I'd be interested in some thoughts on this:
The other day I began wondering if the sci-fi equivalent of describing a character in a mirror was to walk a character through a museum as a way of explaining how the furturistic world they live in came to be the way it is.
In the case of the novel I'm working on, there is some importance in the history of my character's world, and specifically how it relates to what he wants for his future. While improvising with a setting the other day, I added a museum to the places he describes and later wondered about walking him through the important parts. Then decided against it because that would just be awful. Arthur C Clarke might have loved scenes like that because he was an exposition lover, but in my voice it would be far too obvious, and lazy writing.
But then again, perhaps that idea has some use if I can subvert the obviousness of it. One nice take on this (and the one I'm going to try) involves my usually sober character (17 at this stage in his life) getting bought a few drinks by a friend and using the free-entrance history museum as something to do while he sobers up before going home to his parents. What could follow is skewed view of history through that characters POV, peppered with a bit of inappropriate behaviour and a possible ban from the museum that might prove a problem later. The history wouldn't be the focus of the scene at all; it would be more to show that my character's a bit of a trouble maker having recently learned to take life a little less seriously and just have some fun with his life. One or two important history details might get put into the mix, thanks to the location. What the museum is actually like inside is perhaps even more important than what it teaches the youth of 'today' as well.
Anyone else ever used museums in writing and subverted the cliche a bit? (Sci-fi or any other genre, I want to hear from you!)
Could just have him watch a game show or the history channel.
Hi Chacron,
I've just finshed reading Christa Faust's Money Shot, really entertaining read. There are about five or six moments in the book were her main character look into a mirror to describe what she looks like after she's been beaten up at the start of the book. Now on one had I knew we always get told doing this is a big no no but on the other hand it just fitted that characters attuide and vainty that it just felt right.
What I quess is what I'm trying to say is you can go against the grain it's finding a way for making it bvelivable for the reader.
As for the museum, I was thinking what museums would be like in the future. I had a flashback of the film Minority Report were Tom Cruise's character walks into a shop and his eys are scanned and then all these adverts pop up advertising stuff just for him. Maybe in yiour story somthing like that could happen. The character walks in and then the museum says "Oh I see your doing and exam on such and such do you want to know about this or would you like more information on that?"
Hope this helps
Dave
There are about five or six moments in the book were her main character look into a mirror to describe what she looks like after she's been beaten up at the start of the book. Now on one had I knew we always get told doing this is a big no no but on the other hand it just fitted that characters attuide and vainty that it just felt right.
There are ways of breaking the rules with the mirrors problem. I once had a character describe himself in one after a serious accident when scars covered his body, and the mirror was for the sake of him seeing the ones down his back that he couldn't get to any other way. When I read it through not long ago, I decided that scene could work equally well without the mirror being here, because he could imagine the scars without it just from how his insides felt after the surgery. Or better still, his girlfriend could look at them for him when he's naked and act as the mirror. I get what you're saying, but I still stick by the rule that if you can do a scene without a mirror, then do it without the mirror.
I had a flashback of the film Minority Report were Tom Cruise's character walks into a shop and his eys are scanned and then all these adverts pop up advertising stuff just for him. Maybe in yiour story somthing like that could happen. The character walks in and then the museum says "Oh I see your doing and exam on such and such do you want to know about this or would you like more information on that?"
I love that part of Minority Report, and I get similar ideas all the time because of it. Thanks for that, although at the moment my character has no neural implants or mind powers. He does get them later though, so perhaps that's a scene for later to compare with his early trip to the museum where everything was just ordinary stand-and-view. Nice touch, I owe you one for getting me thinking of that.
For what it's worth, I've not read that particular cliche, of a man walking through a museum. I'm not sure I've ever been called "well read," though.
I like the idea.
The mirror thing, on the other hand, is gag inducing. I don't mean gag inducing like she's on her knees taking the full length gag, and at least someone is getting something good out of it; I mean your toddler hunches her shoulders and gags in your arms, and you can either drop her on her head or hang on and get splashed with regurgitated milk. That.
It's tough without seeing it in context of what you're doing, but in general, I think I'd rather get clues from character action and dialog and even from straight-up exposition. Sometimes I actually appreciate an author just telling me what I need to know rather than building a whole scene just to convey history. Heck, even Tolkien had the decency to build in appendices that were separated from the story, so that history was there if you really wanted to read about it. The rest, what was important, he got across in character interaction and exposition.
