Mike's Stories Tab

Okay everybody, look up.

At the top of this page, not the ceiling.

Got a new tab and it only took a few days to figure out how to do it. Who said blogging was difficult?

As I posted earlier this story goes with the Cowboys and Dragons thing. Not exactly; sheriff not a cowboy, wyvern not a standard dragon and no cafe but blogging is not an exact science. You want Exact? Find a math blog.

Ha, an idea for a blog post.

So, excluding rabid grammarians, most of us would agree, writing is not an exact science. However, there are rules. But those rules can be bent, broken or ignored without consequence if done artfully. Not so with math unless you're dealing with quantum physics.

So, I'm going to give you some rules. Not a top ten list because these are off the top of my head and there may not be ten. We'll call them Mike's Random Rules. In fact, we'll go with Mike's Random Rule of the Day. That will allow discussion on a single rule instead of the comments running willy-nilly every which way causing a quantum meltdown in my hard-drive and head.

Feel free to ignore them if you can do so with style and grace. Or, with attitude if you think I'm full of it.

Mike's Random Rule of the Day

1.) Do not break the fourth wall.

      This is a term from the theater, or theatre, depending on how pretentious you are. It means you should not engage the audience directly. Don't look at them, don't talk to them. The imaginary fourth wall of the set is between you and them. For all practical purposes, they do not exist.

     There are exceptions. The narrator in 'A Christmas Story' talks to the audience. But, most of the time, it's considered bad form and you will be spanked by the director and your fellow actors.

      Why?

     It pulls them, the audience, out of that hypnotic state where they have suspended disbelief. And that magical state, that journey into make believe where they give over control of their emotions to the actors and crew is why they bought a ticket. Break the fourth wall and you have ruined the experience for them.

      Is it not the same with writing? Do people not buy books to put themselves and their emotions in the hands of the author? If they pay us to take them on a journey, we should do it well and the fourth wall is essential.

     Are there exceptions? Yes. Some books, usually but not always written in first person, cross this line and succeed brilliantly. Most do not, most don't get out there for us to read them.

     But, some do. It is often lamented that famous authors can get away with things we, and by 'we' I mean me and whoever else wishes to include themselves, obscure writers cannot. Stephen King breaks the fourth wall in 'Under The Dome' in a way that throws the reader out of the story and onto the couch with a thump. But, he's Stephen King.

     That's all for today folks.

     Enjoy the story and leave a comment if you like. Think about the fourth wall but don't stew on it too much.

Mike