The Literary “vehicle”

[Brutal_One]

Another poser for writers. Do you deploy any literary “vehicles” to get around any ‘realism’ aspects of your stories. Assuming your stories are reality based (clearly sci fi ction/fantasy rely on accepted norms e.g. magic, advanced AI, Fringe science) but if your fantasy is ‘real world’ based how do you get around certain aspects that otherwise you need to write for. As my main genre is BDSM I could just assume my characters are the submissive’s I need them to be or the Dominants. For BDSM in particular the D/s part and the exploration of sub space could be a big part of the writing. There is also the consensual / non consensual aspect. For a lot of readers (and arguably a lot of females) the non consensual can be an important part of the story. {‘the I wouldn’t but what if I was forced‘}.

Rather than always have to write maybe an abduction scene every time for example, coming up with a literary ‘vehicle’ can be a good alternative. In creating some background or reference to what may appear unrealistic in a real world example it could free you to deploy it once it’s either referenced and maybe later explored in full later.

Even the best science fantasy e.g. Tolkien who anyway had a literary understated usage of magic but did rely on having conceived of the origins (the one ring just one example) to proceed with his writing with that particular ‘vehicle’ already established.

This type of literary mechanism can lend a lot of power and potential to your stories as long as you take time to set it up.

Brutal One

 

[AlinaX]

My characters generally use public transport.

 

[SpindleTop]

Not sure if this is what you’re after, but here's a possible example from my story series: The villain attacks the main protagonist in a hotel parking lot after the high school prom has finished. (The timing was chosen so that there was a stark contrast between elation that the hero feels as he dances with girlfriend for the first time and the subsequent traumatic drama of the attack .)

To make the attack scene work I needed:
- the hero and his girlfriend to be on their own (so everyone else is picked from the prom very quickly, but they are not)
- the villain to return to the hotel (when he had no idea that the hero and his girlfriend would still be there, and would be very unlikely to be so)
- noone to use a cell phone until the ambulance was needed
I did concoct a ‘vehicle’ to explain the former (the adult who was meant to pick them up, assumed that the prom would go on for much longer than it did - and I did trail this a bit in an earlier conversation in the relevant chapter), but didn’t explain the latter two.

I think I felt that if I did come up with complicated reasoning to explain everything, I’d tie myself in knots and would end up overloading (and boring) the reader with excessive detail.

There’s a quote in the back of my mind (I can’t remember who from and this isn’t the exact wording), which says something like ‘if your readers are engaged (and your plot is moving fast enough), they’ll come with you wherever you want and will ask no questions…’ Certainly noone in the comments for that chapter has objected to the realism of the attack scene.

If you’re interested, this is the chapter in question. You can decide if I've been successful in pulling off the suspension of disbelief - I’d be very interested to hear your feedback:
https://www.literotica.com/s/tybalt-and-juliet-ch-07
(But do bear in mind that after reading this post, you already know what's going to happen... )

As a (novice) writer, I personally find the invention of the cell phone to be one of the most inconvenient in the modern world - it's very difficult for a character to be totally ignorant or totally beyond help if they're equipped with one! But I do think that readers are happy enough to (temporarily) forget their existence in the wonderful world of fiction - providing they're enjoying the story.

—
My stories: https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=5133214&page=submissions
My latest chapter: https://www.literotica.com/s/tybalt-and-juliet-ch-15

 

[Enchantment_of_Nyx]

Another poser for writers. Do you deploy any literary “vehicles” to get around any ‘realism’ aspects of your stories. Assuming your stories are reality based (clearly sci fi ction/fantasy rely on accepted norms e.g. magic, advanced AI, Fringe science) but if your fantasy is ‘real world’ based how do you get around certain aspects that otherwise you need to write for. As my main genre is BDSM I could just assume my characters are the submissive’s I need them to be or the Dominants. For BDSM in particular the D/s part and the exploration of sub space could be a big part of the writing. There is also the consensual / non consensual aspect. For a lot of readers (and arguably a lot of females) the non consensual can be an important part of the story. {‘the I wouldn’t but what if I was forced‘}.

