A weird dichotomy

[Nyarlathotep]

Last night I was watching "The Hound of the Baskervilles" on PBS, when a thought occured to me. I have been a fan of Sherlock holmes since childhood so I already knew how the story ended, the ghostly hound and the curse turn out to have a perfectly mundane explanation (I won't say what just in case someone who has never read it decides to do so). I realized that it was kind of odd (or at least, it seemed odd to me) that Arthur Conan Doyle, a man who seemed to believe in any sort of supernatural phenomenon that presented itself to him, wrote a story where in the end the supernatural phenomenon turned out to be not supernatural in the least.

Then I got to thinking about the JREF writers group that Phil is starting. Many of the writers on it (including myself) are people that I am pretty certain have no beliefs in magic, ESP, space aliens, etc., but write stories where those things are very real.

It just strikes me as kind of interesting, the way people from both sides of the skeptical/believer fence, seem to enjoy writing stories about the other side.

[Chaos]

I think that many people like the paranormal, even if they don´t believe in it.
Skeptic are certain that these phenomena are not real, so if they still like them, they have to read (or write) novels/stories about them.

I don´t know Hound of the Baskervilles, but I guess that Arthur Conan Doyle had the mundane explanation in mind as an exception to the rule - a villain who uses the existence of such phenomena to pretend them while committing his crimes.

[DrMatt]

Originally posted by Chaos

Skeptic are certain that these phenomena are not real...

Uh, certainty isn't a requirement for skepticism, only a "show-me-the-goods" attitude with a strong sense of Occam's Razor.
:wink:

[Phil]

This is a great topic, Nyarlathotep.

I've often wondered about this exact thing. I am a skeptic and try to think critically in most everyday situatuations, but I write fantasy novels where all sorts of magical and supernatural things occur.

To help people understand how I can be the stereotypical, nay-saying skeptic while writing fantasy stories, I'll draw a parallel---one that I think most JREFers can identify with.

Think of Randi or David Copperfield, or any other magician worth mentioning. These guys are probably, for the most part, very skeptical, as it is their jobs to see just how easily people can be fooled, and to exploit that to a certain degree. Now of course the magician, unlike Uri Geller and the TV psychics and others, lets you know that what he's doing on stage is not real by saying, "For my next trick . . .," or "This next illusion . . ." before performing each magic trick. In that way, it's understood to be entertainment.

As fantasy writers and horror writers (and all the good genres where the magical and supernatural occur), the fact that our books are sold on the fiction aisles is like us saying, "Now ladies and gentleman, for my next trick . . ." We're not saying we believe any of the magical stuff we write about, but we have the power of imagination, and if you let us, we'll entertain you with it for 250-400 pages.

I'll add that our new group, I feel certain, is going to inspire us to not only write about the 'other side', but also to invent new sides to write about.

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by Phil
This is a great topic, Nyarlathotep.

I've often wondered about this exact thing. I am a skeptic and try to think critically in most everyday situatuations, but I write fantasy novels where all sorts of magical and supernatural things occur.

To help people understand how I can be the stereotypical, nay-saying skeptic while writing fantasy stories, I'll draw a parallel---one that I think most JREFers can identify with.

Think of Randi or David Copperfield, or any other magician worth mentioning. These guys are probably, for the most part, very skeptical, as it is their jobs to see just how easily people can be fooled, and to exploit that to a certain degree. Now of course the magician, unlike Uri Geller and the TV psychics and others, lets you know that what he's doing on stage is not real by saying, "For my next trick . . .," or "This next illusion . . ." before performing each magic trick. In that way, it's understood to be entertainment.

As fantasy writers and horror writers (and all the good genres where the magical and supernatural occur), the fact that our books are sold on the fiction aisles is like us saying, "Now ladies and gentleman, for my next trick . . ." We're not saying we believe any of the magical stuff we write about, but we have the power of imagination, and if you let us, we'll entertain you with it for 250-400 pages.

I'll add that our new group, I feel certain, is going to inspire us to not only write about the 'other side', but also to invent new sides to write about.


Thta's pretty much my attitude as well. I have heard the counter argument that writing about such things encourages belief in them, but if I am presenting such a story as just a piece of fiction and someone STILL mistakes it for reality, then they are the ones with a problem, not me.

And I think Chaos hit it on the head. I, for one, would love for a lot of things like ESP, time travel, and magic to be real. Since I don't think that they are, I am relegated to having to get my 'fix' of them by reading and writing stories.

[Chaos]

Originally posted by Nyarlathotep

And I think Chaos hit it on the head. I, for one, would love for a lot of things like ESP, time travel, and magic to be real. Since I don't think that they are, I am relegated to having to get my 'fix' of them by reading and writing stories.

You bet I do, too. Healing magic, for example, would be great - egoistically speaking, that would at the very least save me from a lot of appointments with the dentist´s; these days, he can make his living off me alone.
Oh, yes, suspension of disbelief is a great thing!

One other thing, since we are at it: is that only me, or would you, too, like to meet the characters you write about in person? For one, there are a few very lovely women scattered throughout the plots...;) but I´d like to meet the others, also...most of them, anyway, as I can do without the demons and the space pirates :eek:

[Phil]

Originally posted by Chaos
. . . One other thing, since we are at it: is that only me, or would you, too, like to meet the characters you write about in person? For one, there are a few very lovely women scattered throughout the plots...;) but I´d like to meet the others, also...most of them, anyway, as I can do without the demons and the space pirates :eek:
I have met them. They may not all be contained in the body of one person all the time, but many of my characters' traits come from people I've met.

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by Chaos


One other thing, since we are at it: is that only me, or would you, too, like to meet the characters you write about in person? For one, there are a few very lovely women scattered throughout the plots...;) but I´d like to meet the others, also...most of them, anyway, as I can do without the demons and the space pirates :eek:

Yes I would, though often mine are sort of based on people I know. Even the villians are often the people I know with their 'dark sides' made more prominent.