You know, I haven’t really gotten into a lot of the philosophy behind writing. I mean, there’s a reason for that. I’m giving (free) tips on how to write, what I’ve found successful, and ideas on how you can improve your own writing by reflecting back on my years of experience. This isn’t really some great think piece we’re running here. 

Also, writing is an art. At least, the writing we’re focused on. There’s lots of writing that isn’t art. No one is really going to be enshrining your new Apple iPhone End User Agreement in a museum. Well, maybe a modern art museum. We’re not looking at technical documents here but creative writing. As such, after all these post-modernism years that ravaged the fundamental beliefs and underpinnings of traditional art theory and history, it’s safe to say that basically anything can be art if you’re willing to be persuasive enough. So I don’t really see a lot of value in trying to espouse what one should be striving to do with their art. 

I firmly believe that you can, and should, write whatever you want. There’s no magic formula to success. 

With that disclaimer out of the way, there is a fundamental underpinning of writing that I do think is important. And it doesn’t matter what sort of story you’re trying to tell. But to peel back the philosophy of writing, I guess we should briefly ponder the philosophy of art. As I said, what constitutes art is a debate that I don’t feel worth holding. But why we make art is a different question and one worthy of a little consideration. 

And this is where I get to flex my psychology degree a little.

As humans, we are fundamentally a social species. It’s built into our DNA. Even the greatest misanthrope or hermit has natural instincts and psychological draws to interacting with others. We know that some of the worst punishment is not actually physical pain but rather isolation. Go to any prison and the ultimate tool at the warden’s disposal is to place difficult inmates into cells away from their fellows. Deprivation of social contact has a profoundly damaging effect on our psyche. Prisoner isolation can only be prescribed for a short amount of time. What few case studies – like Genie – that examine severe social isolation paint a rather bleak picture of our mental development and the brain’s ability to cope with the stresses of life. And, in many cases, some of our healing can just be achieved through empathy, commiseration and supportive contact.

This drive to communicate, understand and interact with each other on a deeper, personal level is what I believe drives us to create art. Our creative works are really just an attempt to communicate our own personal emotions and thoughts through entertainment and engagement. From the earliest cave paintings depicting hunts to the most complex of modern virtual reality headsets, we utilize the tools and technology at our disposal to share our inner world to others. 

But don’t believe me? Consider even the stories that focus on individuals stranded in the wilderness away from everyone else. Castaway and The Life of Pi are two recentish big name stories where a person ends up shipwrecked and alone. In Castaway, Tom Hanks ends up personifying a volleyball into a character called Wilson whom he interacts with throughout his time alone on the island. In Life of Pi, the titular character is left stranded on a boat with a tiger named Richard Parker. And the story examines their interactions as they strive to survive out at sea. 

It’s incredibly hard to write a story with only one character and no interaction. There’s simply that lack of social involvement which we use to help define ourselves and process the world around us. For me, the fundamental component of every single story  is the nature of these interpersonal relationships between our characters. 

Yes, even your military space fantasies about magic infused samurai fighting an evil empire of clones ultimately is about the emotional connection between the rebel members and the conquerors. I think this is what separates the quality of the Star Wars original movies and the prequels where those relationships were better developed, conveyed and told in the first three movies than the following. 

It is these relationships that will also pull your reader through your own fantasy and science fiction works. 

There’s not much to give as a suggestion at the end of this post. 

But when considering your overall narrative, take a moment to examine the nature of the relationships in your story. Keep in mind the importance that your main character has with their supporting cast and antagonists. Try and tease out more involvement and strengthen the nature of those relationships. Remember that you can have the best action beats ever in a story but if your interpersonal threads are weak then people aren’t likely to get to them or enjoy the tale you have to offer