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| Chicano author Ernest Hogan |
About
Ramos's ideas, Adrian
commented, "Just write your heart and what happens, happens. Only time and
history will tell, if anyone ever gave a rat's tuchas." Since some of you
might give a rat's ruchas right now and want to write that GAN---Chicano or
otherwise--here are ideas you can incorporate into your manuscript.
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| Author Manuel Ramos |
Ramos
already described one set: "A novel that beautifully captures the pain and
joy and mystery of living in 21st century America, that honestly deals with
race and gender and sexual orientation and immigration and militarism and
climate change and love and death, with a fresh but obviously American
perspective.”
My
proposal for a GAN isn't to conflict with or improve on what Ramos described;
it's just another one, taken somewhat from different angles.
The Plot - Aggression. To encompass all that's truly American, a GAN's plot
should follow the "plot" of American (U.S.) history. In the first
half, include the Three Great Desecrations--as someone termed them--of the
theft and attempted genocide of the American Natives. Follow that with the
enslavement, dehumanization and exploitation of Afro-Americans. Then, the
invasion and theft of the Southwest from the Mexican people, and the subsequent
lynchings and denial of civil rights and full citizenship.
The
plot should include most of the wars begun by the U.S., especially bringing your
setting into the future. From the Vietnam War on, there's plenty of material
for plenty of wars of aggression chapters. (You'll have to exclude WWII, the
war against the more-fascists.) Since you're writing fiction, not history,
you'll need to put the setting in the background and link it to your characters'
lives, decisions and personalities.
Antagonist - Bad Guys galore. You'll have a problem limiting the number of
antagonists, given the hundreds that history has provided us. Pick only the
richest cabrones and the cruelest políticos who kept them in power. White
people, in general, and simpleminded, pendejo racists don't make for
well-developed antagonists. Cheney of course will live long in infamy, but a
satanic bad guy who's totally off the deep end of abomination might bore some
readers.
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| Transformers are not heroes |
Protagonists - heroes for our times. In the spirit of what Ramos suggested, do not go the
route of a lone hero, even just a lone Chicana heroine. Or giant robots, either. Instead, create your
own Justice League that includes several nationalities and races, both sexes,
etc. Something like Tolkien's Fellowship of the Rings, without whitish guys
hogging the glory. Yes, it should include a couple of progressive or
revolutionary-minded Anglos, for diversity's sake.
Themes - Individualism or ? Avoid the temptation of appealing to Americanized
audiences with an Ayn Randish, individualistic, it's-all-about-me, Wild West,
lone-heroes-ride-in-to-save-the-day theme. In our times, individualistic
heroism is Death, of the species. On the other hand, communal values (without
organized religions' prejudices), tribal identity (without empire-building
mentality), and self-development minus the competition gene--all that can be
drawn on from our common, humane, genetic make-up. You'll just have to nurture
it because it won't happen naturally.
 |
| Post-apocalyptic SnowPiercer |
Setting - Apocalyptic or Post? TV, cable and Hollywood have pushed the Bad-Times-to-Come
idea over a cliff. So, what do you do? Try a different perspective. Instead of
vampires, frozen Earth, devastating plagues or Mean Militias America, make your
setting more realistic. What would you and others actually do?
If
it's truly the End of Times, courtesy of our political parties, fossil-fuel
industries and the 1%, from the beginning of your novel, focus on la familia
learning to cope. Friends who learn to help each other. Neighbors who join to
defend themselves and keep all the good guys happy. Multinational cooperatives
that band together, not just to survive, but to create a new way of life. Maybe
one that greatly resembles some old ways of life.
Climax - how good can you make it? I don't want to spoil the ending, so I leave that to
your imagination. If you've read Octavia E. Butler's Parable of The Sower series, you will see some of my ideas are
influenced by her. Influence, acknowledged. Go find yours.
Now
that your GAN is finished, you're not done. You'll have to sign
copies--many--and figure out which groups and peoples to donate the money to.
If you were to keep it all, you might wind up turning into one of your
antagonists.
Buena
suerte with your writing,
RudyG
(not known as a GANovelist, yet.)
6 comments:
Ay! This is spinning out of control! There will be rioting over this yet . . .
But seriously, young writers need to learn that there’s more to it than vomiting up undigested pop culture, which is just a step above biting the heads off chickens for fun and profit.
The real trouble is that publishers aren’t really looking for the Great American Novel. The want a Great American Bestseller that can be chewed up and forgotten while earning big bucks. As a Borders customer once explained to me:
“Y’know, an airport book! The kind that will keeps you busy while waiting in line, but if you leave it somewhere, it doesn’t matter.”
Ernesto, the airport guy had it down--"it doesn't matter."
RudyG
I wish that someone will do a blog about writing the Great Mexican Novel. Thanks in advance.
Author Gloria, someone might already be writing the first or next Great Chicano, Mexican, Mexicano, Latino, Etceterino Novel. Might that be you?
If you mean something else, let us know.
Suerte,
RudyG
Perdón, my eyes sometimes fail me.
I meant, Author G--I--ora.
R
I finished the first draft (56K words) of a romantic novel set all over Mexico. It's the story of a young women from Chiapas and her quest to find a husband. The novel aims to present Mexico positively to readers: its music, literature, folklore, history, cities and beaches. But it's a contemporary commercial novel that might be a Popular Mexican Novel, not a Great Literature.
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