Re: the mirror thing, I think we, as writers, are too sensitive about it. We see a mirror, remember we've been taught never to use it, and immediately reject what's going on. If it's natural and you don't dwell on it (i.e., describe every character feature in detail in uninteresting list format), it's probably going to be fine. Really, the problem with the mirror thing isn't the mirror. It's the way most writers use it to lazily list character features in mind-numbingly mundane fashion.
I think the same would apply here. If it's natural that he goes to a museum and you don't spend a couple thousand words relaying the history of the world as your character reads every placard (i.e., it's interesting <----bottom line), it could be okay.
While we're talking about mirrors it made me think of something. I mostly write in first person, so if I wanted to give a full character sketch of my M.C.'s physical appearance a mirror does seem like a fair choice. It's hard to imagine someone describing the way they look just for the sake of it, though in some cases it works just fine. Usually, I'm now realizing, that I don't describe my first person M.C.'s much at all. I set a good voice, an age and gender identifier early on, and then I let their actions do most of the talking and, I assume my audience will just see what they see. Is that a bad idea? Should all my main character's hair color/height/eye color/ weight/etc. be in every story or do readers like filling in the gaps?
For the museum thing -- I think it's a great idea the way you have it laid out. The history is the backdrop rather than an info dump and we're getting other important details from the scene.
As for the mirror thing... it drives me nuts when a first person narrator looks in the mirror to describe themselves 90% of the time, other times it works. Like the Faust example, or in one of my stories, it was all about how the character's perception of herself changed throughout the story, so she goes to the bathroom and sees the wrinkles forming, and the toll her lifestyle has taken... It CAN work... it CAN be a huge drag. What's worse, in my opinion, is when a narrator just goes into talking about his/her looks for no goddamn reason at all. I read the first couple pages of a Sookie Stackhouse book and she does this, just chirping on about how attractive she is for a few lines... gag me.
Then again, those books are bestsellers and got the HBO option so... what do I know?
Oh yeah, forgot this was your thread Chacron. I'm sorry. The museum idea sounds great to me. I've never heard the cliche either, but the way you tdescribe it seems like opportunity to do a lot of great things without being too expository. I'd actually like to see it executed. Let me know if you need a beta for that scene/chapter
Re: the mirror, I'm reminded of something I read recently, somewhere, that JR nailed
I set a good voice, an age and gender identifier early on, and then I let their actions do most of the talking and, I assume my audience will just see what they see.
I think, and this is my opinion mind you, that is the way to go. Create solid characters, make me like or dislike or invest in them. If you sell me on your character, then I'm happiest when I can imagine them they way I want them to look. I LOVE it when, as the reader, I'm allowed to fill in some of the details, it really puts me in the story.
I read Rise Again by Ben Tripp a while back. Hugely entertaining, couldn't put it down, but there was the mirror scene in the beginning, where the MC gets out of bed and looks at herself in the full length mirror. It went on too long and felt completely contrived. If I recall correctly, it was a very detailed self assesment on the part of the MC, which made me, as a reader, try to imagine that in that context and all the subsequent context, and served no real purpose that I ever figured out.
On the other hand, Renee makes an excellent point. If the appearance is germaine to the story, or the character development, then yeah.
^ I'm with Dave and JR ^
To boot, I sometimes am a little put off when authors go too far too late in a story and give me a physical descriptor that conflicts with what I've imagined a character to look like. I think this happens when authors get too overbearing in their description.
I don't want a writer to tell me his character is 5' 6", 135 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. That is a police description. Let my imagination do some of the lifting. I'm not going to remember all of that anyway.
For instance, say you're writing in the first person and your MC has boyish looks, write that he smiles and notices another character is staring at his dimples. Maybe he's self-conscious about that and puts his smile away. Maybe he doesn't care and keeps smiling in spite of that. Either way, I've got that fine detail, and my mind fills in the rest, all from an indentation in your MC's cheeks.
For me, though, physical description is almost a non-issue. I feel like I don't need it. I'm going to pick up cues naturally through the actions of your character in the story. So drop me hints, but don't make me wade through lines of description that you might find on a police report.
