This Is Only A Test

I was listening to a movie podcast recently where the hosts were talking about a movie made in the early nineties. Instead of talking about the story, setting, acting, cinematography, or any other number of metrics that you could use to discuss a film, they instead opted to talk about how racist one of its characters was. Then they talked about how another character was homophobic. Then they talked about how the racist character was also a male chauvinist. They were genuinely upset that these fictional characters had flaws- and more specifically- politically incorrect views. They did not just bemoan the characters though, they actually went as far as to say that the creators of the movie must hold the same beliefs! This seems to be something that is taking over the culture at large, and it makes me worry a bit for the future of fiction.
In 2013 a Scandinavian cable company started to add the Bechdel test to its metrics for rating films and shows. For anyone who does not know what the bechdel test is, it is a test designed to find out whether a work of fiction is gender biased or not, and asks three questions:

1. Does the story have two named women?
2. Do they talk to each other?
3. About something other than a man?

If your work of fiction can answer yes to all three of those questions, then it is supposedly portraying women in a positive light. The test has its flaws, and a work of fiction can pass the test and yet still portray women in a bad way. But I'm less concerned about the specifics of the Bechdel test, and more concerned about the fact that such a test is taken seriously at all. There are websites and forums that rate movies based on their female friendliness by applying various versions of the test, but does not passing the test mean that your work of fiction is bad? No, all it means is that people who use this test to determine the worth of a fictional work will probably not like it.

The Bechdel test isn't alone either. In 2013, the Russo test was invented, and is gaining popularity. The Russo test determines whether a work is biased against LGBT groups by asking questions similar to those of the Bechdel test.

What is the next test? Will it be taken as seriously as the other two I have mentioned? Any number of tests could be created to represent a category of political correctness. There could be tests that point out racism, ageism, unequal portrayal of social classes, or people with disabilities. And if these tests were to all be valid for every work of fiction, then the stories that pass the tests would be nothing more than propaganda that accommodates the culture that conceived them!

And as a culture, we start judging works of fiction based on these tests- and then what? Do we decry works that do not pass, and shame the creators for daring to tell a story that is not politically correct? Like the example of the podcast I gave, some people are not above demonizing a work for its characters views or actions, and then attributing the same to the creator of that work. In this way, they are trying to pressure storytellers into telling a story that fits neatly into their own worldview, and does not offend in any way. Basically, censorship through peer pressure.

Obviously, I am not a fan of these tests, nor will I be of any future ones. Even if the test is for something that I think is good, I would never expect a work of fiction to pass such tests in order to be valid. Giving into these can only serve to make your story more accommodating to the culture at large, not a better story.

What do you think? Should a work of fiction be required to pass a test like the Bechdel and Russo tests?

Bad People, Great Character

People are horrible. We may not always be willing to admit it, but its true. Left to our own devices, we are capable of the most atrocious acts. Don't let it get you down though, that's what makes us interesting. 

Recently I read M.J. Engh's excellent book Arslan, and I was at once entertained and disgusted. The eponymous main character is an Asian dictator who has recently taken over the majority of the world. Imagine for a second that Hitler and Stalin raised a child to be worse than both of them, and you will have a good idea of what Arslan brings to the table.

Now you may be asking why anyone would want to read a book about such a horrible person, but Arslan is a great character study of a very flawed person. And if the celebrity magazines and Tabloids are any indication, then people love to see flawed humanity.

One of my favorite characters of all time is Rodney McKay form Stargate: Atlantis. True, hes not a character from literature, but he is a character with a whole bunch of-well, character. He is the most arrogant and condescending person on the show (and that's saying something considering some of the villains), always putting others down and never owning up to his own mistakes. Throughout the show he was portrayed as a hypochondriac, a coward, a bigot, and all around sleazeball. Would it surprise you then to know that he had the most screen time of anyone on the show? It doesn't surprise me.

The fact is that we are drawn to people who are most like us. Yes, I just went there. If we are going to be honest with ourselves, we are all flawed in some way, and its these things that make us interesting. I have read books before with characters in them that seem to be too perfect. Charles Dickens had some sickeningly perfect characters, take a look at Tiny Tim. He may have some physical defects, but he has absolutely no character defects. To be perfectly honest, the whole story could have been told without even including Tim. Or at least give Tim some sort of human characteristic. I would have loved to read the scene where Tim derides his father for not standing up to Mr. Scrooge, or maybe curses Scrooge for what hes done. Any human reaction would have been preferable to the Pollyanna attitude that we get from Tim.

