Arisia: Writing Hope
Jan. 14th, 2024 11:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kate_nepveuSecond-to-last set of panel notes.
Description:
Hope. It can drive characters through the darkest, dreariest, most challenging plots we give them. It can also be challenging to write hope in a way that doesn't come across as sickly sweet and sentimental. Our panel of writers will share their experiences with writing characters with hope, whether that hope is inherent to the character from the start or is found along the way.
Andrea Hairston, Daniel José Older, JR Dawson, Micaiah Johnson, Ryka Aoki
starts with Daniel reading "If I Must Die" (also at Wayback Machine), a poem written by Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian poet who was murdered in Gaza on December 7, 2023. Andrea: appropriate way to start panel. reads description: "If you're not here for that panel, then stay." asks for introductions. JR, she/they: novel The First Bright Thing is very much about hope in very dark time Micaiah she/her: The Space Between Worlds is considered dystopian but thinks inherently hopeful to look at dark and get through Ryka: in Light From Uncommon Stars had to really balance authenticity of trauma with not falling to despair, hopes it was not treacly but meeting people where were and uplifting Daniel he/him: writes for Star Wars, "actually contractually obligated" to end on hope, challenging especially when Order 66 is happening, but always happening. latest of non-tie-in fiction, Outlaw Saints duology, is about Caribbean island that sank, everyone goes to Brooklyn, protagonist just wants to play piano and talk to girl (who is a murderer), but he has power to heal Andrea: reads James Baldwin quote about despair, which I believe is I never have been in despair about the world. I’ve been enraged by it. I don’t think I’m in despair. I can’t afford despair. I can’t tell my nephew, my niece. You can’t tell the children there’s no hope. (source) Andrea; what do you all do with rage, despair, hope Micaiah: forthcoming novel, asked to write author's note to contextualize anger in the text, wrote about rage. for me, not scary word, bitterness = resignation = scary; rage burns. hope can't be passive, must be active, have to want to be doing a thing about it, rage can lead you there. more and more today seems impossible that can exist outside each other Ryka: hope is something has different incarnations and expectations, always there but shows up in different ways; lost mother last year, first hoped get better, then that not suffering, now that looking at us right now. because circumstances change, what hope is, is always in relationship to (situation?). (something about Undertale & non-killing route, but hard to take, that I did not quite follow). book working on now, started about saving people, now about hope that legacies and memories treated with dignity Daniel: sometimes externally people very comfortable shoving hope (also forgiveness) down throats at expense of rage, grief. can't have true hope without honoring those. the steeper the climb to get to hope, the better story it is going to be when get there. people ask, why don't you write in utopias, "that shit is boring," of course can do it but sees utopia every day in way we treat each other, e.g. protest, gathered together in hope and rage, and obtain from others (there was a panel on utopia that I missed, sadly, and I bet would have been very interesting in comparison to this) JR: totally agree, hope is not polite, full of rage and audacity and confidence that don't necessarily feel but have to. when wrote this book, healing from some stuff, but at least I have my found family so there is hope. then we had to move to find protection laws because of what happening in my home state, ended up in Minneapolis alone, very angry. what do when everything can be taken away? about month after moved in, Gaza; is Jewish, absolutely against Andrea: hope is not nice, does not need to diminish force of response to world. Audre Lorde quote: At the same time, while we surviving in the mouth of this dragon, we also need to be feeding our vision. Which is one of devising a future where we will live someplace other than the teeth of the dragon. If not in my lifetime, or even in my children’s lifetime, that we would all contribute to what is known as “the great going forward.” That eventually we will move beyond dragonhood. (source) So how do you feed your vision? Ryka: trusting that I'm a soul — when you're queer trans & of color, lot of reasons to invalidate self — discovering that have life, soul as sacred as any of yours, quite emancipating. trust my own humanity, my soul is not meant to be dragon food, respect myself and respect others through that, respect self in turn; if can keep that going (unfortunately lost rest in yelling about Hamlet coming from next door) Micaiah: you are coming from softer kinder place than I am. going back to quote, I am in the mouth of a man that hates me, and it doesn't feel like victory, but have to divorce productive monolithic model of success from experience of joy. may not ever see get out of mouth, but I will taste bad, give indigestion. put joy in doing because can't do anything else, fulfilled even if don't see political changes Andrea: feel like I’m the dream of my ancestors so can't be messing around because got to keep dream going JR: joy is an act of resistance, says sticker given by wife when things hard; know that people out there who