Balancing Hope and Reality

by @CarolynMAuthor

A few weeks ago my mother and I watched the film The Bookshop, based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. This evocative film is about Florence Green, a widow in the late 1950s, who tries to establish a bookshop in a small English town against the wishes of the controlling doyenne of the local community, and is (*spoiler alert!*) ultimately unsuccessful.

Not having read the book, I was (unpleasantly) surprised by the ending, which prompted a conversation with my mother about how it perhaps reflected the reality of many small business owners who invest huge amounts of capital and time and energy into their dreams, only to see them fail. It's not the Australian dream, it's definitely not the American dream, but it is many people's reality. We try, and sometimes we don't succeed.

Driving away from the movie I started to wonder how this story could have ended. Should it have been more of an 'underdog wins against all odds' story? Or would that have been too simple, a Disney response to a world that doesn't like to face uncomfortable truths? Was I simply caught in the romance writer's bubble of 'happy-ever-after'? One of the central themes was about how the courage of this small, kind-hearted woman gave courage to others, so it wasn't completely depressing. But it was unsettling.

I believe hope is one of the most wonderful aspects of being a Christian, and something that we should offer in a desperate world hungry for good news. Yet this tension exists between creating stories that are real with ones that offer the chance to escape reality, and enter a different world where hope can perhaps be more plainly seen.

Sometimes I see this tension as people discuss the types of fiction they enjoy reading and/or writing, contemporary vs historical, realistic vs fantasy, redemptive vs squeaky clean Christian. (Side note: It's funny how what one person sees as 'squeaky clean' another might see very differently. I saw this recently with two editors both working for my publishers which saw certain sections of manuscript red flagged by one editor after the other okayed it. 😬)

Sometimes this 'either/or' mentality isn't helpful, as we can focus more on what perceived differences are than what we have in common. For whether we are published or not, self-published or traditionally published in Australia or the US (or not), writing stories for the general market or for Christians, stories that subtly allude to Christian truths or include Bible references, the most important thing we need to offer is a sense of hope.

Yes, we can be gritty. Yes, we can be real. But if our words don't ultimately offer something that fuels courage and persistence and enables readers to dream and not despair, then our readers might as well be watching the news.

I no longer enjoy watching the news. (Side note: does anyone truly 'enjoy' it? "Ohhh, look, here comes the bit about the grisly murder in Sydney! Yay, can't wait!") I don't particularly enjoy the uncertainty it delivers along with a sensationalised side of negativity; it doesn't restore my soul or give any great confidence for the future. Call me naive but I prefer what I watch and read to instil a sense of courage, of reassurance, that victory is possible, something that I hope my novels can offer also.

A person's need for story varies at different times, and in different seasons in life. A 'happily-ever-after' might seem a bit raw to someone in mourning, or it might give that person comfort, or possibly even courage to one day dream again. We can't know how our words will be received.

But we CAN know that God is good, and that He gives us hope, and in Jesus Christ, He gives hope to all who believe. So even if our stories are gritty and realistic and grounded in the cares and concerns of this world, we know that ultimately, in Him, there is a happy ending when good triumphs over evil.

Something that gives us hope.

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher. 

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, Winning Miss Winthrop and Miss Serena's Secret, all available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc

Connect with her:        website | facebook | pinterest | twitter| instagram

Adding Sound and Image

by Jeanette O'Hagan

It's been one of those days, with a sick child, shuffling between doctor appointments and scans, and then the school concert this evening. Not quite what I planned as I pull my thoughts together late at night. Yet, I've be mulling over this idea for a few weeks while reading The Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels by Mark Ellis and Melissa Martin Ellis. Yep, that's right Graphic Novels.

When writing our stories - whether fiction or non-fiction - we think target audience and genre, traditional versus Indie publishing, print or e-book (or maybe both), picture book or chapter book (if we write for children) or even poetry or prose, but there are some other options that we may not have considered.

I've been pondering three ways of adding sound and/or image to our story telling.

Film

With so many great movies these days based on books, who hasn't thought about their book becoming a movie. Just think of Indie author Andy Weir, whose book The Martian became a block-buster movie.  If only, some savvy director will pick up our book and launch it on the big screen.

It great to daydream, but one possibility is to write our story as a script - whether for a two hour movie or a TV series, and then pitch it to networks and movie makers.

Books and movies approach storytelling in different ways, have different limitations and possibilities. Movies (generally) are more stream-lined, are visual, fast-paced and focus on action and (short, sharp) dialogue. Most movie adaption of necessity simplifies the plot, cuts down the number of characters. A TV series can be more faithful to the novel (think BBC Pride and Prejudice mini-series versus any of the movie adaptations). A movie can 'show' in a way a novel can't. The setting can be presented in a single frame, in loving detail which would take pages to write (as many 19th centuries authors did).