Rather than always have to write maybe an abduction scene every time for example, coming up with a literary ‘vehicle’ can be a good alternative. In creating some background or reference to what may appear unrealistic in a real world example it could free you to deploy it once it’s either referenced and maybe later explored in full later.

Even the best science fantasy e.g. Tolkien who anyway had a literary understated usage of magic but did rely on having conceived of the origins (the one ring just one example) to proceed with his writing with that particular ‘vehicle’ already established.

This type of literary mechanism can lend a lot of power and potential to your stories as long as you take time to set it up.

Brutal One

I've used it, but not for something central to character motivation. I have a post-apocalyptic story where I have a device to avoid constantly explaining why characters get things that realistically require manufacturing. I find the challenge is in using it judiciously so that it's not self-defeating.

 

[Brutal_One]

Not sure if this is what you’re after, but here's a possible example from my story series: The villain attacks the main protagonist in a hotel parking lot after the high school prom has finished. (The timing was chosen so that there was a stark contrast between elation that the hero feels as he dances with girlfriend for the first time and the subsequent traumatic drama of the attack .)

To make the attack scene work I needed:
- the hero and his girlfriend to be on their own (so everyone is picked from the prom very quickly)
- the villain to return to the hotel (when he had no idea that the hero and his girlfriend would still be there, and would be very unlikely to be so)
- noone to use a cell phone until the ambulance was needed
I did concoct a ‘vehicle’ to explain the former (the adult who was meant to pick them up, assumed that the prom would go on for much longer than it did - and I did trail this a bit in an earlier conversation in the relevant chapter), but didn’t explain the latter two.

I think I felt that if I did come up with complicated reasoning to explain everything, I’d tie myself in knots and would end up overloading (and boring) the reader with excessive detail.

There’s a quote in the back of my mind (I can’t remember who from and this isn’t the exact wording), which says something like ‘if your readers are engaged (and your plot is moving fast enough), they’ll come with you wherever you want and will ask no questions…’ Certainly noone in the comments for that chapter has objected to the realism of the attack scene.

If you’re interested, this is the chapter in question. You can decide if I've been successful in pulling off the suspension of disbelief - I’d be very interested to hear your feedback:
https://www.literotica.com/s/tybalt-and-juliet-ch-07
(But do bear in mind that after reading this post, you already know what's going to happen... )

As a (novice) writer, I personally find the invention of the cell phone to be one of the most inconvenient in the modern world - it's very difficult for a character to be totally ignorant or totally beyond help if they're equipped with one! But I do think that readers are happy enough to (temporarily) forget their existence in the wonderful world of fiction - providing they're enjoying the story.

—
My stories: https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=5133214&page=submissions
My latest chapter: https://www.literotica.com/s/tybalt-and-juliet-ch-15

Thanks for the reply. By ‘vehicle’ I meant a writing device (hence the quotes) not a method of transport. I am interested in how writers can in effect write stories that still seem authentically realistic but rather than having to write a lot of prose to explain how such and such e.g. non consensual to consensual can happen without having to write the same type of scenario or write the story e.g no consensual just for the sake of realism. In particular if you are writing a series with the same underlying premise that you can introduce in a way that makes it appear plausible.

 

[NotWise]

A character's backstory is a common vehicle for explaining things that don't seem to come naturally.

 

[AlinaX]

Joking aside, are you talking about MacGuffins? Because otherwise I really don't understand your desire to keep things realistic and yet not simultaneously.

 

[Brutal_One]

I've used it, but not for something central to character motivation. I have a post-apocalyptic story where I have a device to avoid constantly explaining why characters get things that realistically require manufacturing. I find the challenge is in using it judiciously so that it's not self-defeating.

Yes that was the type of idea I was after. How do you handle the reference for a new story if making as you say judiciously. Would the reader know how the item was aquired?

