I had a second thought while writing the previous article, and its this: I need to experience more stories outside of sci-fi and fantasy in order to be a better storyteller.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit5EL3JkI4
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Major Motoko Kusanagi in the 1995 anime movie, "Ghost in the Shell" said it best:
- "If we all reacted the same way, we'd be predictable, and there's always more than one way to view a situation. What's true for the group is also true for the individual. It's simple: overspecialize, and you breed in weakness. It's slow death."328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmq1c5SbNz
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After I finished writing my first ever book, I was proud. Prouder than proud. I had tried writing 4 novels previously over the course of my life, only to toss each one out due to disappointment with my own skill level. After buckling down and spending years actually learning how to be a storyteller, though, I finally had something to show that I could happily say, "This is mine. I did this. I love it."328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipKTgQStHx
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And it wasn't as good as it could've been.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlSoV58cEI
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I sent out my story to my friends to read. Two of them have finished it at the time of writing this blog entry. One of them said, "Chris, you really should rethink how some of your characters act towards each other, they seem deliberately obtuse in some cases or a little too aggressive in others."328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIDTqfwQ5H
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Naturally my first instinct was to explain the criticism away, or brush it off, but it didn't take me long to realize they were right. But not only were they right, their advice towards character interaction made it into the final version of my story in a very big way. So I got to thinking, asking myself, why was that? What were they seeing that I wasn't?328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntwHKpG8lB
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The answer is that they read almost exclusively romance novels. 328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpz5g8ixhIj
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If fantasy and sci-fi have taught me to treat stories as puzzles, picking apart the plot before I reach the end, romance novels teach how to understand interpersonal relations. 328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTXYSuBDuy
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So of course my friend was right. They're a master at recognizing appropriate interpersonal relations. Because honestly, who reads romance for the plot? No one. They read it because they want to know the characters and see how they interact with each other. Their motivations. The feelings they hide as opposed to the ones they show, and the reasons behind doing each. Their desires, hopes, and fears.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUN6V140F0
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I've taught myself how to weave a plotline like the fables and fantasies I grew up with. My friend taught themselves how to recognize and convey the stories behind the characters, which was mind-blowing to me. And upon taking their advice I love my story even more.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKdw09tbwI
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So read fantasy. Read romance. Just read something else, too, if your aim is to write one day. You'll be stronger for it.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpNX7zr4Ow
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Sincerely,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kytbBMyRs
Chris328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgO6DLtAhd
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