Before I forget, Man From Earth, MindWalk.
Genre stories tend to be plot and/or character driven, and most often a goodly blend of both. Literature not so much. There character and situation reign supreme. It’s not so much “this happens then that happens then this other thing happens” as it is “here’s where everybody is, watch what happens.”
One key feature (my opinion) of literature over genre is the lack of conflict. There can be plenty of tension but conflict – at least the physical kind – is usually absent. Literature (again, my opinion) has conflict but it’s usually emotional or philosophical. Characters can still grow, change, mature, get from A to B but both A and B are most often in the mind than in the world, and if A and B are places on a map, the map, A, and B are metaphors for what’s going on in the characters’ minds (see Oliver’s Travels for an example of this).
I appreciate such conflict is not for everyone. I also appreciate that both these movies and the better known My Dinner with Andre are excellent examples of how to pull an audience in to an exploration of mind.
Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me, schedule a critique of your work, or buy me a coffee.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.
Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money. My latest is my fiction anthology Tales Told ‘Round Celestial Campfires Volume 2
FWIW, I hold a Creators RoundTable the last Thursday of every month from 7:30-8:30pmET. Watch past RoundTables. Register to participate.
Wilderness House Literary Review EIC Steve Glines and I (Senior Fiction Editor) hold monthly open chats with authors interested in a) writing for us, b) improving their craft in general, and/or c) increasing their chances of being accepted by other markets.
Meetings are held via Zoom on the last Friday of each month from 9-10amET.
So, want to know how to write for us? Want to know what gets our attention? Want to know how to write better for whatever market you’re interested in? Join us for our next “Meet the Editors” Zoom session. Seats limited! Sign up and talk with us. We’re relatively easy going and fun to be with.
Last item, finding these experiments useful? Strengthen my ego and link/friend/follow me.
No Responses