Thematic argument and taboo

[sunandshadow]

I was reading a how-to-write book today, and it was saying "figure out what is your story's emotional truth". A lot of what I write is forbidden romance of one type or another. I figured the most extreme example might be the easiest to analyze, so I picked incest as the 'forbidden' factor. Specifically, a story about two adults who happen to be related but fall in love and decide to have children together.

The main character's internal journey is mainly about gaining self-insight, which specifically means thinking about the morality of incest and what is right for herself and her life, then living in such a way as to act with integrity (true to herself based on her self-knowledge). The bad guys in this story are thematically about tradition and generally lack self insight and don't care about others' internal thoughts and feelings, they care about appearances and reputation and rules. The kind of people who are enthusiastic about witch hunts, lynch mobs, and ostracizing anyone/anything different. The part that trips me up is how the main character's self-insight and integrity is supposed to defeat the bad guys' prejudiced bloodthirst and superior attitude. I mean a lack of self-insight does sound like an exploitable weakness, but how, specifically, can it be used to permanently remove the teeth from the bad guys, or make them turn inward and focus on their own issues and forget about attacking the main character?

So, what do you all think of building a story on this sort of theme? Can you think of any different ways to use a story to argue that a taboo is not 'wrong'? It can be any taboo, pick a different one if you don't like incest. I could see pretty much the same theme being done as an interracial romance, for example. How would you all have the main characters of a forbidden romance defeat the bad guys of that story, assuming they can't just kill the bad guys or move somewhere there is no prejudice against them?

And as a more general question, is anyone besides me actually interested in the topic of theme as a guiding principle of structuring stories?

 

[Stella_Omega]

I um... am having a hard time thinking at all on this lovely long Sunday afternoon.

But I think that, in some cases, a well-developed theme can be as satisfying as a plot. Sort of. maybe.

Most of the time, my stories don't really have bad guys. My characters fight against themselves-- struggle with expectations, or prejudices or doubts. There might be circumstances, like lack of money, or the pressures of stardom or, the lack of a decent sex shop that's open late at night. Even something as simple as-- "will I come too quick?" or-- "can we do this again?"

Those are the kinds of problems my characters face.

 

[sunandshadow]

Theme's not something you have instead of plot, they go hand-in-hand because theme is expressed through both plot and characters. So I'd say something like, a plot which expresses a nice theme is more satisfying than an equal-quality plot which does not express a theme or has confused bits of several themes.

But yeah, stories do not need bad guys, they are just one of many options for conflict. But since I wanted to illustrate bigotry as bad in this particular story, making a bigot character who can't stand the main characters seemed like a simple and logical choice.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I guess I thought theme is something all the characters share...like prison, or combat, or vampire predation, or a wanton girl, or a swingers club, or Angies List.

My sense is what youre really after is how to resolve your tales central conflict.

What I do is link the central conflict tween the protagonist and the antagonist, and anchor the conflict in self-interests neither will forfeit or both will forfeit.

Heres an example of my conflict resolution:

The conflict involved a convenience store. One party wanted to build the store, and the neighborhood opposed it. I was called out to pacify everyone and resolve the dispute.

In the midst of the quarreling and finger pointing I examined the scene and setup my surveyors transit. When it was in place and calibrated I looked thru the telescope then invited the leader of the opposition to look.

Whadduya see, I asked.

The man says, I see my kennel.

I say, this transit is sighted down the property line tween your house and the store site.

The man says, so!

I say, most of your kennel is on the stores property. He looks at me. I then say, if you was to shut the fuck up and go home I'm optimistic no ones gonna make you teardown the kennel.