The Inmost Folds of Magic

It's a hard business, the writer's business. There's nothing better than those fun-filled days with splitting my head over the keyboard and whatnot. Not complaining, but it is as slowly coming along as it must feel like to give birth to a brick. I spent the last days trying to finish chapter 6 but I have yet to find a satisfying ending for it. I feel there is something great to be said, some sort of epiphany lurking around the corner.

Instead of pondering, I started to turn my story into a true "3D" adventure, drawing maps of the locations, furthermore outlining charts and a map of the world to give the story shape and depth, thinking about names, making up a cultural background for the places, the names and the persons. I really like the inventive aspect of it. 

So, as I sat there, thinking about different ways to portray "magic", why it is there, how it came to be, the whole shebang, a thought struck me. None of the fantasy stories I know actually explain magic. I mean, really explain how it works.

Magic Realism: Margaret Chiaro's Dandelion

Other than the superhero story genre, presenting a horrible genetic mutation during an experiment, thus making the Hulk green, angry and very very strong, magic in fantasy stories usually is a commonplace. Some people or creatures have it, others don't. Some are wizards, others aren't. End of story. Not literally, but as far as the fine print goes.

There are those stories that involve understated magical elements. 

The magic realism doesn't require any further assertion, in fact, explaining its bits and pieces would most definitely diminish its appeal.

J.-W. Waterhouse: The Crystal Ball

On the other end of the spectrum, there is good old Harry Potter. Offering some sort of genetic factor, creator in chief J.K. Rowling has been criticised for introducing a racist doctrine to her stories, affiliating magic to descent. I don't think it's that repellent, but it's not providing any background information either. 

What do other stories have to offer? The-studying-long-and-hard-to-becoming-a-wizard - type doesn't explain its genesis, neither does "pacting with the devil" like in Duane's So you want to be a wizard, because it ultimately leads to further questions regarding its origin.

Basically there is a choice between those three options on the how-to front. But concerning the origins of magic, I am curious to find out if they aren't explained sufficiently because they can't be explained within the realm of reason or because the genre itself requires them not to be explained. I am pretty much at odds with myself, wondering if I should give it a try or better let the sleeping lion sleep. Would it serve my story if I did? I honestly don't know.

Ode to Science Fiction featuring Herrbasan

Hey there. I wanted to share this post with you, since I think it is a great explanation of what a certain genre of literature means to a certain human being. The genre being Science Fiction and the certain being being my husband.

Being being! Nice wrotation! :)

Herrbasan on Science Fiction

I wanted to add something to this post. I am admittedly not that big a fan of Science Fiction in general, but I like and appreciate the approach of a story as a vehicle for a virtual playthrough of events. I think it's necessary for us humans to have something like that. 

Unfortunately not all SF writers are equally passionate about writing and storytelling as they are about their ideas (to be fair - I guess that's true for writers of other genres as well). But to me, reading SF sometimes feels like decyphering a manual in a foreign language. But as I learned: What is SciFi, if not a foreign language or a subsequent one of things to come.

Missionary: Impossible

OK, I stole that title from a Simpson's episode - please don't hold it against me!

The thing is, when there already is a title out there, floating in the universe, summarizing what I am about to say in a short descriptive language, why should I think about something new and imperfect? Oh, copyright, schmoppyflight, who cares! My story will be called Lord of the Rings, just so you know! Intellectual property this! Mr. Tolkien, I thought it, it went through my brain as well as yours: mine now, you hear me!? *

* Kidding, please don't call your lawyers... good people of Harper and Collins Publishing!

That's not my topic today, but rant-wise, I wish it was, and it would indeed be worth a long list of swear words. The topic is somewhat similar, but it doesn't involve the idea of copyright in an exclusive way, quite the opposite. I am talking about people, cultures, nations on a mission to missionize those they have declared to be in need of their help. 

Naturally, everyone feels the urge to share knowledge, wisdom or money to do the world some good. We wouldn't be called mankind without those kind men to pass wisdom on to those in need. Countries have development aid programmes for people they declared less fortunate, cultures undertake efforts to throw light on those they have declared less sophisticated and people declare their fellow human beings "un-enlightened" about their life choices. And really, personal judgement is everywhere we look. 

The so-called moral high ground, from up above everyone can be judged and disabused. And strangely enough, every decision turns into a moral quandary-

The decision to wear or not to wear leather, the decision how to eat (alone in front of TV versus with family), when to eat; to eat or not to eat meat, or meat-related products. Or eat at all (starving by or no choice versus force-feeding "gavage"). The decision to vote or not to vote, what to vote. 

To work or not to work. What to work (your ass/your brains). When to work (late at night/all day). With whom to work (sick children/stock brokers).

To use nuclear energy, clean energy, to marry or not to marry, how many people to marry, to have or not to have children, if not, why, if yes: how many (2 or 9), when to have them (ages 15 or 35), where to have them (public toilet/hospital), even why to have them (ran out of condoms/it's about time!); how to raise them (stable/mansion).

What to believe (God/ Allah/ Flying Spaghetti Monster..), why to believe, to believe or not to believe at all.

I just picked out a few extreme examples, but there are tons of smaller ones if you think about your life choices. Everything one publicly committs to turns into a huge moral statement, openly defining you as a person, therefore stirring a discussion about how good or bad you are or exactly how useful or useless according to a - I dare say - arbitrary standard.

How can it be, that everyone feels like he or she is in a position to judge

and lecture everyone else on account of them doing something wrong, not living their life like it was intended. Intended by whom? Purposefully? What does that even mean? Do I need one, too? By what moral standard, might I ask?

The moral high ground, it's quite cosy up there, I know. But if we're all up there, there wouldn't be a low ground to look down upon any longer. Surely everybody has some good ideas, some valid points. 

We think we matter, that's a human condition. What we do makes a huge difference, we think. 

I am guilty of the same crime, I cannot not think I matter, therefore judging others, lecturing (mostly internally), thinking, I have discovered something about life others haven't is a daily routine for me as well. 

But I am wrong. 

I have discovered nothing about life, except that mine, like everyone else's, is there for me to live. Most insignificantly, if I want to. Yeah, that's what I am telling myself. That there's some kind of choice.