Here’s the problem. You have a character out to break the rules — but the reader doesn’t know what’s normal in your alien society. How do you set up behavioral expectations at the same time as you violate them?

In the good old days, a writer like J. R. R. Tolkien could indulge in chapters of Shire life before evil intrudes on the squabbles of the hobbits. I believe some set up is still essential if you want the bang that comes from contrast when something extraordinary happens, but modern writers rarely get whole chapters. Like the movies made of Tolkien’s classic epic, we have to establish norms faster.

The Okal Rel Universe in which my novels are set has been called “complex”, “well-thought out” and “original”. Culture clash between groups occurs regularly and a lot of the fun relies on readers understanding the world views in collision. The more ORU people read, the more they get out of it. But how to get them started?

This discussion, hosted by myself and author Krista Ball, invites you to help us explore the peculiarly SF problem of establishing “the norm” of an alien culture in the midst of having trouble-making characters tromp through it. What works for you, as a writer or a reader, and what doesn’t?

Here’s my main pet peeve to get us started: characters who don’t represent their culture even minimally. At best, a work with a seriously different setting can get away with maybe one entirely anomalous rebel. But if that’s the case, there had better be a strong supporting cast who do represent the “norm” for the rebel to interact with. Then the contrast can illuminate not only the norm but the deviation.

Labels: discussion, Krista Ball, Lynda Williams, Writing

posted by Lynda at 06:00   comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 5 comments