want us to be miserable, so act of joy is hope. Daniel: love all answers so much, so grateful. as a Jew, been leveled by what's happened. on top of being already enraged at world. struggle to find capacity to function but also so many words inside of feels like no time to get out, but feels so urgent for own sanity and express to world. also know grown to be better human, Jew, participant in this world when demanded to step up, also found community which has truly been a blessing. response to protests, hear "that what's going to do, just piss people off." well, yes. but instant gratification, not how magic works and not protest either. Sunday school story, old man planting fruit tree, someone says, you'll be dead before it fruits; yes, says old man, it's for the kids. take heart in that, it's what we do when we write books. act of faith to be in community with future and create, with present at same time JR: thing about Judaism, idea of spark all have inside, job to come into world and pull out of each other. Jewish storytelling, that discomfort of not everything being okay, things suck, what are going to do about it Andrea: find that being together and able to speak about it, gives me lots of hope. my secret, this is why I wanted to be on panel, taking notes. Andrea: Ursula le Guin: The literature of imagination, even when tragic, is reassuring, not necessarily in the sense of offering nostalgic comfort, but because it offers a world large enough to contain alternatives and therefore offers hope. (from “The Critics, the Monsters, and the Fantasists” (source)) Micaiah: place where we can problem solve and figure things out, why I balk about utopia thing: what do you think we are doing, trying to imagine way out. something beautiful about dreaming, which is how like to think about writing. also derive hope from SF field because it has made the world, if Philip K. Dick can invent fax machine, certainly we can invent way out. in other life is an academic, Critical Race Theory, building off each other's papers toward more perfect theory Ryka: at WorldCon, asked on panel, what is more likely first: FTL, find intelligent life on other planet, trans people just being allowed to live life without hassle. couldn’t answer. low-hanging fruit: what if we just chose to be cool to each other, left people alone, could do that tomorrow, would change who were are as human much more than bigger particle accelerator. so want to do with own work, show possibility of what happens when get to know people: donut shop in building with a stargate, when is last time talked to person in donut shop. when writing books, want to show what might be missing in own drama that closed off to bounty of imagination and passion and stories and wonder that are all around me. occasionally get glimpse out of that, can't lose all hope for humanity, see so much even when miss most of it Andrea: problem is that we are not open to each other's worlds: how? I'm going to try compassion with my rage, how can we work that Ryka: in addition to compassion, curiosity. not just appropriation and preservation, but cooperation, maybe because capitalism made everything a transaction. used to be able to meet and share without wrecking Andrea: survival of the friendliest Ryka: like to come in with expectation that everyone has something to teach me. very few people wake up and say I really want today to be an asshole. certainly some. but really pastiche of what think other people are, should actually observe and listen. Micaiah: we're not only ones who have hope, but oppressors also have. understanding that what seeing is a conflict of dreams and hope, leads to more possibility of engagement JR: when writing: thinks of scene from V from Vendetta, main character is sitting in jail, gets little piece of paper through wall and reading story, says this is my story; my hope is whoever is reading, who feel very alone and don’t deserve to be main character, can see selves and that book says I believe in you, you're enough, just keep going Daniel: as someone who loves history, really try to work from guiding principle that if look deeply at places empire most wants to obscure, find so much gold and maybe even hope. see: Cuba; more recently, Jewish history, pockets had no idea about that were enacted in challenge to Zionism. socialists great-grandparents trying not to take someone's land. based on word means "hereness," Doikayt. always more find out more don't know, sometimes those areas are where imagination takes over Andrea: what of your or someone else's work would recommend: history to read, story that saved you, message that came to you. all these people up here, their books are my hope. also quotes gave you Micaiah: in academic work, read a lot about lynchings. would read long poem "Summer Somewhere" when need to take breaks. imagines alternate heaven for black boys, watch them play; doesn't ask for productive change, wholly imaginary, but got through studying for comps. just the idea of the dream has a medicinal effect. Ryka: going to cheat, Demon Slayer, when character Kanao was traumatized so couldn't make decisions had to flip coin: maybe your voice is just small. Ryka con't: if she needed to give someone hope, would take to very nice stationary store and just watch, hopefully at end of day could hand them bag with tools to use if ever need to talk to someone JR: could not find quote, from book If Tomorrow Doesn't Come, YA sci-fi, in vein of Deep Impact but Sapphic; content