"Stranger than Fiction" (Writerly)

[amicus]

It is a stretch for me to write things of a mystical or magical nature, but that does not mean I don't enjoy such fictions.

Finally sat down and watched the entirety of the film, with Well Ferrel, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Dustin Hoffman.

I have three grown girls, all of the intellectual type, so when I find a film I enjoy, I communicate with them, usually with just the title and maybe the date it was produced.

For those of you whose world contains the possiblities of magic or mysticism, what if, just what if, one of the characters in your story, the whole story, in fact, turned out to be populated by real people?

Would it change the way you craft your characters and the events that transpire in your story?

There is of course a message in stranger than fiction...that one can change ones life and avoid a predetermined future...or can one?

I thought Maggie's role was done to perfection and although I am not fond of much of Hoffman's work, this seemed written just for him.

Thinking about writing tragedy, where the hero dies, and lo and behold when the film was over, I went looking and saw "Terrabithia", a children's film that became controversial because one of the heros died and that is just not done in children's literature.

I just felt "Fiction", was a marvelous script with almost mindbending possibilities and the phone ringing part as the author was writing the story was priceless.

I didn't notice the date of the film, but if this has been discussed before...my apologies...


Amicus...

 

[Liar]

Good movie. To me, it's totally carried by Emma Thompson's brilliant performance. (And that Will Ferrel managed to not blow it.)

As for your question. Most good fiction, with elements of the unreal or not, seems to come from ordinary people facing extraordinary situations. Finding magic or mysticism in everyday life certainly qualify. But one thing that irks me about the "magic in real life" genre is that characters who encounter it often aren't skeptic enough, and when they are finally convinced that the fundaments that they've built their view of reality on is wrong, they don't freak out.

I've noticed that I make this mistake quite often when I dabble in magic.

 

[amicus]

"...But one thing that irks me about the "magic in real life" genre is that characters who encounter it often aren't skeptic enough, and when they are finally convinced that the fundaments that they've built their view of reality on is wrong, they don't freak out..."

~~~

Liar...thank you...and if I can get my head around the above and what the "magic in real life", translates to in your mind and mine, 'aren't skeptic enough', and the last line about freaking out...

I am going to venture a guess that magic in real life may be that which is considered serendipitous, good fortune, or luck, an unpredictable coming together of events that appear to be magic or mystical at the moment. But then reading again your above, perhaps you are referring to a spiritual awakening or...damn, the word I want won't pop, ah, maybe epiphany, is what I was looking for that shakes one's very soul.

But I also understand and agree that in many fictions, the character does not seem to question sufficiently, then again, they may not have held firm convictions anyway?

Then, again, in the second film I mentioned, Terrabithia, the magic exists only in the mind and that too, is a whole 'nuther area to consider.

And yes, Emma Thompson, as she becomes aware that her character has come to life, gives an excellent performance.

thanks again...

amicus...

 

[emap]

I beleive what Liar is reffering to is the stories where an everyday person suddenly finds themselves facing a living breathing dragon, orcs and fireball shooting magicians. I avoid those out of basic TV/computer safety, they are annoying since as an example,

Jack misteps and trips, quickly curling up to protect his new laptop only to find he isn't landing. Peering about he finds that he is instead of laying upon the ground of central park like he should be, he is simply floating in an ethereal mist, no ground, no walls, no tree's. He is not falling however, simply floating, yet not floating he has ground beneath him, not visibly of course but a physical barrier, after a moment he takes his feet and begins walking in a random direction calling out. Presently the mist fades away revealing that he is indead walking on ground, not central park, instead a rocky barren hilled area. A strangely dressed man passes him, wearing what appears to be plate mail. He follows the man though stops short as a dragon looms out of the cave ahead.

There is of course lots more but I mean dang just that. He isn't totally freaking out loony that he is in a mist supported by nothing visible, nor the fact said mist dissipates to reveal a place he wasn't at to begin with. Going past what I said, he hid behind a rock and waited to see what happened.

Personally just the getting up and walking bit is way far beyond what anyone would do in the same circumstances. That is the annoying part of everyday guy finds magic. Less extreme examples, Gremlins, when dad finds Mowgli in the shop, he isn't all that curious what Mowgli is, when he brings it home, nobody freaks out that there is this totally alien animal in the house.

Like Liar said, people tend to simply write past that part fast so instead of oh my god what the heck, you get eh that's different where's my decaf latte. In a way you can say I did the same thing with my zombie story, the part that is actually posted of course. Except i didn't, i introduced the zombies, freak out run away, get home more zombies freak out run away, get saved by special forces and cut to black, the freak out is first thing in part 2, actually would be maybe half of part 2 whenever I actually get around to writing it. Perhaps next decade, probably decade after.

 

[AchtungNight]

That movie is grand. I adore it.

Now do I see it ever happening? Well, I won't deny I have fantasized sometimes. My stories are full of characters based on real people and allegories, after all. But at the same time I'm grounded in reality. It might be cool if my stories came true but I don't expect it. I also anticipate what bad things might happen. With a few small exceptions, I don't let any of the real people behind my onscreen characters know what they've inspired me to create. They'll just have to find out about it someday the same way as the rest of the public. Maybe they'll never find out, but the vision will stll be there. If they do find out, I just hope I'm able to deal with it as well as Emma Thompson did in the film. The same for whoever ends up being my Will Ferrell.