Whistling in the Dark

...oh....

Posted on 2007.12.22 at 15:52
Current Location: Texas Roadhouse
Current Mood: doomed
Current Music: Pandora.com -
Tags: fucking muse, justice wing, writing

So one of the things in the back of my head, while working on Justice Wing stuff, is "where can I go with this."

I mean, it's fun to write, but the major difference between it and Superguy (besides my being a significantly better writer now than I was back in the day) is it could go somewhere. I could actually publish a novel.

But... writing superhero fiction is dicey, because absent the characters that have already entered the culture, there's pretty steep barrier. You have to introduce everyone, set things, and also be engaging enough to be read.

And if you're going to write a novel about stuff like this... well, I realize, I'm a lit major, but... I'd like to write something with something under the surface a little deeper than "Power Guy smacked Evilite while Spandex Babe arched, her suit straining." I mean, it's not going to be The Great Gatsby but I'd rather it not be Remo Williams has sex and kills a dude too, you know?

And then it smacked me in my brain. Which means not only do I have my novel? But I'm already twelve thousand words into it.

And Christ knows how many I'll need to get out of it.

I guess I know what's going to dominate Banter Latte for the next few weeks.

6 comments Leave a comment

Add to Memories Tell a Friend

Comments:

masonk at 2007-12-22 20:55 (UTC) (Link)

Oh no you don't. Oh no you don't! You promised me League after the next Justice Wing, which you've posted. Get back to work!

(Yes, my tongue is fully in my cheek, for those who don't know me...)

(Reply) (Thread)

snowspinner at 2007-12-22 21:00 (UTC) (Link)

The other problem that often arises when introducing superhero characters is that superhero comics have grown increasingly meta. There aren't many stories about a magical man who fell to earth, was raised by farmers, and went on to do wonderful things, or stories about a man who saw his parents killed in front of him and swore to avenge them by becoming a bat. The stories are about Superman and Batman as cultural symbols and as massively long-running stories. And even when you have new superhero stuff it's based heavily on the old archetypes, so that you're still telling a story about Superman or about Batman, just not using them.

(Reply) (Thread)

demiurgent at 2007-12-22 21:04 (UTC) (Link)

Yeah, that's inevitable.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

forsythferret at 2007-12-22 21:40 (UTC) (Link)

Of course, if you try to write a story about a magical man who fell to Earth and was raised by farmers, and went off to do wonderful things, then people are going to compare it and him to Superman. So even if you try to make it non-meta, by not addressing that you're STILL making a meta statement. That's the problem with archetypes.

It doesn't mean you can't do interesting things with the archetype, but there's no way the comparison won't be drawn. The reader has the meta knowledge of Superman, and that's going to influence things.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

demiurgent at 2007-12-22 21:42 (UTC) (Link)

I'm not even going to try to avoid it. It's rooted in Justice Wing, which has plenty of clear pastiches, even if I change the details. Really, played the right way, that can build expectations that you can play with -- maybe make a point.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)