On the other hand, good novels take us inside the head of the characters. They also give us the room to exercise our own imagination, to co-create with the author. Movies struggle to convey internal thoughts, though a good actor can convey a lot through body language, tone of voice, posture etc.

Of course, we often bemoan that the movie is nowhere as good as the book. Yet, how often have we been totally enthralled by a good movie or hooked by a TV series. There are different ways of storytelling with different powers to engage. One way to explore that is to explore script writing or, perhaps, to speak to a script writer.

Sound recordings

Another opportunity to reach a wider audience is to produce an audio-tape of your book. Many people for various reasons now consume their fiction and non-fiction through audio.  This may be as they commute or preform mundane tasks, thus making best use of their time or because they take in more through audio channels. Or it could be that due to age or other reasons, reading is now difficult if not impossible.

Once again, reading a book is a different experience to hearing it read for us. Though, how many of us first learned our love for books in the laps of reading parents, grandparents or perhaps teachers and Pajama Angels?  When we hear a book read, it adds another dimension to the experience and can be enjoyed in situations where usually it's impractical to read a book, e.g. driving a car, doing the ironing, having a shower (though I know of a friend who could manage that feat).

There are different options from companies that will convert your novel or story to audio for a price, to entities like Audible that do it for little or no upfront fees in return for a portion of the royalties. Whichever option is chosen, the choice of narrator (or narrators) is surely of great importance, from the quality of his or her voice, to their skill in dramatic narration. Nothing can put a person to sleep faster than a monotone.

Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels are becoming increasingly popular among teens, but also among adults and fandoms. Once again, this is a medium that may reach a different audience, an audience who are reluctant to read books.  For instance, The Action Bible presents biblical narrative in a way that engages young people and that can provide a bridge to reading. Production of graphic novels with digital artwork and print on demand printers means it is now more accessible for independent artists.

Graphic Novels use a combination of pictures and text to tell the story - often in panels as in a comic book. Thus they have writers and artists - and traditionally may require a penciller (who does the intial drawings), an inker, a letterer and a colourist. Or sometimes the writer and artist are one. Both the script and the artwork are important to the story and need to work in concert. Obviously, long speeches without action may be problematical in a graphic novel. On the other hand, internal thoughts can be shown through thought bubbles. The artwork often uses exaggerated poses or easily identifiable features to show character, emotion and body language. One might also choose between a more Western approach (think D C Comics and Marvel) or Japanese Anime and Manga (Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle) or a blend of the two (Avatar: The Last Air Bender).

The Graphic Novel is perhaps more often used for Children's and Young Adult stories, or for Superhero, Crime, Adventure and Speculative Fiction, though it has also been effectively used for memoir, historical stories and biblical narratives.

Venturing forth

Each of these media have unique challenges and needs for story telling. Not all stories make good movies or graphic novels. These media are also require collaboration - much as an illustrator in the picture book is a co-author, so too the director, set designers and actors, the narrator or the visual artist can add different and new dimensions to the story. We as authors may find that threatening. On the other hand, thinking about how our story might translate in different media can help us think differently and perhaps more creatively, even if we don't venture forth in the world beyond text.

I've been thinking about sound recordings and graphic novel for Heart of the Mountain, or writing a script about my uncle's life story. Whether that ever becomes a reality or not, it's been fun imagining it to be so.

What about you? Have you ever considered your story in a different media than text alone? If so what? Have you forayed into one or more of these areas? If so, what pointers and tips would you give those of us standing at the borderlands, wondering whether to enter? And a bonus question, what Christian novel would you love to see as a movie, audio-recording or graphic novel?

***
Images © Jeanette O'Hagan

Jeanette O’Hagan first started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing.

Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. They involve a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic users.

Recent publications include Heart of the Mountain: a short novella, The Herbalist's Daughter: a short story and Lakwi's Lament: a short story. Her other short stories and poems are published in a number of anthologies including Glimpses of Light, Another Time Another Place and Like a Girl. Jeanette is also writing her Akrad’s Legacy Series—a Young Adult secondary world fantasy fiction with adventure, courtly intrigue and romantic elements.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life and communicating God’s great love. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.

Find her at her Facebook Page or at Goodreads or on Amazon or on her websites  JennysThread.com or Jeanette O'Hagan Writes . if you want to stay up-to-date with latest publications and developments, sign up to Jeanette O'Hagan Writes e-mail newsletter.