I had a second thought while writing the previous article, and its this: I need to experience more stories outside of sci-fi and fantasy in order to be a better storyteller.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6zwGXaKu4
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Major Motoko Kusanagi in the 1995 anime movie, "Ghost in the Shell" said it best:
- "If we all reacted the same way, we'd be predictable, and there's always more than one way to view a situation. What's true for the group is also true for the individual. It's simple: overspecialize, and you breed in weakness. It's slow death."329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOFMLhiT13
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After I finished writing my first ever book, I was proud. Prouder than proud. I had tried writing 4 novels previously over the course of my life, only to toss each one out due to disappointment with my own skill level. After buckling down and spending years actually learning how to be a storyteller, though, I finally had something to show that I could happily say, "This is mine. I did this. I love it."329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFABR7SZWb
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And it wasn't as good as it could've been.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5WyPHySJn
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I sent out my story to my friends to read. Two of them have finished it at the time of writing this blog entry. One of them said, "Chris, you really should rethink how some of your characters act towards each other, they seem deliberately obtuse in some cases or a little too aggressive in others."329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0g463oGI3r
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Naturally my first instinct was to explain the criticism away, or brush it off, but it didn't take me long to realize they were right. But not only were they right, their advice towards character interaction made it into the final version of my story in a very big way. So I got to thinking, asking myself, why was that? What were they seeing that I wasn't?329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oRxjgaXKw
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The answer is that they read almost exclusively romance novels. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqe5AE7Y4nr
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If fantasy and sci-fi have taught me to treat stories as puzzles, picking apart the plot before I reach the end, romance novels teach how to understand interpersonal relations. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Xq6HPk8Zn
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So of course my friend was right. They're a master at recognizing appropriate interpersonal relations. Because honestly, who reads romance for the plot? No one. They read it because they want to know the characters and see how they interact with each other. Their motivations. The feelings they hide as opposed to the ones they show, and the reasons behind doing each. Their desires, hopes, and fears.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WKJvXd2be
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I've taught myself how to weave a plotline like the fables and fantasies I grew up with. My friend taught themselves how to recognize and convey the stories behind the characters, which was mind-blowing to me. And upon taking their advice I love my story even more.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXiuYxD7Z2
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So read fantasy. Read romance. Just read something else, too, if your aim is to write one day. You'll be stronger for it.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6cmaVhrQH
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Sincerely,329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOER47CmsE
Chris329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpcp9zrEzF
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