 

[SpindleTop]

Thanks for the reply. By ‘vehicle’ I meant a writing device (hence the quotes) not a method of transport.

I didn't mean a method of transport either.

I am interested in how writers can in effect write stories that still seem authentically realistic but rather than having to write a lot of prose to explain how such and such e.g. non consensual to consensual can happen without having to write the same type of scenario or write the story e.g no consensual just for the sake of realism. In particular if you are writing a series with the same underlying premise that you can introduce in a way that makes it appear plausible.

I think that was the meaning I was after as well. Isn't the fundamental question here - how much do you need to explain/justify to the reader why your characters act in a certain way or end up in certain situations (by creating a 'vehicle') and how much can you expect the reader to go along with whatever plot twist or character development you like (and not supplying them with a 'vehicle', even if there is one in your mind as you write)?

So in my case, how much do I need to explain why four of my characters (one with a weapon) end up in an empty hotel car lot?

Or in your case, to what extent do you need to explain why a particular character is dominant or submissive (and if they do switch from one to another how much you need to justify it)?

 

[Brutal_One]

Joking aside, are you talking about MacGuffins? Because otherwise I really don't understand your desire to keep things realistic and yet not simultaneously.

It’s basically about having an important aspect that may be central across an entire series without having to change or add story plot every time. E.g. if you wanted a universal effect e.g. 50% gravity if it was somehow central to the story’s unfolding telling.

 

[Enchantment_of_Nyx]

Yes that was the type of idea I was after. How do you handle the reference for a new story if making as you say judiciously. Would the reader know how the item was aquired?

Yes. One character notices the fact that these items are available (as the reader would notice), and asks where they're coming from. For simplicity's sake in this discussion, I'll just call the source, "the warehouse." The reader learns early on in general terms how the warehouse got stocked. After that, a manufactured item can just be obtained from the warehouse without explanation about how it came to be in the warehouse. Unless a manufactured item stands out in the story, I don't address the source at all. I try to minimize obvious use of manufactured items, but not at the expense of bogging down the plot. The warehouse is essentially a magic box, so I try to use it only when it's necessary.

 

[AlinaX]

So why not just mention it?

If you're writing a series, you can kind-of assume readers have read earlier chapters, and if you're wanting to remind them you can either add in a brief reference (e.g., "It was always a pleasure to wake up on Tolor, even if the knowledge that one day you'd be returning to Earth's crushing gravity well did tarnish the silver lining.")...

... or you can add a brief preamble to the chapter: "This story is set on the planet Tolor where the gravity is approximately one half of Earth's."

 

[SpindleTop]

It’s basically about having an important aspect that may be central across an entire series without having to change or add story plot every time. E.g. if you wanted a universal effect e.g. 50% gravity if it was somehow central to the story’s unfolding telling.

Wouldn't this be part of the premise? If so, think you'd want to feed this in during an early chapter, if it's central to the whole plot.

By 'vehicle', I assumed you wanted something (quick and convenient) that would move your plot or character development on, but which would be immediately forgotten thereafter. i.e. something in and of itself with only very short term effects/implications (even if the events that it facilitates are more significant).

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm not sure how I would answer this because I don't think there's one way to do this. My general attitude toward how to handle something unrealistic in a story consists of a few guidelines:

1. Introduce your magic/explanation early, so it doesn't seem likely it's trying to catch up to the thing that needs explaining.

2. Once you've introduced your "magic," be consistent with it.

3. Don't introduce too much magic. Keep it to a reasonable minimum so you're not asking readers constantly to suspend disbelief.

Consider the transporter machine in Star Trek. It's absolutely essential for getting characters from one place to another, and its use figures significantly as a plot device in many episodes. But it's never explained. When you think about it, it's nuts. But viewers instantly accept it right away and don't think about it. The variety of potential literary "vehicles" is limitless.

 

[Brutal_One]

Wouldn't this be part of the premise? If so, think you'd want to feed this in during an early chapter, if it's central to the whole plot.

