Get Off That Soapbox!
As a historical writer, I find it hard to not get all riled up when I’m doing research. Recently, I read an article about asylums in nineteenth century England and the conditions of those classified mental ill and it made me want to throw something. Especially when the article mentioned that women who were too difficult to control were likely to find themselves considered “lunatics” and sent away.
From child labor to the conditions of the poor in Regency England, I can easily work myself into hysterics over these past events I read about knowing full well that abuses to children, the poor, and women still happen today, though the forms these abuses take may appear different than they did then.
My research inevitably finds its way into my work. My WIP mentions asylums in two capacities; my witches are worried that if they are discovered they will be sent there and my villain ends up there at the end. When I write about asylums, I mention the horrors I’ve read about, hoping that others who read my work will be as disturbed by them as I am.
Misery loves company, I suppose.
Sometimes I worry that I’m standing atop my soapbox when I write, trying to push some sort of hidden agenda. I try to make sure that any information I give has basis on the plot or the characters. But, I think that there is always some level of ulterior motivation when it comes to what we write. We want our readers to react and chances are we have a wish as to how we want them to react.
In Perfect by Judith McNaught, there is an entire subplot about illiteracy. I remember reading about the levels of illiteracy in the US today and being stunned. I’m sure that was Ms. McNaught’s intention, to raise awareness, and I believe that she donated some of the funds from the book to a charity fighting illiteracy.
I would never deem to hold myself up next to Judith McNaught, but I can see how something I feel strongly about would find its way into my work. In fact, I’d expect my thoughts about controversial issues like war, child welfare, poverty, etc. have found their way into my work already, though I hope in the context of characterization and plot instead of outright preaching.
Do you think it is ok for our work to make a statement about a controversial topic? Do you think we can avoid that from happening? Do you think we should even try to avoid it?
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22 comments:
I think your work can't help but be infused with your passions, be they political or even what you decide to have your characters eat. It's tempting to impose 21st century mores on the past because so many things considered "normal" then are pretty horrifying. I'm sure you'll strike a good balance. Kids keep turning up in my stuff. As a mom and former teacher they're always on my mind.
Maggie - I think you're right, that it is hard not to judge the past with my 21st century goggles. I hope I strike a balance.
And kids are so much fun to write anyway. People believe when they say and do crazy stuff.
Marnee,
Interesting question. I think it is possible to strike a balance and the best books do that. I remember reading Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen and felt like the book was a little too informed by her politics. That said, I liked the book, but it would take me out of the story and as a reader I didn't like that so well. I guess I like to be able to make my own opinion. That being said, I love when just enough historical info is included that I can form my opinion. Even if it is "boy I'm glad I live in the here and now".
I would think kids would be somewhat hard to write--in general they come across as too precocious, in my opinion. However, they can certainly make a story fun on account of that saying and doing anything.
Interesting question.
I like for my heroines to have a cause, and sometimes my causes reflect in my writing. I agree with Amanda I think it's a fine line. I read romance for the romance, if the heroine has a cause I want it to enhance the story and not overshadow the romance if that makes sense.
I get horrified by some of the things that I research. It boggles the mind that they thought that way about things! I do think you'll strike a balance tho...I completely agree with Maggie that we do infuse our own passions into our writing and it just works itself out. For me it has always been about women's rights and the way that they were treated by the men in their lives that gets me fired up. It was more prominent when I first started my WIP and it faded as I went along. I think it came down to that natural balance in the end.
Definitely, why wouldn't our books reflect our social consciousness? We get enough flack as romance writers about selling nothing but sex, and about our genre not being as "worthy" as other literature. If we believe in something we should be proud enough to support that belief and try to raise awareness about it. If that means adding a paragraph or two in our books in the hope that even one person will take note, then go for it. It doesn't mean that you have to turn all preachy and turn the whole book into a social discourse
Yes.
No.
Sometimes. After all, you may feel passionately that going to war is wrong--but go about denouncing it the wrong way in your book and you'll find your book in the same clearance rack as the Dixie Chicks.
