Using Fact as the Issue when something only SEEMS real

writing
#1

I’m working on my series storyform now, after getting my Book 1 outline pretty solid.

I’m wondering about my choice of Fact as the OS Issue. Fact is defined as “belief in something real”, and I just noticed now that the online dictionary has a little addendum (bolded below) when compared with the software on Windows:

Fact is something that is truly real as opposed to just seeming to be real. Of course, from a character’s subjective view, when something seems to be real it is impossible to tell from actual fact. No matter how strongly a belief, understanding, or knowledge of something is held, subjectively there is always the possibility some change in the situation or additional information will prove it to be unfactual. Optical illusions are a good case in point. The moment a character accepts something as fact is the moment a thematic conflict might begin to grow. Nevertheless, Fact represents beliefs that turn out to be real.

See, I had chosen Fact because in my story there is this big System set up to make people believe stuff that isn’t real, but it’s setup so carefully that everything seems real – so there’s no need for Faith or Trust or anything like that. And I thought that conflict of “impossible to tell from actual fact” and optical illusions worked really well.

But because I know as as the Author that it’s not real (and some of the characters know while most will eventually find out), maybe Fantasy or something else is actually the Issue here… Especially with that addendum to the definition.

On the other hand, maybe Fact still works, but it represents the conflict of seeking out the actual real Facts that disprove the System’s false “facts” … many of which are being kept secret and hard to dredge up, especially with the powers that be fighting to keep the truth from getting out, etc. Hmm…

#2

  1. Would you be able to state what you think the theme is in traditional terms (without using Dramatica language/vocab)?

  2. Are they hiding Facts, or promulgating a Fantasy? Could it be a story with a big emphasis on the OS Counterpoint over the Issue? Maybe the counterpoint is really played up allowing the Issue to come back in the end and look that much better when it’s able to overcome the counterpoint or something.

#3

Wow, interesting questions Greg.

  1. This isn’t the kind of thing I think about very much … but it probably has something to do with these related ideas:

    • No matter how hard you try or how well you set it up, you can’t build something good out of bad things. Even if it seems like the good outweighs the bad by an order of magnitude. Eventually, the bad stuff at the core will corrupt the whole thing.
    • It’s not right to force or trick people into sacrificing themselves for the greater good. The good of the many may seem to outweigh the good of the few, but when those few do not have a choice, the whole thing is rotten and will come crashing down.
    • It’s also not right to lie to people to control them (this one is really important because I’m not sure I totally agree with it in all contexts; it’s like something I personally need to explore)
    • Note that a lot of the above may seem obvious but keep in mind that the whole System that sacrifices the “few” for the benefit of the “many” actually made things better for those few, originally. So you can see the argument there … yes those few are not as well off as the many, but since they’re better off than they were without the System, should they really complain about it?
      (Man, to think I almost skipped answering this question!)

  2. Both hiding Facts and promulgating a Fantasy. Someone else mentioned to me that the issue may be “too little Fact” and it goes well with your idea of the counterpoint being highlighted, which is a really great point. I think it’s enough for me to consider that Fact is okay to use for the OS Issue, if everything else in the storyform fits. (Though I’d still be glad to hear any other opinions!)

Thanks again for asking that question #1 … got me to write down some stuff that was previously only vague notions!

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#4

  1. I think trying to leave Dramatica out of it for a minute and put it in your own words helps you say what you want without worrying about fitting it into the right box. You get to have your say, which should help you see it a bit clearer, and then you can start molding into Dramatica. If an author wants to talk about justice vs revenge, surely that’s easier to deal with than accurate vs non-accurate or whatever.

  2. I started to mention a lack of facts too, but what you were saying felt a bit more like fantasy than lack of fact. But that was just a thought. Maybe someone will chip in with thoughts on why you should switch to Fantasy or stick with Fact.

#5

I find these questions so hard to answer, because we are given so little information.

Part of me thinks that your overall story might be in Manipulation (controlling what people think is real) or Activity (maintaining the system). I’m assuming you’ve got that squared away, but you never know.

Sometimes I think that it can help to look at actual real world examples and see how they relate. So… the seven countries who have had their travel severely limited by Trump.

Is this in Fact a way to keep us safer, and calling it a Muslim ban is a Fantasy promulgated by the media?
Or is it Fantastical that Trump thought he could get away with this, given the Fact that it’s a Muslim ban?
But if we are talking about the Process, doesn’t this mean we are in Security? Unless, we are talking about better ways to Determine who the terrorists are… in which case we are in Threat.

Or is this Playing a Role? The government Doing what they need to do…

Only you can tell…

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#6

Thanks Mike. Mostly I was trying to figure out if Fact could be the issue, or if it was absolutely disallowed. I realize now that along with the unreal / untrue stuff there are also enough Facts that it could be the Issue, similar to your Trump ban example.

I recognize that I haven’t given enough info to figure out if Fact is the Issue in this storyform. I’m leaning toward it now because I like the quad beneath it, especially Proven. But like you said, I sometimes wonder if Manipulation is the domain, which would reboot the whole thing. If/when I need some help with that, I’ll definitely post more information!