By 'vehicle', I assumed you wanted something (quick and convenient) that would move your plot or character development on, but which would be immediately forgotten thereafter. i.e. something in and of itself with only very short term effects/implications (even if the events that it facilitates are more significant).

Yes, exactly that. With a series you can introduce why there is a particular behaviour or something that appears on the surface to be unrealistic. For this reason yes I am talking about something that has a longer term impact on the story ongoing or if wider even your “universe” in which you are setting the stories. If it was just a ‘one off’ for a particular story you would just write it for that particular story and be done.

 

[Brutal_One]

I didn't mean a method of transport either.



I think that was the meaning I was after as well. Isn't the fundamental question here - how much do you need to explain/justify to the reader why your characters act in a certain way or end up in certain situations (by creating a 'vehicle') and how much can you expect the reader to go along with whatever plot twist or character development you like (and not supplying them with a 'vehicle', even if there is one in your mind as you write)?

So in my case, how much do I need to explain why four of my characters (one with a weapon) end up in an empty hotel car lot?

Or in your case, to what extent do you need to explain why a particular character is dominant or submissive (and if they do switch from one to another how much you need to justify it)?

Understand. Thanks for confirming. Yes in your context it has a way of explaining what in normal cases would seem unrealistic, thus impairing the story.

 

[KeithD]

My GM stories generally provide a world of their own, one where GM is the norm and being on the make is natural, as is being able to perform constantly. Also, as is needed, in this world pills exist that block out STDs. All of this is established as a given to cut through a lot of preparation/explanation for "getting there" so that we can go directly to the working of the storyline. This is fiction; the goal of these stories is arousal and satisfaction. When the real world and inconvenient hurdles can be brushed aside by providing "givens" for the alternative world created, the reader can go to the goals more quickly.

 

[PennameWombat]

I'm not sure how I would answer this because I don't think there's one way to do this. My general attitude toward how to handle something unrealistic in a story consists of a few guidelines:

1. Introduce your magic/explanation early, so it doesn't seem likely it's trying to catch up to the thing that needs explaining.

2. Once you've introduced your "magic," be consistent with it.

3. Don't introduce too much magic. Keep it to a reasonable minimum so you're not asking readers constantly to suspend disbelief.

Consider the transporter machine in Star Trek. It's absolutely essential for getting characters from one place to another, and its use figures significantly as a plot device in many episodes. But it's never explained. When you think about it, it's nuts. But viewers instantly accept it right away and don't think about it. The variety of potential literary "vehicles" is limitless.

I endorse the above.

In my just-posted story my MC is a human kidnapped by aliens secretly in orbit around Earth (more or less...) The alien satellites have artificial gravity. They just do. Accept it or move on . My MC muses on this but as he admits, he's not a physicist. He notices things like recessed hand holds in the hallways so he understands the gravity could fail (and, as Checkhov told us it must, it does... )

They also have high-efficiency hydroponic gardens, fusion reactors, quantum computers and near-sentient AI. Because, of course they do. The gardens are vital in managing oxygen/CO2, but this is covered in a couple of sentences. If you've read/watched The Expanse or other SciFi this makes sense. This is a long-term spying mission, not a fly-by. Where it becomes necessary late, more detail is given (e.g., the need to chill the supercomputers and QCs and what loss of that coolant does because they're vital in running the satellite.) But generally I don't get into the engineering details. If you're reading the story it's because you're interested in SciFi&F so might know about tokamaks and other fusion research, so most of it is reasonable extrapolation.

The fact the aliens are humanoid enough to have sex with my MC... well, Star Trek did it in spades. And, um, I've heard rumor this is an erotic story site...