But is there a limit? Going back to Arslan, I wonder if a character can be too flawed. I have often heard people talk about saving the cat. Every bad character is supposed to have a save-the-cat moment (like rescuing a kitten from a tree) where we see that they are not so bad after all. Our favorite example would be Darth Vader. Sure he was a really bad guy, but he did sacrifice himself to kill the emperor and restore balance to the galaxy-so there was a glimmer of hope there. Even Darth Vader had a save-the-cat moment! Arslan never had this moment. In fact, I hated him even more at the end of the book than at the start-something I didn't even know would be possible! But despite my disdain for the character, I understand him. Maybe I understand him more than I really wanted to, but that seems to be the whole point of the story. And even worse yet; I can relate to him. Not that I have conquered nations, executed millions, or set up a oppressive dictatorship in my time-but given the chance, I might. Because we are all human-and suffer from the human condition-we are all susceptible to the same follies. We may stand in judgement of others at times, but who is to say we wouldn't make the same
mistakes given the opportunity?

This is (in my opinion) what make truly great speculative fiction though; showing the human condition in all of its glory. When I read a book, I want to see flaws in the characters whether protagonist or antagonist. Maybe showing flaws of the protagonist is actually more important, because we want to see them overcome the odds- and what odds could be greater than your own human nature? So here's a toast to the worst of humanity; may you forever entertain us with the worst you have to offer!

Cinderella Revisited... Again

Many of us are familiar with the story of Cinderella, or at least the sanitized Disney version. But this wasn't the original version. Before Walt made his millions, Charles Perrault adapted a story called Cenerentola and gave us many of the elements of the story that are familiar to us. The fairy godmother, pumpkin carriage, and glass slippers were all his idea.

Later the Brothers Grimm came along and made the story more- well, grim. In the Grimm version, Aschenputtel (the Cinderella character) was told by her dying mother to remain good and kind. She was buried, and a "wishing tree" grew on her grave which became this versions fairy godmother. Also, when Prince Charming comes to find the owner of the slipper, the stepsisters mutilate their feet so they can fit. The Prince realized the treachery when the blood started pouring out. And if that weren't enough, Cinderella's father seemed to be okay with her abuse.

There are many other versions of this story, and small details are always changed to suit. As a creative exercise, let's make a version of our own. And let's make it ridiculous, because that's my style.

Yo, Cinderella!

In this version, Cinderella lives in New Jersey. She works at a diner during the day, and in the evenings she goes to beautician school.

She still has the stepmother, only this time she is a jet-setting hedonist. Often off on a vacation to some idyllic island, she only shows up at the most unexpected times to make Cinderella miserable. Oh, and speaking of miserable, the evil stepsisters are also here. This time however, the stepsisters are some Guido-loving party animals. They often have parties at the house, which Cinderella is usually made to clean up after.

After a really big house party one night, Cinderella is cleaning the house when her stepmother shows up and freaks out. Of course, Cindy is blamed for the mess. After a huge argument, Cinderella flees the house and goes for a walk to cool off.

This is the part of the story where she meets the fairy godmother. I think it would be fun to make the godmother much like the godfather, and add some gangster cred to the story. The godmother takes pity on Cinderella and makes her an offer she cant refuse. Of course- much like the disney version- this character might only exist to move the story along without much logical reasoning behind her arrival. So another possibility is that the godmother is an enemy of the stepmother, this way it makes sense that she would curry favor with Cinderella. Possibly she is Cinderella's actual godmother, and was specifially called upon by the protagonist.

So however it happens, they meet up and they do what most New Jersey women do in times of trouble: go on a shopping spree. The godmother buys her a fabulous dress, and a pair of really expensive shoes.

At the godmothers urging, Cinderella goes to a party that night in a rented limousine. Of course the limo driver is only paid for until midnight to keep in line with the story.  Cinderella meets prince charming, and they have their magical moment together, after which she leaves in a hurry.

The next day, Prince Charming and his goombahs are out scouring the jersey shore for the girl he met the night before. He was a bit inebriated, so he cant remember exactly what she looks like, but he does remember the shoes. When the stepsisters become hip to the Prince's search, they go steal Cinderella's shoes out of her room and put them on to try and trick the guy. But they are so annoying (because they have high pitched Jersey accents and the IQ's of fish), that the Prince decides a romance is not worth pursuing with them.

Cinderella finds out about her stepsisters treachery and liberates her precious shoes. She then goes to work at her diner while wearing the shoes. Of course the Prince comes into the diner, and is so depressed that he only stares at the floor. Cinderella comes over to take his order, and he sees her shoes! He realizes that this is the woman hes been searching for and confesses his love to her.

Re-imagining stories like this can be a great way to get ideas, and it can just be a fun exercise. Try it yourself sometime, and live happily ever after!

Say My Name!

Whats in a name? That which we call a rose
by any other name would smell as sweet.
-Juliet Capulet

      Wow! That girl sure is deep for only being fourteen! And while her and Romeo may not care much for the names they were given, Ill bet Florins to Zeppole's that Billy Shakespeare stayed up late fretting over the names of his characters. How do I know this? Because I have been doing the same thing! Finding the right name for a character is huge, and could be one of the most important factors of a character. 

