Fiction is not just the record of an event; it is the interpretation of the meaning of that event by someone. The biases and convictions of that filtering consciousness will express a truth the story cannot do without—and you get to manipulate that! How fun!
–Dianne Orsini, Professor of English and Creative Writing Teacher
My mentor and writing teacher, Clive Matson, emphasizes in his book, Let the Crazy Child Write, the need to clarify the filtering consciousness of the protagonist of one’s story. Where point of view is the angle and camera lens or lenses from which you tell or narrator your story, the filtering consciousness is the state of mind, perception, ideas and thoughts about what one is telling. Diane Orsini’s quote beautifully captures what Matson emphasizes.
Whereas in psychology we say, “…the interpretation tells more about the interpreter...” the narration of events, a characters take the what and how of events says not only volumes about the character, their personality and idiosyncrasies, but also their challenge and dilemma facing them in the story. Filtering consciousness subtly says where the major character is coming from, their departure point, and where you as the author are pointing them to go. The story, or novel in and of itself becomes then a journey of transformation.
Thus we have the opportunity to experience the joy as writers and authors of not only establishing, but also manipulating the truth or moral of our novels, elements that any good story must and do possess.
How does the author find or identify this thing called filtering consciousness? Inevitably it starts with point of view as discussed in the previous blog
After choosing what character will tell the story, the author must then, sink into the mind of that character through which they, the writer are delivering the novel. We, the author, must take on the mind of our cameraman or person.
What does this mean?
To do this we must understand the times in which our point of view character and the entire cast of characters lived in.
Should that time be the present, we must then work hard to clarify the specific take on the present our protagonist holds. No assumptions can be made simply because we are writing of the present. In fact, the writer, in not having to establish the general details of present history is then left with the task, and joy of going deeper into and mining the personal history of her or his protagonist and supporting cast.
For writers of historical fiction this means first and foremost research.
Victorian mystery writer, Anne Perry, whose Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels of which, Buckingham Palace Gardens is the latest and that adored, stated in a magazine article that she studies the art work of a period, which for her is the year that her novel takes place in. In this view of studying artwork, sculpture, paintings, etc., Perry encouraged writers when conducting research, to refrain from delving too deeply into a list of facts that they might seek to memorize.
Rather she believes that gaining an aesthetic feel of the time and place in which one is crafting their story is the goal, the anxieties and fears of the era along with the joys and triumphs. This would seem to provide a platform on which to segue into a particular character’s unique take on the events of the time as those happenings relate to the character’s personal dilemma(s) that form the center of the story or novel.
Too often I have seen beginning writers craft a piece of historical fiction with the national or international event, say for instance the first astronaut landing on the moon, versus using the event that was of global proportions, as the launching pad or perhaps underbelly supporting the major character’s take on events in her or his life.
For example a writer could craft a short story perhaps titled, The Despair of Triumph, wherein the protagonist, recounts July 21, 1969, the day, she and her family received word that her elder brother had been killed in Vietnam. That this news comes in the context of Neil Armstrong placing his foot on the moon heightens the drama between life and death, accomplish and failure.
At a time when humanity stretched its wings in the way of space travel and navigation, a young girl comes face to face with the fragility of human life and the disappointments of loss. To focus solely on Armstrong’s historic accomplishment as the first human to walk on the moon, and provide details of the historic event as the meat of your story presents the reader a dissertation versus a work of fiction that entertains. The writer unfortunately becomes lecturer, rather than artist and storyteller.
Yet to deliver the events of Armstrong’s feat through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old whose heart aches for her brother, renders not only a story, but a unique point of view on life and events of that day where in all readers, even those yet born at that time.
Thus reading the imaginary story, The Despair of Triumph provides the experience of the triumph of America’s quest into space simultaneous also the loss one feels in realizing that even the power and ingenuity to accomplish and achieve personal and collective dreams such as space travel cannot vanquish the sting of death manifested in myriad ways, and each day.
The filtering consciousness is of a fourteen year-old girl in 1969 on the day July 21st.
That is the context that shapes lens held by the camera or point of view characters telling the story, The Despair of Triumph.
Have you ever considered the filtering consciousness of your characters?
If so, how great a role does this consciousness play in the plot of your stories?
If the aspect of filtering consciousness is new to your, what are you thoughts on how you might begin consider it in the context of shaping characters and plot?
http://horsedivadiane.com/crw2001/point_of_view.htm
http://net.valenciacc.edu/communications/faculty/diane_orsini.htm