Real-life ideas in fiction?

[ljwrites]

What do you think about using political, social, religious and other ideas in fiction-writing? Do your beliefs find their way into your work, and if so how? Alternately, do you believe enjoyable fiction is free of ideology and partisanship?

These questions were touched off in me when members of another comm that I admin were quite open about expressing political and moral ideas through their works. I've given a lot of thought to this issue, too, for instance in a long rant about a post by Holly Lisle on her website, in my review of Changes by Jim Butcher, my review of Frozen, my review of Kingdom of Heaven and... oh, let's face it, everything I've ever written, including fiction. Especially fiction. As I noted in the Changes review, my political views are inextricable from the literary.

That's not to say my goal is to preach or proselytize, quite the opposite in fact. I believe the role of fiction is to tell a truth that lies beyond and below facts. Having an uncompromising agenda tends to distort the truth, and if a writer finds herself going into contortions to make her side look good then she has some issues to work out before she can write to her full potential. On the other hand, truth doesn't exist free of viewpoints, and every work of fiction has some moral standpoint no matter how well or poorly expressed. That's the way I see it, anyway. What do you think?

Comments

[dhampyresa]

My first priority when I write is to be true to the characters *writerly jazz hands*. That said, the simple fact that I write about LGBTQ people (for example) can be construed as a political act, but you know what? That's fine with me. I grew up not seeing me in the books I read (and perhaps more importantly, not knowing that's what I was looking for or what the me I was looking was) and I don't want that happen to anyone else.

[serria]

Yeah, most of my characters are gay or bisexual, and I suppose critics could accuse that of being "political". I don't honestly think it's any more political than having a cast without a single gay person at all, though I guess it could get sort of preachy if the story is all about LGBT issues and tolerance. But I write about gay characters because I'm more interested in gay relationships than I am straight relationships, and I'm gay myself. And as you said, there are so few gay characters in media, I don't mind being accused of being political if I'd like to broaden representation a little bit, too.

[dhampyresa]

I don't mind being accused of being political if I'd like to broaden representation a little bit, too.

THIS! I mean, I can only think of two trans* characters in anything I've read, ever (Robin Hobb's Fool and Sir Ystin from Demon Knights), for example. That's not fair.

My stories are not even remotely about LGBT issues, because I write in the fantasy genre, unless "help, I've fallen in love with the general of the of the invading army" suddenly counts as an LGBT issue if they're both women (I would say no).

[serria]

Same! I honestly don't have a lot of interest in "LGBT issues" fiction. I am, however, interested in other genres that feature characters who just so happen to be gay. I write in the fantasy genre, too, and my main story stars a female warrior and a queen, who are gay. But the fact that they're gay just isn't the point of the story, even if at some points it does affect the plot. It isn't "activist writing" or even meant to be political, I'm just writing the story I'm interested in developing.

[dhampyresa]

Yes! I also much prefer "characters who are also LGBT" to "LGBT characters".

[ljwrites]

unless "help, I've fallen in love with the general of the of the invading army" suddenly counts as an LGBT issue

I would say that all "issues," done right, are universal and human issues. Love between enemies pits personal feelings against group loyalty regardless of the genders of the characters. Even a tale about LGBT tolerance, if well told, wouldn't be a simplistic Very Special Episode saying "X are people, too!" with X being gay and trans* in this case. Rather, the story would be about fear, morality, identity, pain, rage, visibility, power, and belonging, told through the specific characters and setting of LGBT people in a certain society.

[dhampyresa]

I'm not sure how to interpret that your icon seems to be head-deasking at me.

In any case, "I would say that all "issues," done right, are universal and human issues" is what I meant. I want to read/write about people who are LGBT instead of LGBT characters or even LGBT issues.

[ljwrites]

That's not my headdesk icon--this is my headdesk icon! :D The last icon is actually nodding, though eventually it turns out to be nodding off. (After three or four nods there's a snore-bubble from its nose.) It's meant to be a self-deprecating gesture, as in I'm pretending to be sage but really I'm just slacking off. Or something. Icon fail, eh?