Day 36 - How Morals Affect Our Use of Technique - Writing Wisdom

Last week we discussed Hyper-Fantasy, that over-the-top technique of describing that which is not real in a very lucid way, often involving as many senses as possible. As I said in the comments, it's like reality on LSD. It can give a very false and dangerous notion of how things in real life actually are, and it can also be used to immerse us in alien worlds.

Think of the wonder when you saw the world of Pandora in Cameron's Avatar for the first time in all of its stunning detail. Then convey that in the written word and add in equally vivid descriptions of the tastes, the smells, etc. Go over the top. That's Hyper-Fantasy. If you can pull it off, make something seem truly fantastical and yet believable even in its excesses, you've got great talent.

So far, we have discussed Realism, Graphic-Realism, and Hyper-Fantasy as techniques in writing to describe an experience, environment, or person. There are many more sub-types and a few more basic archetypes which I may write about later in the Writing Wisdom series. There is poetic form as a descriptive technique, tactile and other sensory methods, emotional, color hues (part of hyper-fantasy and even poetry), and the list could go on. Maybe I'll write a book about all the methods of description someday.

The question with all of these techniques is when and how do we use them in our own writing? Should it always be purely what suits us at the moment or what will get the most sales or start the most conversations? I believe that after a story forms itself in our minds, the very next step we should take is to decide if it can fit within our moral framework. This is not to say that the world, characters, and storyline need to be set in Christian or Muslim setting. It is saying that if you believe in the importance of chastity, you won't be promoting infidelity and teen sex even if your characters may engage in it.  

*** This will continue next Wednesday night. I began this post in the morning and planned on finishing it tonight. Unfortunately, at around 8:00 PM a rather large work problem reared its ugly head, which I have just partially resolved at 12:30 AM. Thanks for understanding!

Categories: Role of Morals in Writing , Writing Wisdom