is safe to say, however, there are only two or three things about which a question has not been asked. No one has asked what I eat for breakfast, or if I wear boxers or briefs. But it would not be a surprise to hear both.
Some questions are easy. Why Hampton, Virginia, for the setting? The Tidewater area of Virginia (including Hampton), other than references and inaccurate video snippets of the place on the TV show NCIS, is not among the top ten settings for novels. But the choice, other than it’s the place I've lived and come to know over the last forty-six years, is that it represents the “platform,” the market for which I write.
A combination of factors⎯age, health, dislike for large crowds and extensive travel, and laziness⎯led to an early decision that the dark side of writing, book peddling in both the traditional sense and what it has become, would not be a part of my life.
A look at the area around me, within a hundred mile radius of my home, revealed some interesting statistics. The area includes over three million permanent residents, over 35,000 military personnel, and major, destination-type tourist attractions that draw some eleven million visitors a year.
My guess that this area would be as big a piece of the pie as I wanted has proven to be true. It keeps me busy, but also limits the amount of time that book peddling takes away from my first love. Word cobbling.
Next question, next time. Which came first? Plot or character.
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