Sometimes it's best to reveal the situation from both sides and let the reader make up their own mind. *shrugs* You can't say that wouldn't be a perfect villain, someone who could make us understand why they think their asylym is humane and top notch scientific. It'd be like going into the mind of Hitler: you're horrified to realize you can understand why he did it, even though you know it's so very wrong.
And I think the written word has ALWAYS been about persuasion (the gentle side of the soapbox). History is written by the winners, after all; but does the history we read really mean the "right" people won? Fiction is the same. Fiction is very much the same.
Amanda: *LOL* Kids are many times WAY too precious in novels. And though they occasionally say long mind-boggling philosophical statements once in a blue moon, many novels act like kids are mini-Mentors, spouting off pop-pyschology better than any therapist. I prefer the books where kids are being...grubby and kid-like and the heroine doesn't like kids. *LOL* That's a RIOT.
I agree with Maggie. If it's something you're passionate about then it's hard to keep it from bleeding over into your writing. Most of the time, people really just don't care about anything going on in the broader picture and don't even notice the hint.
There's nothing wrong with a subtle statement. The underlying one in mine is identity theft. But of course, I'm not writing historicals. LOL
Amanda and Lis - I agree, that it is a fine line. I hate to feel like I'm drug out of the story, as if the author is doing an aside. I feel like it slows the pace and disrupts the story. But, I think giving a character a cause or painting the picture helps enhance the setting/tone.
Steph - I think that's how you know that your story took over, when it becomes less about what you are saying and more about the characters. :)
JK - I always find it annoying when people (generally non-romance readers) write off our entire genre as "soft-core porn" or something equally unflattering. I feel as if the group of writers I know and the authors I read are some of the smartest, most interesting writers I've ever read and I've read the classics. The stories are timely and relevant, which is more than I can say for some classics. And I agree, including it doesn't mean it has to be all about it. :)
Hellion - I agree about it being more persuasion and less about preaching. It certainly helps with villain building though. :)
Sin - Subtle! What a good word for it. Not beat you over the head with it, but a hint, that's a good guideline, I think.
So long as the story is paramount, I think a good writer can take on any issue she/he wishes. I am a big Mary Jo Putney fan, and one of the things I love about her books is that they are filled with substantive issues--alcoholism, child abuse, slavery, domestic violence.
But when the story becomes merely a vehicle for a message, the work becomes propaganda. The writer would do better IMO to write an essay or an editorial.
Sorry so late. Home with sick kiddo and I took the chance to sleep in. Great topic, Marnee. Since our stories sort of come out of our subconscience, I'd think it would be impossible to keep our beliefs and perceptions out of them.
I write contemp and can't think of anything right now that I'm working into the story. But as opinionated as I am, I'm sure something will show up along the way.
Good question, Marnee. We all have our own beliefs and mores, brought about by environment and culture. As modern people, we can't possibly know why an historical figure chose a certain path because we didn't live in the times and if we try to make sense of it, we are using what we know and understand from our past and current beliefs to do it.
As a writer, I find that to be my greatest challenge, to research the era and let my characters make 'their' choices. Consequences follow, of course, and so does the plot. The Civil War is a wonderful example how this works. The same historical figures went to the same schools, lived in the same towns but chose different sides to fight for, turning their backs on neighbors, family. Why? What led them to make that choice?
Ah, herein lies the most significant question to ponder and produces the most gratifying triumph for a writer.
As a writer of Romance
Why would you Even want to avoid discussing the foibles of the human condition? I think that the Romance genre is the Perfect forum in which “controversial subjects” can be discussed. Since Romance Lit is about people, imperfect people, trying to find happiness in an imperfect world. IMO including some uncomfortable truths about the way the world was or is, is simply adding to the authenticity of your story. Of course there is a fine line between being persuasive and being overly invasive. Teaching verses Preaching. Balance is every thing. Bottom line does the information add to your story? Or does it detract?
And Mshellion, Not only is “History is written by the winners”
In many cases it is Rewritten by the winners.
Janga - I think you're right about the story being paramount and that editorials are a better place for soapbox preaching. Sometimes I think authors (not romance, per se, but fiction authors in general) write substantive topics in their work because the audience is broader. People are less likely to read an essay about child labor but if it's in their fiction, it's like sneaking vegetables in kids food, stealthy.
