Re: Narrativism

From: Michael Schwartz <mschwartz_at_...>
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 00:17:29 -0400

Regarding narrative theory, I will point folks to Orson Scott Card's wonderful "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy" from Writer's Digest Books <http://www.writersdigest.com/catalog/index.htm>. Card outlines what he calls the "MICE quotient", a tool via which the author can examine how the characters are revealed during the course of the narrative. Interaction with the Milieu, discovery of Information, internal and external character dialogue, and reaction to the central Event are part of any narrative, but the *focus* determines how the narrative unfolds. I find Card very handy when developing individual episodes, as well as the campaign as a whole.

Examples of various stories according to focus:

  Milieu
"The Wizard of Oz", "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream";

  Information
"And Then There Were None", "Blade Runner";

  Character
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "The Sound and the Fury";

  Event
"The Chronicles of Amber", "The Lord of the Rings".

[Some of these may be subject to debate, but to get into that would be *way* off-topic. Take it to private email should you wish to pick nits with my choices. :) ]

--
Michael Richard Schwartz | Language is my playground,
mschwartz_at_... | and words, its slides and
Ann Arbor, Michigan  USA | swingsets. -- yours truly