note: suicidal ideation and attempt. main character is very set on doing A Thing, when right before, finds out from ex that asteroid is going to hit Earth and has X days to live. feeling of, things suck, what do you with this time? some people want to build bunker, some want to see world. character who goes out, leaves quote on wall that people have been getting tattooed etc. (me: I also cannot find this! does anyone have the book?) JR: also going to throw in Hadestown which does have tattoo from, idea that is a loop, especially in off-Broadway version where last song loops into first: maybe this time he won't turn around Daniel: first: Edward Said, Culture and Imperialism, follow-up to Orientalism, looks at novelists etc not just archeologists, military; found so inspiring even though dense, find these understandings of resistance and of ways through and of talking back; seeing that has always happened is so inspiring, people always turned camera around and part of centuries long conversation about survival. second: all of Andrea's books, every one speaks to this question. it's about culture, which so often is the answer to all of this. means community, creating, resistance. Andrea: have to sit with that, not break into tears. in most recent book, someone says: going to have festival amid all this? character responds: yes. and festival is all of you (audience), so, questions Q: as writer, how think about balancing joy and sorrow, what are considering Daniel: truth is not everyone asks that question, but can't find balance unless go too far in one direction, enter into process with question in mind and realization that going to go too far and then have radar up for when. every story has own balance. in middle grade series (Dactyl Hill Squad), can't lie to kids that slavery doesn't exist, because they will call on it, but also can't traumatize either Micaiah: for me, what effect are trying to achieve, another way, who are you writing for and accountable to? thinks of alternate ending to movie Get Out, originally less kind, but director said, the people I am making for, don't want to have to see that JR: have theater background, first word comes to mind is catharsis. couple years ago, commissioned to take Holocaust survivors testimony and turn into 45 minute play shown to both survivors … and 7th graders in rural Nebraska. used music, structured like Shabbat. really hard when writing about trauma, especially collective trauma. have to talk about things to educate children, but an actor steps forward and says, this isn't all we're about, we're still here, there is still joy. catharsis is when taking care of audience, leading through exercise of going to feel this but safely Ryka: think that balance, very different from each person, find your own. not about correct blend, what's the best you. answer not out there, what book do you want to bring to us. then just do it. your book will reach a reader in way that not been reached before, because it's your story Andrea: and you will have many answers to this question for yourself, and lots of wonderful people will talk to you about them Q: broad question but: studying English education in college, concept of collective and cultural imagination comes up a lot; look at world as is and see hope, kind of your job as writers; anything like to share about how protect, nurture, exercise ability to imagine world that isn't Ryka: I was trans elder way before should have been because many of elders died, I caught tail end of HIV (missed some), reason that hope is last in Pandora's box, everything else lost. hope is like gravity, just here: people may ignore but is here, so knows that after say goodbye to friend, still have to eat, and might as well be Thai food because world doesn't stop giving. as bad as world's going to get, will be stories make you cry tears of inspiration Q: working on alternate history, thinking of ending with lack of resolution, this has thinking a lot about difference between lack of resolution and hope, was thinking reader would bring own hope in; your thoughts? Daniel: tricky, great question. this is about craft, these are all craft concerns. think in danger on craft level of leaving more unsure than want to, which is not to say don't do it. multiple layers of resolution may be possible since every resolution opens more doors. don't want to leave hanging, writers do have to make decisions, can be opinions with room for interpretation but have to take stand sometimes and end is one, but still can have cake and eat given multiple layers--reader doesn't want to do all the work Micaiah: difference between open and ambiguous; like to be tricked but not abandoned, if know possibilities then can feel satisfied with being among them. guide toward set of possibilities, or true cut to black leaving reader on own: know what you want Andrea: then use your craft to lead reader where they want to be JR: concur. important: what do you want reader to do when set book down and go back to lives, what want them to think about. like teaching kid to ride bike, you've got it, go … oh you fell Daniel: I thought you were going to bring your own shit to it! Andrea: even though didn't record (this panel, which someone lamented earlier), as theater person about being in moment together. (I did not shout out that I was taking detailed notes, because that seemed rude.)panel notes. include mention of ongoing world traumatic events, as expected with this topic.
+1 (thumbs-up, I see you, etc.)?