     So, what is in a name? Is it just something to help you identify someone, or does it go further to define who you are as a person? I have met people before, and after finding out their name, decided that they don't look like that (for example: "He doesn't look like a 'Jim'"). And while the looks may not be so important when it comes to a fictional character in a book, it demonstrates how we associate people with their names. But even in books, we associate certain qualities to characters because of their names.

     So when coming up with a characters name, it is good to think about how the reader will visualize the character based on their name. For example, I have been creating a character named Quillan (pronounced "kill-an"). Now maybe that name wont conjure up any mental images for you unless you know somebody with that name, but the shortened version of it will: Quill. A quill is an olde thyme pen, and if you ran across someone who was called Quill, you would immediately associate them with writing, and books. Of course this is what I am aiming for, because Quill is a journalist. Oh, and his best friend is a crow.

     I have noticed in some books, that characters have names that fit with their personality. Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander is a very eccentric name, and we are not surprised to find out that the wizard attached to the name is as well. Bilbo, and Frodo are very whimsical names, and their owners are likewise playful and quaint. Loial the Ogier is a very trustworthy, and faithful character.

     But this isn't always the case, sometimes characters have names that have nothing to do with their character, but are chosen because they sound cool. Rand al'Thor (From Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series) is a severely cool name. Not only does it evoke images of god-like  power (which the character has), but it easily rolls off the tongue. And if that weren't enough, his nicknames like The Dragon Reborn, and Shadowkiller are pure awesome. I think you could get away with this for a lead character, but if all your characters have names like death metal rock stars, it could be a bit overdone. 

     Some names that are hard to pronounce, and an eyesore to boot. I wont point out any offender, but when you have read as many fantasy and sci-fi books as I have, you will eventually find bad names. Some fantasy books are the worst for this. Long nonsensical names that only belong on a page, because you would never dare to try and speak them out loud.

     So, a name is important Juliet! And picking the right name for each character is a task that requires original thought and inspiration that don't always come easily. I didn't even go into the naming of places and things-which could probably warrant their own blog posts at least-and still we see how crucial a name is to the enjoyment of a story. I will continue to fret over the names of my characters, and hope that I don't do them an injustice with the ones I bestow them with.

What Planet Is This?

     I was toying with the idea of writing a fantasy story about a character I have been living with for a while now. I know everything about this guy. I know his hopes and dreams, motivations and hang-ups. I know who his friends are, and who his enemies are. I know what his favorite food is, his favorite color, his favorite book-heck, I could even tell you about his favorite shirt!

     So I sat down and started to write his story. I start off by showing him in his daily routine to try and establish who he is with the reader. Then, I came up with a little bit of conflict for the character. You know, the kind of conflict where the character wants to go off and see the world, but his family or friends think this is a bad idea and try to keep him from going. The scene builds up a bit, and the main character finally declares that come hell or high water, he is going to... well, I hadn't thought this far ahead. The truth is, I don't know where he is going.

     I groped for the name of a city, finally made on up, but then still didn't know anything about this city. Is it coastal, or land-locked? Is it walled? What is the city famous for? What country is this city in? I could see I had some problems here, I don't have any information on the world that this character lives in. So, I guess I will have to create a world!

     I have always enjoyed the maps that adorn the first couple pages of my favorite books. Before getting into the story, I would always look at the map and make myself familiar with this new world. Even before reading the first sentence, I would try to imagine what the land looked like based on the mountains and rivers and lakes. Sometimes, I would even imagine what is beyond the map as usually all that is portrayed is a continent, or country. And I realize that this is mostly a convention of fantasy books, but I still search every novel I read for a map, regardless of genre.

     So I got some blank paper, some pencils and erasers, and started drawing. I just let my mind wander and squiggled random, meaningless shapes. After a while these shapes began to coalesce into slightly more coherent shapes. And then it happened, as if the event were independent of my will. I looked at the page that was in front of me and realized that the shapes were becoming continents. Truly, I had only meant to make the country-maybe go as far as the continent-that my character lives in, but instead I had started to construct a whole world.

     What planet is this?

     So, yeah, I've finally lost it. I'm drawing maps of fantastic worlds that only exist in my head. But I have never had so much fun being a nerd! While I will admit that it needs a bit more work before its complete, just drawing the world map gave me a ton of ideas.

     And I had almost as much fun naming all the places too! just thinking of names gave me ideas of what the geography was like, and what sorts of civilizations live in these places. Even new story ideas started popping into my head now that I knew a little bit more about the world.

     I didn't stop there either, I drew the continent of Ceren in more detail on another map and started inventing cities and countries for it. I even went as far as to describe the cities in detail. So know I am learning what the world is like, and boy is it a cool place to be! If you like fantasy literature, and the maps that often accompany the books, I would suggest trying this exercise yourself. Even if you have no interest in writing, its fun to create and speculate, and live in a world that is not our own for a while.