Every story has a theme. An aspect of that theme is your story’s “moral order” – the sense of what’s right and wrong based on how your characters are rewarded and punished for their actions.
The simple moral order of most science fiction television series and movies, for example, is that good is stronger than evil. But in well developed series, it’s more complicated than that. “Star Trek,” for example, defines “good” as a humanistic universe in which diversity and equality are paramount. The search for knowledge, rather than the accumulation of wealth, is the driving force of society. As alien societies are explored in the series, we gain a better sense of what makes up “good” in this humanistic vision.
Characters in stories usually display moral issues in a purer way than people do in the real world. Because the story is constructed, the choices are more clear cut. Limited word counts mean you can’t extensively go into the deep psychological background of your character, so the moral issues being faced often are presented as a simple choice between one or two options. Given this, many science fiction stories are allegorical.
When writing your story, consider these problems that can arise when you create a moral order:
nIt’s a good idea to be aware of what moral order is being portrayed so you don’t unintentionally tell a story that advocates ethics and viewpoints with which you don’t agree.
nThe moral order of your story must be logically consistent. What’s presented as “good” in one part of the story can’t later be a punishable offense (unless you’re trying to be satirical). If the ways of a Jedi are positive in one part of the story, then those moral values ought to continue to be presented as positive later in the piece.
One challenge facing every writer is creating a sense of “moral compatibility”. That is, readers ought to be identify with characters by sharing a core of moral values. For example, the character’s morals may be too removed from current cultural mores for most readers to ever agree with. This is a common problem in presenting historically accurate characters or when creating an alien or a far-future society. Another problem is that the character’s morals are “too common” – that is, they are so simplified that they become camp. This often is the problem with superheroes. A related concept to moral order is “moral affirmation”. This occurs when a reader decides to read certain types of books because those tomes exude a moral order that feels comfortable. Some readers, for example, prefer the right-wing moral order presented in military SF stories, such as Robert Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers”. Others prefer the comfortable universe created in television series and motion pictures, which in part explains the popularity of “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” novels.
You Do It
Make a list of at least five moral positions that you hold. Now develop a situation in which each of those moral positions are challenged. Why would this challenge fail (this is, why would it not overturn your moral position)? You now have some thematic ideas for stories. Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell
Tags:
allegory, character, theme
Posted at: 09:45 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
| 
| 
del.icio.us
Even the most action-packed, blood-and-gore story has some message or point that the tale makes. The proposition that is argued or some aspect of human experience that is examined in your story is its theme.
For example, the theme of the movie “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn” is revenge and obsession. Those dual passions and their costs are examined as the villain Kahn seeks revenge upon hero James T. Kirk.
Theme can include a message or a moral, such as “good is stronger than evil” or “love is the answer”, but it is not exclusively that.
All stories convey underlying values. But unless you’re writing an action-adventure story, simply hoping that some theme emerges from your character’s journey isn’t adequate. You must pay attention to theme and carefully integrate it with the story’s events. Some underlying element – a proposition to be proved, the solution to a moral dilemma, or a perspective about the best attributes of human character - should guide your plot.
Often science fiction story lines are symbolic of larger, real-life conflicts. Science fiction readers often want to emerge from the story wiser than when they went in; they often want the story to force them to think.
Because of this, along with setting, theme is paramount in this genre. Indeed, science fiction often is called a “literature of ideas.” Sometimes the “idea”, rather than a character, is the “hero”. Sometimes the writer presents a dichotomy of morals as represented by varying characters.
No matter how distant the setting or how alien the characters, thematically every story is about the here and now. As Kurd Lasswitz, the father of German science fiction, wrote, “… we do dream of a higher civilization, but we would also like to come to know it as something more than the hope for a distant future. We tell ourselves that what the future can sometime bring about on Earth must even now, in view of the infiniteness of time and space, have already become a reality somewhere.”
Theme typically is reflective of the author’s attitudes. Yet, by repeating a theme done by another author, are you being unoriginal? After all, it has been said, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” So, as a writer, can you step into the same river twice? The answer is “yes.” The plot, characters and setting can be unique to you, so you may arrive at the same thematic conclusion as another author by taking the reader on an entirely different journey. Consider that the “The Wrath of Kahn” has the same theme as “Moby Dick”, but they’re obviously quite different tales.
There are a couple of guidelines to follow when incorporating a theme into your story:
n Don’t be preachy - Fiction often is better when it poses questions and shows how people would respond to them. Stories are allegories for moral action rather than essays about what is the best decision to make.
n Don’t state the obvious - We already know that murder is bad and such people should be punished. But is there a time when murder might be acceptable?
You Do It
Think of five ideas that anger you and then five ideas that you feel passionate about. These are potential themes that your stories could explore. Write down these 10 themes in a journal or notebook that you keep just for writing.
Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell
Tags:
allegory, literature of ideas, theme
Posted at: 08:40 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
| | del.icio.us