What If They Were Real?
So, the other night I'm lying in bed meandering through the latest download on my Kindle, which happens to be Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf--which, by the way, is soooo utterly, verbosely gothic (can't the English just write without blathering on about how the tiniest texture of the toast is earth-shatteringly important?) that I seriously lose track of what the hell is actually happening--and a thought occurs to me (because my mind is definitely not 100% engaged in the book, but rather navigating the excrutiating labyrinth of maudlin mental gymnastics to which the main character is subjecting me--see how it feels, Glen?).
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Werewolves. We all know they're not real, right? Just like vampires and demons and all the other bump-in-the-night creatures we writers (and readers) of fantasy like to indulge.
But what if they were? Just stop and think about that for a minute. No, I mean really think about it. If we were staring a real, actual flesh-and-blood werewolf-vampire-demon-wendigo-whatever--in the face right now, would we even believe it? Or would our logical minds just burp up a Blue Screen of Death and reboot, unable to process it?
As writers, every one of us who has written paranormal fiction has, at one time or another, written words to this effect: No one would believe it anyway. And no one would.
Yeah, there are those deluded little vampire groupies who like to dress up like Twilight wannabes with kohled eyes and fake fangs and hang out in goth clubs drinking cranberry-and-vodka cocktails, but I doubt even they--if faced with the real thing--would be able to rationally process that kind of truth.
If I was walking down the street at night and a seven foot tall half man-half wolf jumped out at me, I'd--well, first I'd shit my pants (tell me you wouldn't)--have to manufacture some logical answer for what I was seeing in order to maintain my sanity. Costume party? Fraternity prank? Crazy person (them, or me)? Movie set I don't know about?
Really, come on, can you honestly say you would believe it? I don't care how many books you read or write or how many movies you've seen, we all just accept that this stuff is fantasy and move on. Which means, if such a creature did exist, our staunch disbelief would be their greatest weapon. Their camouflage, so to speak.
No one would really believe it.
Which makes me rethink the way I write scenes like that. Normal people get dropped into this fantastical world and we just have them calmly accept it. Or, they question it, have a moment of doubt, but they always come around.
That's complete and utter bullshit. No one would just calmly accept that. I've been enamored with the paranormal my whole life to the point where the romantic in me wishes those things existed, but the rationale mind knows they don't. They can't.
But what if they did?
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Werewolves. We all know they're not real, right? Just like vampires and demons and all the other bump-in-the-night creatures we writers (and readers) of fantasy like to indulge.
But what if they were? Just stop and think about that for a minute. No, I mean really think about it. If we were staring a real, actual flesh-and-blood werewolf-vampire-demon-wendigo-whatever--in the face right now, would we even believe it? Or would our logical minds just burp up a Blue Screen of Death and reboot, unable to process it?
As writers, every one of us who has written paranormal fiction has, at one time or another, written words to this effect: No one would believe it anyway. And no one would.
Yeah, there are those deluded little vampire groupies who like to dress up like Twilight wannabes with kohled eyes and fake fangs and hang out in goth clubs drinking cranberry-and-vodka cocktails, but I doubt even they--if faced with the real thing--would be able to rationally process that kind of truth.
If I was walking down the street at night and a seven foot tall half man-half wolf jumped out at me, I'd--well, first I'd shit my pants (tell me you wouldn't)--have to manufacture some logical answer for what I was seeing in order to maintain my sanity. Costume party? Fraternity prank? Crazy person (them, or me)? Movie set I don't know about?
Really, come on, can you honestly say you would believe it? I don't care how many books you read or write or how many movies you've seen, we all just accept that this stuff is fantasy and move on. Which means, if such a creature did exist, our staunch disbelief would be their greatest weapon. Their camouflage, so to speak.
No one would really believe it.
Which makes me rethink the way I write scenes like that. Normal people get dropped into this fantastical world and we just have them calmly accept it. Or, they question it, have a moment of doubt, but they always come around.
That's complete and utter bullshit. No one would just calmly accept that. I've been enamored with the paranormal my whole life to the point where the romantic in me wishes those things existed, but the rationale mind knows they don't. They can't.
But what if they did?
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