20. Storytelling in Speculative Fiction

3 things to consider about the point of telling:

1. The novum not only affects the reality we've set the "new thing" in, but also the protagonist of the story—whether they are learning about their abilities, the rules of their technology, or what has gone wrong. While there are works in genre (slipstream) that the non-naturalist element may work in the background, to call it genre we must make the non-naturalist element real, and not work metaphorically.

   
   

2. What is the timeline we are capturing in 100 words? 1,000 words? In 100,000 words? How we narrate—our point of view, our perspective—where the narrator is narrating from is determined by what timeframe we are trying to cover. Our narration, our tone, our recreation of memories—whether they are pleasurable or uncomfortable, changes over time as well.

   
   

3. Where in the timeline where we drop the pin to start the story? Is there a catalyst? "Who has agency to tell history doesn’t just impact how history is told, but also whose history is told" and therefore, what do we include and leave out? Who do we include and leave out when we decide when to start the story? And it is okay to exclude and include who we want, but why?

How much exposition and setting we have in a story depends on where we drop the pin into the story's timeline. What are we contextualizing and when?

Storyview and Worldview:

Take a look at "Shelter" by Porter Robinson & Madeon:

Link: https://youtu.be/fzQ6gRAEoy0

In genre: There’s worldview, what you as the writer know about the world. You're almost a Creator holding the context in which these narratives are sustained that contains many more stories. If you were the illustrator and writer for "Shelter," you would need to decide what the protagonist (the girl) knows about her reality, her history, or not in how she got there, or what are the limitations of being alive in this virtual reality.Then there's Storyview—what the characters know and believe about the world. Theodora Goss does this very well in her story, "Cimmeria: From the Journal of Imaginary Anthropology," where there are twins, but no one from Cimmeria knows about it except the Creators (the students writing the journal). Therefore, what the twins know about themselves is limited—similar to what we may know about others in our lives only in the realms where we interact with them.

In "Shelter" the music video, the girl has flashbacks that occur as she receives a message from her father, who explains to her why she was put into this reality as a way for him to preserve her life and survival at the end of the world. In this way, she is unable to access her storyview until she receives a message from someone who can contextualize her point of view and reframe her perspective. As a creator of this narrative, we have a choice in how to bring the worldview into our characters or have them realize where they are in the story.

Non-human entities

Pom Poko (1994) a film by Studio Ghibli, features tanuki (Japanese raccoon dogs) which are considered to be magical creatures capable of shape-shifting into people or other objects. Historically, based on folklore, they are tricksters with large testicles, and have been "known to use their testicles as makeshift raincoats, as weapons, and as drums. They knead and massage them into the shape they desire, and often impersonate humans to buy alcohol and delicacies."

In the film, a group of Tanuki are "threatened by a gigantic suburban development project" that cuts into their habitat and divides their land. The tanuki fight amongst themselves before unifying to stop the development, leading the resistance to attack and injure people, before figuring new ways to assimilate and live with humans over time. (It's a tragic animated movie, as most Studio Ghibli films are) The scene I wanted to share here is during one of their attacks on policemen, where they use their shapeshifting abilities, their powers, against men:

(If you're wondering if I really used a cartoon with testicles to illustrate my point about non-human entities and their magical abilities on humankind, I did)

Herein lies our ability as writers to immerse in the point of view of our characters. What we find fascinating, strange, or taboo, may not be seen with the same awe, wonder, and disgust as our characters. Yet, we are writing for other humans to read, and other people who share our tangible "real world" and so, while we can inhabit the voice of our characters, their blindspots, their perspectives, desires, etc. how can we make sure we're not simply translating an idea onto the page? How can we immerse the reader into that new mindset and perspective?

HOMEWORK (Due before Day 1)

Choose one of the three prompts below and write a short story of at least 150 words in the comments. You can earn a bonus point on your homework score by critiquing another student's work using the reply function. Please be aware that I will reply to each post using the paid version of Pangram, an AI detection tool. You will receive a reply with a screenshot like the one below:

1. Novum in Daily Life: Introduce a new technology or ability that has recently become part of everyday life. How does the protagonist adjust to this change? Is it beneficial or problematic for the protagonist?

2. Storyview vs. Worldview: Inspired by "Shelter," write about a protagonist living in a reality different from ours. However, they receive a message, letter, or vision from an unknown entity (could be a past version of themselves) that reveals the truth. How does this change their perception?

3. Perspective of the Non-Human: Drawing from "Pom Poko," write a story from the perspective of an animal, magical or not, witnessing human activities that threaten its habitat or way of life. How does the animal perceive humans and their actions?