I wanted to talk to you about something that is very important to me today, especially after my last post about Twilight.
I'll begin with a quotation, if you don't mind:
“One
of the great things about fantasy is that research rarely applies.”1
I
mentioned in my previous entry that I had issues with some of the
things the creator of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, said. Well, the
quotation above would be one of those things.
When
I first read that quotation I swear to you, Dear Reader, that I
thought I was being trolled. I thought that one of Mrs. Meyer's many
detractors on the anonymous intertubes was just putting words in her
mouth for shock value. I hunted down the quotation to assess it's
legitimacy and then spent a good couple of minutes staring at the
screen, torn between utter bewilderment and, I'm not gonna lie, rage.
Now,
to play devil's advocate for just a moment, I think I understand what
she was maybe trying to say,
especially of the context of this: “I didn't do much in the
way of research as I was creating my own unique world”2,
which is from another interview. Conceptually, especially for an
inexperienced writer, I can understand this misapprehension. I mean,
it's fantasy, right? It's magic and dragons and elves, or in her
case, vampires and werewolves, so what is there to research about
that? You're making it up. Unfortunately, this logic ultimately fails
in her case for two big reasons.
One:
The
Twilight world isn't purely a world of her own creation. The story
takes place in our world, but
with supernatural elements thrown in. The supernatural elements are
her own, certainly, but the setting is still EARTH. Therefore there
is still a responsibility on her part to research it. Real world
things like physics and biology still apply. Cell phones exist, as do
MP3 players and the amber alert system. While I have never been to
the pacific northwest, the idea that it is as oppressively,
constantly cloudy as it would need to be to keep the Cullens from
forever shining like discoballs strains my credulity as a reader. The
idea that in a post-9/11 world Alice could get herself and Bella to
Italy at the drop of a hat so easily seems suspect. An entire ferry
of people disappearing and no one noticing?
These are things that rip a reader right out of a story because in
the real world they just don't make sense. Of course, when you are
reading a work of fiction you do suspend your disbelief, that's part
of the fun, but that only gives a writer so much wiggle room. I'll
buy vampires existing in secret in our world. Why not? However, I
will not buy that Edward can re-inherit his family's property every
few decades (estate law doesn't work that way). So,
while I can understand some of where she might get the idea that
fantasy like hers doesn't require research, I must disagree even in
the context of “her world”.
Two
(and this is the big one):
Even
if you are creating your own world completely from scratch you
still have to do research.
YOU
STILL HAVE TO DO RESEARCH EVEN IF YOU CREATE A WORLD COMPLETELY FROM
SCRATCH.
Sorry.
I just wanted to make that abundantly clear.
Again,
I can understand where an inexperienced writer might think that
because they are writing “fantasy” they don't have to do
research. However, if any of you reading this are aspiring writers I
want to go ahead and disabuse you of that notion.
Research
does apply to fantasy.
Just
from personal experience I can tell you that it is incredibly rare
that I can get through a day without doing at least a little bit of
research. A lot of times I will start on Wikipedia in order to find
out how I should narrow my search. Then I am off and traipsing
through the internet or going to the library. I have spent hours
reading up on jewelry and jewelry making, leather working, fashion,
lighting, weather, and what types of spiders like to work in groups,
just to name a few. And it isn't so that I can have a huge section
describing...how to make a sword, for example. If you just
regurgitate your research for the reader it tends to a) stand out and
b) be really dull. The point isn't to wiggle your research in front
of the reader, it is to know what you're talking about so that you
can ground your world in reality. Ultimately, it is more for your
sake than the reader's. The more you know and are able to integrate
well-researched facts with your fantasy world, the better the chances
are of not having a reader lose focus on the story to think: “wait,
that doesn't seem right”.
And
that is another thing that just...rubs me the wrong way about that
statement about research. If you don't research you are banking on
your readers being too dumb to notice. That sounds really harsh, but
if you don't trust that your reader is at least
as smart as you are it is going to lead to really, really lazy
writing habits. Don't underestimate your reader. Don't assume that
just because you couldn't be arsed to look something up that no one
else will. I say this as an obnoxious fangirl with a background in
analyzing literature. I am really forgiving when I read because I
like to lose myself in a story. But if enough things strike me as off
you can bet I'll go and ferret out an answer. There is a threshold
for most of us in terms of what we will believe. Disbelief can only
be suspended for so long before it snaps and the curtain comes
falling down to reveal the unimpressive old man behind it.
Don't
presume a lack of intelligence in your reader.
Is
this to say that I am perfect or that every last thing in my books is
perfectly researched? No, I would never claim that. However, it is
really, really upsetting to me to have a successful writer telling
other writers that if you can call what you're doing “fantasy”
you don't have to research it. Please, any writers or would-be
writers reading this, please
don't take that bit of advice to heart. Not only is it incorrect in
practice, but it is a lazy habit to get into. I don't care if you're
writing fantasy, sci-fi, or teen paranormal romance. Please give your
readers credit for their intelligence and do your homework.
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