The White Council

Re: More on magic, LOTR and otherwise

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : And what are writers if not intuitives with the ability to make the connections early on, before anyone else sees the obvious? It was writers who first stepped foot on the moon. It's only a matter of time till we develop anti-gravitational devices and achieve telportation. When we do, remember that writers saw it first.

: : Lady Galadriel : : Who is obsessed with writing. :-)

: Dear Lady, could it possibly be that you object to everything I say as a matter of principle? ;-)

Nay, dear Sir.

Was that another objection? LOL. It's easier to respond with a disagreement. Agreements tend to be VERY boring if not accompanied by something more substantial. If I have other things to say, I will agree within a post. On the most rare of occasions, someone will voice a minority opinion that I agree with and I may agree for the sake of moral support, or perhaps a post was written so eloquently that it deserves a Well Said! But these are not common -- you will almost never find me sending up a post that simply says, Right you are! If I seldom agree with you, please assume that I simply think you usually say what needs to be said and that there is nothing I can add.

: No, seriously, there are lots of examples to support what you say. Authors such as H.G.Wells were genuises, not only did they forsee such things as moon-landings, but I was recently reading an article by a quantum-physicist saying that some of the stuff in the explanation of the Time Machine actually makes sense even though Wells published this BEFORE Einstein explained that stuff in the Specific Relativity Theory. Just think about it.

: You could even go a step further (or if you don't, I already have) and say, sometimes literature inspires science. Amazingly Scotland Yard actually introduced forensic methods they'd read about in Sherlock Holmes rather than vice-versa. The intelligent robots of science fiction have long been a model for artificial intelligence research, which nobody would take seriosly if that goal didn't exist.

I remember the first time I read about the new math of chaos theory. My mind leaped back to "Psychohistory" from Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy. Again, it's only a matter of time now. I don't remember the specific instance anymore, but the thought crossed my mind that although "inspiration" is a perfectly good explanation, it is not the only one. (Weird things happen when you write -- I could tell you some pretty strange stories about things that I've experienced when writing.) One other possibility might be that authors actually are seeing the future in some sub-psychic manner. Last month I was engaged in a discussion of the Native American concept of Circular Time. If time isn't linear, than the "future" isn't a "leap ahead" but merely a "small step over".

Another possibility harkens back to an earlier idea on the magic thread: thought affecting reality. Perhaps it is actually the authors themselves who are creating this future world, rather than merely anticipating it.

Just some of my speculations.

: So, a good many authors are geniuses. Right. But does that mean everything that is written has to be possible in this world? No. Leaving aside the bad cheap authors writing junk for a living, even good authors may invent stuff that may never be and need never be. It's a what would be if scenario. Even some parts of Tolkien fall in this category. He invented the Elves as an answer to why people die by saying, suppose some peole didn't die, what would they be like? It teaches something, it gives food for thought, so it's applicable, it's in a way theological and philosophical and it's good to read. But it doesn't have a mortar and bricks reality. But does it need that? Let's enjoy it as it is.

I think most authors begin their books in this fashion. I certainly do. A what if? idea that generates a story. But it's the unexpected twists that give me a sense of the uncanny. When I sit and write, I usually have a rough idea of the major plot events in my head. But the characters and the plot take over. They do and say things I never planned, and all sorts of things happen that I didn't expect. It's like watching a movie. Psychologist would call this Dissociation, analogous to channeling, speaking in tongues, automatic writing, and the like. Fine. It's dissociation. It's what happens while in that state which can give me goose bumps. I'm trying to decide whether to talk about what happened regarding Neofeminism or Mexico. Mexico, I think, since we are a more story oriented board.

I worked on a book of Mexican Ghost stories. They were told to me by a friend of mine, and they are the "this is what happened to my sister or uncle or someone in my family" stories. IOW, they are all "true" if you know what I mean. :-) But my friend is not that articulate, and only gave me threadbare sketches. When I sat down to write, all sorts of details came out -- details that turned out to be true. Details I couldn't possibly have known. Names and descriptions of geological formation that I saw in my imagination. The name and accurate description of the family dog -- he didn't even tell me they HAD a dog. Things I guessed about his family that were secret. There were some pretty spooky moments when he'd become unnerved and say, "How did you know this? I didn't tell you this! I would never talk about something like that!"

I don't ask anyone to believe this. If someone else said these things to me, I most assuredly wouldn't believe them. But we have a saying in the literary world: True Life is stranger than fiction.

Lady G.