Ter - I am inclined to agree, that on some level our bias is probably apparent if we're looking for it.
Kathy - letting our characters make choices? It's sorta like sending our kids off into the world and watching them muddle through, huh? Scary and wondrous at once. :)
Julie - I think bringing truths, uncomfortable or otherwise, is relevant too. Persuasive and invasive, what a good word choice. :)
One of the best books I've ever read was Petals in the Wind by Laura Kinsdale. In it the hero ends up in an asylum following a stroke. The detail in the book was horrifying and I've worked with folks who came out of the mental institutions in the early '80s.
I don't think it matters whether you are writing a contemporary or a historical. You can easily let your world view into the book, perhaps champion a cause but it has to make sense to the story. And, since we are talking about the romances we love to read and write, those issues need a resolution at the end or at least a sense that anyone can make a difference.
If written well it can provide food for thought or impetus for action. WOrks for me.
Santa says: 'If written well it can provide food for thought or impetus for action. WOrks for me.' I absolutely agree. I also like that you talk about resolution at the end. It is good to know that things get fixed, at least in fiction, or that someone can do something to change the world in which we live. Good messages, I think.
Great blog, Marnee! (Great one yesterday, too, Hellion! Darn RL is making it hard for me to play all day!)
I don't think you can escape letting your feelings/views seep into your writing. Isn't that what it's all about - kinda digging deep and finding the emotion and the drive to write that awesome scene. But I do agree that you have to be careful not to be preachy. I don't think you'll have a problem!
That's what I think is so neat about romances... you can tell an awesome story and still stick a little message in there about whatever (child abuse, neglect, alcoholism, etc.) and kind of educate a little in the process. I'm thinking about Lisa Kleypas' Blue-Eyed Devil now, but I believe that book contributed to kicking up the awareness of the nuts and bolts and intricacies of spousal abuse. It also entertained. Not a bad bargain.
Hi Marnee,
What an interesting topic. I'm a history buff from way back and reading about past attitudes and behaviours can be so trying (I specialised in ancient history - you should try reading early Greek authors on the subject of women! Bound to make your blood boil). I don't write historicals though I love them. I think my problem would be that I'd be tempted to write a story set in the past but give the characters a 21st century perspective, which just wouldn't work. Having said that though, I think it's natural to draw attention to inequities and awful situations when you find them. A friend of mine (historical author) was telling me about women being locked up in Bedlam and similar places because their families didn't want them. Grr!
In my own writing I've only touched on 'conscience' issues once or twice. I'm always afraid I'll get on my soapbox and forget to carry the story forward. I've read some wonderful books though, where that's the central theme and it's so strong.
Thanks for raising this. It's a good topic to mull over.
Annie
Irish - RL kept me from commenting all day! :( Sorry about that. :) I think digging deep is exactly it. Emotion is emotion and it's the reason we read. I don't think we can deny it.
Hi Annie! Thank you for your thoughts. Bedlam, that's another asylum and set of stories that frustrate me to no end. Getting caught up in the issue and not pushing the story forward seem to be the problems of this.
I was just thinking about my motives and goals in my writing last night. I think it's good to question ourselves sometimes. Keeps us humble, etc....
Having not read any of the responses yet, Marnee, I think you first have to write for your audience, which is modern, and will certainly not suffer abuses towards women and children unless it is part of the conflict the characters overcome.
That said, I think you have to be careful here and employ a good bit of subtly. As a reader, i don't want to "know" I'm being taught/preached to even if I am. I want an escape first and foremost.
It's a fine line. For example, and this certainly isn't as serious as child abuse, but I've read those pages and pages where the noble heroine flies in the face of convention and, heaven forfend!, breast feeds her own baby. I know it wasn't done, but because the author made such a HUGE HUGE deal about it in order to be historically accurate, it pulled me out of the story. And I'm all for breast-feeding, if you can. Fine line. Write for your modern audience but be careful that tuck all that soapboxing so neatly into the story-line, I'm not going to pause and yell out, "AMEN."
J
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