Hmm, this is really interesting to think about Rick. I too feel like I’ve reached a bit of a dead end with my non-fiction writing (though to call it “self-help” … ooh, that hurts!), but I wonder if there would be a way to explore the deep issues I’m interested in via fiction. I’m gonna go off and ponder that one.
An interesting perspective I heard recently came from Chuck Palahniuk (author of "Fight Club") who was talking about Max Brook's "World War Z" (popularized into the Brad Pitt movie, but the book is nothing like the movie).
(paraphrasing) For Max, this story about zombies was really about his mom dying from cancer. Zombies = cancer + society's failed attempts to respond = medical community's promises+failings. So he was able to tell a unique story in a familiar genre by embedding it with a deep personal pain.
I think the lesson was: pick your deepest pain/fear/doubt/etc. + pick the story metaphor that you can tell the story through. Either of which may not be obvious to readers, but will embed your story with a depth that will be unique.
"Dear Edward" found me at the exact right moment and helped me move through grief in a way that other books, more specific and relevant to the situation, did not.
Glad it did. I haven't read it, but I can see how fiction would have that effect while processing grief. A memoir about grief certainly has its legitimacy and can make us feel less alone, or a self-help style guide could take us through steps to heal, so I'm not saying they're bad, they're just sometimes limited.
"A Monster Calls" (which I read recently as a comp for my novel) is also about grief and a another example of how fiction can leverage story elements - in this case a supernatural monster that acts like a metaphor - to better convey something human.
This year has been the first year I've appreciated fiction for what it is and dived in head first. The Great Gatsby, The Stranger, The White Castle...the list goes on. All books that teach you about life by hearing about an experience told through story. There's something so deep and human about stories and the lessons we draw from them rather than being told what to do.
Camus is one of my all-time favorites (also liked The Fall and The Plague), and he's a perfect example of choosing to share philosophy via art instead of directly through classical philosophical discourse (e.g. essays, lectures, debate). Generally believe he also preferred living life like a human (inc. creative expression) instead of getting caught up in intellectual abstractions like the other philosophers of his time.
Hmm, this is really interesting to think about Rick. I too feel like I’ve reached a bit of a dead end with my non-fiction writing (though to call it “self-help” … ooh, that hurts!), but I wonder if there would be a way to explore the deep issues I’m interested in via fiction. I’m gonna go off and ponder that one.
An interesting perspective I heard recently came from Chuck Palahniuk (author of "Fight Club") who was talking about Max Brook's "World War Z" (popularized into the Brad Pitt movie, but the book is nothing like the movie).
(paraphrasing) For Max, this story about zombies was really about his mom dying from cancer. Zombies = cancer + society's failed attempts to respond = medical community's promises+failings. So he was able to tell a unique story in a familiar genre by embedding it with a deep personal pain.
I think the lesson was: pick your deepest pain/fear/doubt/etc. + pick the story metaphor that you can tell the story through. Either of which may not be obvious to readers, but will embed your story with a depth that will be unique.
"Dear Edward" found me at the exact right moment and helped me move through grief in a way that other books, more specific and relevant to the situation, did not.
Glad it did. I haven't read it, but I can see how fiction would have that effect while processing grief. A memoir about grief certainly has its legitimacy and can make us feel less alone, or a self-help style guide could take us through steps to heal, so I'm not saying they're bad, they're just sometimes limited.
"A Monster Calls" (which I read recently as a comp for my novel) is also about grief and a another example of how fiction can leverage story elements - in this case a supernatural monster that acts like a metaphor - to better convey something human.
Thanks for sharing.
This year has been the first year I've appreciated fiction for what it is and dived in head first. The Great Gatsby, The Stranger, The White Castle...the list goes on. All books that teach you about life by hearing about an experience told through story. There's something so deep and human about stories and the lessons we draw from them rather than being told what to do.
Can't wait to read yours.
Camus is one of my all-time favorites (also liked The Fall and The Plague), and he's a perfect example of choosing to share philosophy via art instead of directly through classical philosophical discourse (e.g. essays, lectures, debate). Generally believe he also preferred living life like a human (inc. creative expression) instead of getting caught up in intellectual abstractions like the other philosophers of his time.