Writing Radical Fiction
Authors constantly push the boundaries of what is possible in fiction. For example, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein completely opened up horror, science fiction, and intense drama, forcing significant changes in literature and society. In my opinion this was the first radical fiction book.
I define radical fiction as a story that takes a gigantic leap from reality. Readers are required to accept concepts like impossible physics, alien values, crazy morals, and inhuman rules. Authors like Ray Bradbury, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke all published in this area. As a result, readers now believe in distant worlds, faster than light travel, aliens, magic, time travel, and ray guns.
For example, Spiderman’s world has radical biology. A young man uses a silk gland to leap from building to building. To accept this impossibility, readers must overcome tricky hurdles. At the very least, the silk gland would shoot ten feet and be near his butt. How far can a man pee? It is the same biological mechanism.
I approached radical fiction with caution. For example, in my first book, I explored the impossible concept of immortality. To do so, I carefully led my readers through waves of pseudo-science so they would ignore proven medical facts. My immortality process involved “harvested” human organs which were placed into a host body. This addition provided the host’s immune system with the ability to destroy the “parasites responsible for old age.”
Is my immortality concept plausible? Sort of. Using harvested organs to achieve eternal life is pure fantasy. Having the immune system indefinitely repair the body is almost plausible. Wink, wink.
My second book has aliens. In the real world, there is anecdotal evidence to support the existence of aliens. However, aliens certainly have not been on 60 minutes to discuss their political views.
My approach was basic. The aliens were invisible at the beginning of the story and they briefly interacted at the end. Their visual appearance was “human-like” and they had no special abilities. I was careful to keep their exact details vague by dressing them in invisible suits.
I feel a gradual introduction led the readers into accepting alien characters. This also avoided many questions. What do aliens like to eat? How does the alien ship work?
In Star Wars, there were many characters from different backgrounds. Wow, that would be difficult to organize. Star Wars gets away with radical fiction by immediately leaping in. The movie begins on a distant planet where Luke Skywalker presses a button on his light sabre and slices away. Never mind the concept of a “light sabre” is utterly impossible by every known law of physics, thermodynamics, electronics, and optics.
I treat radical fiction like a gun with one bullet. You wave it around and act tough, but you only get one shot. So, aim carefully. Bolder authors approach radical fiction like it is raining bullets, but this requires a particular reader who instantly gets the altered reality.
Harry Potter uses his wand to freeze water, a writing bridge I cannot cross. My plots must make total sense or nearly total sense. In all the technical books I read, the experiments I have performed, and technical shows I watched, there has never been a “magic wand” that freezes water. First law of thermodynamics! I struggle to imagine a world where a magic wand could exist. That is a significant writing blind spot that limits what I can create.
I respect radical fiction authors. They are bold people who push us forward into places I cannot imagine. Someday I might take this leap but for now, I have a lot of ground to cover here on plain old dull earth.
You’re the best -Bill
February 13, 2019 Updated January 13, 2024
I define radical fiction as a story that takes a gigantic leap from reality. Readers are required to accept concepts like impossible physics, alien values, crazy morals, and inhuman rules. Authors like Ray Bradbury, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke all published in this area. As a result, readers now believe in distant worlds, faster than light travel, aliens, magic, time travel, and ray guns.
For example, Spiderman’s world has radical biology. A young man uses a silk gland to leap from building to building. To accept this impossibility, readers must overcome tricky hurdles. At the very least, the silk gland would shoot ten feet and be near his butt. How far can a man pee? It is the same biological mechanism.
I approached radical fiction with caution. For example, in my first book, I explored the impossible concept of immortality. To do so, I carefully led my readers through waves of pseudo-science so they would ignore proven medical facts. My immortality process involved “harvested” human organs which were placed into a host body. This addition provided the host’s immune system with the ability to destroy the “parasites responsible for old age.”
Is my immortality concept plausible? Sort of. Using harvested organs to achieve eternal life is pure fantasy. Having the immune system indefinitely repair the body is almost plausible. Wink, wink.
My second book has aliens. In the real world, there is anecdotal evidence to support the existence of aliens. However, aliens certainly have not been on 60 minutes to discuss their political views.
My approach was basic. The aliens were invisible at the beginning of the story and they briefly interacted at the end. Their visual appearance was “human-like” and they had no special abilities. I was careful to keep their exact details vague by dressing them in invisible suits.
I feel a gradual introduction led the readers into accepting alien characters. This also avoided many questions. What do aliens like to eat? How does the alien ship work?
In Star Wars, there were many characters from different backgrounds. Wow, that would be difficult to organize. Star Wars gets away with radical fiction by immediately leaping in. The movie begins on a distant planet where Luke Skywalker presses a button on his light sabre and slices away. Never mind the concept of a “light sabre” is utterly impossible by every known law of physics, thermodynamics, electronics, and optics.
I treat radical fiction like a gun with one bullet. You wave it around and act tough, but you only get one shot. So, aim carefully. Bolder authors approach radical fiction like it is raining bullets, but this requires a particular reader who instantly gets the altered reality.
Harry Potter uses his wand to freeze water, a writing bridge I cannot cross. My plots must make total sense or nearly total sense. In all the technical books I read, the experiments I have performed, and technical shows I watched, there has never been a “magic wand” that freezes water. First law of thermodynamics! I struggle to imagine a world where a magic wand could exist. That is a significant writing blind spot that limits what I can create.
I respect radical fiction authors. They are bold people who push us forward into places I cannot imagine. Someday I might take this leap but for now, I have a lot of ground to cover here on plain old dull earth.
You’re the best -Bill
February 13, 2019 Updated January 13, 2024
Follow me
