I apologize ahead of time if this post seems a little loopy. I'm fairly certain something I ate was altered with alcohol or something. But that is not the topic for tonight. In fact, I will instead be discussing the concept of taking intellectual and artistic risks, courtesy of a conversation my boyfriend and I had over dinner this evening.
Last night, as I was falling asleep, I let the ideas of a story try and form a full story in my brain. Surprisingly, when I woke up, I remembered most of the details I had imagined the night before. Throughout the day I didn't think about it very much but kept it at the back of my mind. Then, while chewing on my tacquitos, red rice, refried beans, and corn tamalito (which is delicious, by the way), I chewed on my idea as well. I soon realized that this story which I had dreamed up prior to falling asleep last night had no conflict.
Sure, there was a blind guy in the story, but that wasn't an issue. In fact, it was kind of the solution to the non-problem of the half-baked story. Frustrated with the fact that I had what I felt like (and still feel like) was an excellent concept but without a problem, I brought it up for dinner conversation. I explained the plot of my idea to my boyfriend and he pondered over it for a moment before smiling and entering one of his "rants" as he calls them. (For these "rants" he always apologizes, but I appreciate them and like them.)
Ultimately, he argued that I don't need a conflict in order to have a story. I do not need a conflict to have a piece of art.
But! my internal self cried, I've always been taught I need a conflict!
But! my other internal self shouted, what about Shakespeare? He made up words, for God's sake, in order to get his point across.
And this is along the lines of what my boyfriend was arguing -- in order to communicate effectively, if you have to break the rules of grammar or the rules of story telling, then you should do it.
He then said to me that it was like tossing a bottle out to sea. Maybe someone would pick it up and they might not understand what you're trying to do, but they'll toss it back out. Eventually, someone will pick it up and get it. And then that person will explain it to the world and you'll be free of all the naysayers.
So many great ideas are wasted because people are too afraid to take risks, whether they're personal risks, artistic risks, political risks, or any other kind of risk. But so many great people who have done great things have taken such great risks. Columbus took a great risk in sailing to the Americas. Tesla took great risks in creating (and then destroying) amazing pieces of science. Benjamin Franklin took a great risk when flying a kite in a thunder storm (which we now know not to do). Authors like Jonathan Safran Foer and Mark Z. Danielewski have taken great risks in experimenting with literature. But the thing all of these people have in common is that they accomplished great things.
I feel, as a woman, this is an especially difficult thing to do. We are not, of course, living in the 1800s or anything, but the concept of credibility of women is still far below what it should be. American society still does not trust a woman to be president, they still ask questions of female actors that are irrelevant or inappropriate (http://feminspire.com/actresses-strike-back-against-ridiculous-interview-questions/). In any case, the idea of a woman taking a risk is greater than a man taking a risk. This is not to say that women shouldn't take risks. In fact, we would not have much of what we have as women without risks.
But to write a story without a conflict? Is that even a story? I suppose you can call it writing, but it is not strictly a story by definition.
Maybe it doesn't really matter. What matters is trying. Even if it only means trying out your idea and looking at the result for yourself. From there, you have to determine if you're willing to take another risk and throw your bottle out into the world.
Maybe it's time to write a story. Maybe it's time to throw your bottle out and make a splash.
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