Hey guys!
I need help! I have a story that I want to write but I don't know how.
I am a comic book writer and I want to write a one-shot comic that focuses on one man on September 11. The majority of the story will take place as the man falls from the floor he is trapped on to the ground. There will be a bit of magical realism invovled, in that the fall will take much longer than real time and he will have conversations with other people falling. In addition, he will see flash forwards and flashbacks of his life in the windows as he falls past.
Now I know this is a touchy subject matter and needs to be handled delicately and respectfully. But I'm not sure if fictionlizing such a horrible event can be done without being exploitive.
Thoughts?
Be as honest as possible.
I've read some terrible shit, gut churning stuff...but if it is done well, it makes the reader empathize and think as a result of their discomfort--not just make them so uncomfortable they put your book down.
Do it. There's already been what, three movies? Ripe for the picking.
I agree, do it. There have been movies, TV movies, and countless books. It's been 11 years. Regardless of all that, though, if you take your story seriously and the idea moves you, it will show.
In my opinion, you should just go with what you want to put down and not really worry about negative reactions some in the audience might have. I know it sounds a little counter productive, but you kinda have to go with it at the end of the day. Usually I'll ask myself one question: Does this serve my the idea of my concept/and or plot of my story? If not, then I may reconsider it. If it does, then I use it.
Don't kill a baby just to kill a baby, you know? But if you're doing it because it shows the grissly details of the world/situation you're creating, then go for it.
By the way, you posted this discussion twice..
Thanks for the input guys, I guess what really made me nervous is I was doing some research for it and I watched a documentary called "The Falling Man" and seeing the interviews with the "jumpers" families was really gut-wrenching. So it kind of scared me off of it.
I know about the movies and the one that was very true to life was great (United 93) and the one that was more fictionalized (World Trade Center) was terrible and it was also the one that seemed more exploitive. So I guess that's what I'm hung up on is figuring a way to ficitionlize this, while honoring the real people who died.
As a writer you have to know that you are always, always going to piss someone off if you tackle anything the least bit emotional/scandalous. You have to make peace with that. Just be confident that you are approaching it with all the empathy and grace you can, and believe in your story, and you'll be fine.
Some time ago I wrote a story about a Golden Gate jumper. Lots of people have done this, and I'm sure feelings about my story will be mixed. I would still like to publish it someday. The point of writing, for me, is to put myself into an unfamiliar mind or situation. Sometimes it's uncomfortable in there; it doesn't mean I shouldn't do it. I have a story in the workshop now about a boy diagnosed with autism, who is in reality possessed by nasty spirits. Yes, I know exactly how some people will interpret this. No, I am not implying that autism is caused by spirits, and on that the story is clear. It was an idea I wanted to explore, and I did it, knowing it could be controversial.
I didn't see either of those movies, but I felt, personally, they were exploitive just by existing. They came out quickly, nearly simultaneously, and seemed to be nothing more than a dramatic retelling of the trauma already visited upon us by the 24-hour news channels. I didn't need any more of that. I'll also say that movies can be tough because there are so many different working parts (writer, director, actors) that the meaning can be skewed easily. As a writer you obviously have more control. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a 9/11 story and from what I understand, well done. A lit nerd friend of mine has been reading the book for some time, putting it down often because it's too emotional to read straight through.
Sorry for the ramble, just wanted to share my thoughts. I hate the idea of someone not making their art because they don't want to upset people.
I'd suggest Reign Over Me with Adam Sandler. No joke. It is a very harsh, but not exploitative look at a 9/11 survivor.
I agree with what Sound said. I will add this. If the story you are going for is plot driven and you love the idea(which I personally think is a really good one) ask yourself if you could tell the same story with a fictional building. If so I would probably go that route. If you are hitting at something alot more powerful and thematic and it will only work with the real events then you must tell your story. Get it all on paper and later worry about what people will think.
If I may ask: Are you worried about upsetting the reader, or are you more concerned about upsetting yourself as a writer, either from a fear of not doing the subject justice, or the emotional toll in undertaking it? If it's the former, I always say to just write it, and let us (the readers) deal with it. Our job as writers is to present life through our filters, and our job as readers is to discover universality in it, and both need to be truthful endeavors--i.e. if the reader feels pain/anguish/reflection/grief/empathy/revulsion, this is a good thing and just as valid if he/she feels all those opposites. If it's the latter you're more concerned about, you're never going to know if it works until you put pen to paper and bleed the fucker out of you. And rest assured, it will be messy. In any case, it seems from your posting here that you're sincere in writing something that isn't exploitive; if that's your heart's intention, it'll come through. I just hope you're not hesitating because you think there's something automatically and inherently exploitive in even broaching the subject to begin with, because there isn't. Unless you're really Jerry Springer, that is.
Sparrow nailed it: Be honest. Be kind, but honest.
Write it and then workshop it, we'll tell you if anything feels exploitive. Someone will think you're cashing in on emotions that still run high from that event, but that is their problem. You have a story to tell; tell it.
What the man with two first names says.
Thanks for the feedback everybody. This really helped and hopefully I'll have some kind of draft soon to start workshopping!
