Chris’s answer to “What’s the best thing about being a writer?” > Likes and Comments
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I have a serious question about this comment. In the last few days I've considered the potentially harmful consequences of knowing lots of backstory for all the characters in a novel/play etc, but keeping them to yourself. Creative writers need to do this. But what about the rest of us? My mind works a bit like Christopher's from A curious incident. Imaginary facts are confusing to me. My extreme adhd makes it hard to learn new facts. All the effort I put in to learning facts that are unreal may give me an insight into parallel universes where these events and characters actually breathe. But is there not a risk the iaginary friends could drive some people to lose track oof what is real and what is false memory? This is an attempt to find an answer. I'm not asking a rhetorical question. I hope you don't think I'm wasting your time. I'd would value your opinion on this.
Hi Tom, thank you for your question. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you but I've not been on here for a while.
Your question is not an easy one to answer. I think on certain levels everything is real to a degree. What one person creates in their head, in their imagination, can be real to them but it does not necessarily make it real to anyone else. My characters are not physically real but I often think about what they would do in certain, 'real life', situations. This does not make them real in the world we live in, nor do I think that they live in a parallel universe (perhaps they do, there is a story there). This is because only I have had that thought. No one else has had access to that thought and as such the idea and concept is only real to me.
Just think about religion, to a religious person their belief can be everything; it can warm them and reassure them, it can help and guide them. But that alone does not make it real to an unreligious person, nor does it make it imaginary.
There is a fine line between what is imaginary and what is reality. A person's perspective on reality is a very personal thing but it is important to understand how society works and what is real in that society, ie. being able to understand other peoples' perception of what is real. Knowing that difference is very powerful.
It is the job of a fictional writer to create something imaginary and convince others that it is real. I hope this answers your question. Again, I am sorry to respond so late to you.
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Tom
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Dec 05, 2015 05:17AM
I have a serious question about this comment. In the last few days I've considered the potentially harmful consequences of knowing lots of backstory for all the characters in a novel/play etc, but keeping them to yourself. Creative writers need to do this. But what about the rest of us? My mind works a bit like Christopher's from A curious incident. Imaginary facts are confusing to me. My extreme adhd makes it hard to learn new facts. All the effort I put in to learning facts that are unreal may give me an insight into parallel universes where these events and characters actually breathe. But is there not a risk the iaginary friends could drive some people to lose track oof what is real and what is false memory? This is an attempt to find an answer. I'm not asking a rhetorical question. I hope you don't think I'm wasting your time. I'd would value your opinion on this.
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Hi Tom, thank you for your question. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you but I've not been on here for a while.Your question is not an easy one to answer. I think on certain levels everything is real to a degree. What one person creates in their head, in their imagination, can be real to them but it does not necessarily make it real to anyone else. My characters are not physically real but I often think about what they would do in certain, 'real life', situations. This does not make them real in the world we live in, nor do I think that they live in a parallel universe (perhaps they do, there is a story there). This is because only I have had that thought. No one else has had access to that thought and as such the idea and concept is only real to me.
Just think about religion, to a religious person their belief can be everything; it can warm them and reassure them, it can help and guide them. But that alone does not make it real to an unreligious person, nor does it make it imaginary.
There is a fine line between what is imaginary and what is reality. A person's perspective on reality is a very personal thing but it is important to understand how society works and what is real in that society, ie. being able to understand other peoples' perception of what is real. Knowing that difference is very powerful.
It is the job of a fictional writer to create something imaginary and convince others that it is real. I hope this answers your question. Again, I am sorry to respond so late to you.