In another tale a 21-year old woman is adept with guns which is important in helping her and friends get through a sticky situation. But, nowhere previously had this been discussed or shown directly. But. It has been established she's an only child and was born in a rural area of a western state in the US, a self-described 'country girl' because her more polished friends at their urban University tease her. Her one-sentence explanation is "family outings at the shooting range, hunting, camping..." The point of doing it this way was for it to be a surprise to her friends. People who grew up like this will recognize it, others likely know enough about US culture to accept it easily.

As to, e.g., contraception, etc., often I don't bother. But, it's easy enough to have a male character "he recognized the half-empty circular pill package among her toiletries that had quickly taken over his bathroom."
Or,
A female virgin who tells her friend she started taking the pills because she's determined to not be a virgin any more as part of getting that much more sexually experienced friend to help her find someone appropriate for her first fuck.

One of my rare stories set in 2019 had the characters having protected (condoms, etc.) sex until they'd both had STI test results back... Then they moved to sharing fluids. That's my most 'realistic' story setting. The female MC was an older woman interested in a younger man. But none of this was heavy, it was a sentence here and there as the relationship evolved. The story has always stayed 'Hot' so no one minded too much.

 

[UsuallyPresent]

IMO, some types of fantasy - vampirism & lycanthropy being two big examples - have mostly come to a certain group think. Vamps generally are caused by bites from other vamps, occasionally by curses. They need blood to drink, don't age, often are signficantly faster/stronger than the average human or even the peak of human achievement, have problems with true faith (magical or not), are hard to kill (stake to the heart & decapitation being the 'classic', one without the other hurts a lot but doesn't kill 'em), etc.

In those cases, there's often one or more characters that break the rules. These usually fall into one of three main categories - protagonist, main villain, or major power/plot point. Rarely they'll fall in to a fourth, where they become the group's omega due to their differences, but it's not uncommon for this type of character to 'grow' into one of the other roles during the story.

In others, it's much more free-form. There are many different types of magic written about. As there's less group-think (note, not 'no', just 'less') it usually falls on the author to spend words to explain their take on magic. This often is done in a training scene early in the story, and often has false information - 'necromancers? They're always evil' when another character is a good-guy necromancer, perhaps.

For the even weirder-and-further-out-there stuff, more writing needs to occur to get the audience on the same page, and more work is needed to keep some form of internal verisimilitude.

IMO, 'course. YMMV

 

[KeithD]

I had been thinking that vampire stories was one where I create my own world of what they are/what they do to serve the story needs and as long as I remain consistent in that world, I don't really care what some group says they have to be. They were just the figment of some scattered imaginations to begin with.

 

[SimonDoom]

I had been thinking that vampire stories was one where I create my own world of what they are/what they do to serve the story needs and as long as I remain consistent in that world, I don't really care what some group says they have to be. They were just the figment of some scattered imaginations to begin with.

Vampires are the perfect example of this. In every vampire story the vampires have a peculiar set of strengths and weaknesses that determine what happens in the story and how. They can be different from story to story. The Twilight story vampires, for example, could withstand sunlight. The Anne Rice story vampires could not. Your only requirement is to be creative and consistent with whatever features they have.

Of course some vampire purists will skewer you if your vampires don't match what they think vampires should be. You see a lot of that sort of thing around this Site. But you don't have to bend to it.

 

[Enchantment_of_Nyx]

I had been thinking that vampire stories was one where I create my own world of what they are/what they do to serve the story needs and as long as I remain consistent in that world, I don't really care what some group says they have to be. They were just the figment of some scattered imaginations to begin with.

...Of course some vampire purists will skewer you if your vampires don't match what they think vampires should be. You see a lot of that sort of thing around this Site. But you don't have to bend to it.

I appreciate breaks with canon, especially when an author improves an aspect that has gotten exaggerated beyond the point of ridiculousness, or takes the principle behind a rule and makes it manifest itself a different way. But, yeah, I've seen the comments. I think it can be done well enough to overcome the bias, though.

The were canon on this site is particularly interesting because I think it was actually developed here, mostly by Jazz Cullen. I could be wrong about that, but there are consistent details I haven't seen elsewhere.