Circa24's Blog - Posts Tagged "dystopian"

I recently received a question asking how I decided to use the term "Harrie" as a degrading term for the Nameless in Silent Consent.

The pejorative use of a universal name for an underclass or group of workers happens in multiple traditions. In the United States, African American railroad porters were called "boy" or "George." Irish maids were called "Bridgettes" in the US and England, and Irish men were often referred to as "Patties." (Think of Patty wagons, which may refer to the frequency of Irish arrests in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.)

It struck me that several oppressed populations around the planet were referred to with a word beginning with the letters "Har--." Remembering the above and how Irish women bristled at being referred to as " My Bridgette" by their employers, I was off and running.

Yes, the term is used by all characters, including the Nameless themselves and their allies. Such use and self-depreciation are common among the severely oppressed, and when I tried to write it out of their vocabulary, it felt forced and diminished the story of oppression. I had to include it.

I love them all, but Garry, Charlie, and Vera have a slight edge. Charlie, in particular, refused to bend to my will and took control of the story, driving it in directions that kept altering my universe. Initially, I wanted to write a short story, and Garry ensured that didn't happen. Each time I tried to wrap up his story, he'd nudge me and let me know he wanted people to learn more about him. And Vera's response to her bullies inspired me.

My fondness for the above does not diminish my affection for Jimmy and Carmin. It's fun to construct villains, but the adventure begins when they see themselves as heroes.

And no, I'm not hearing voices. Something happens when you're writing. The characters reach a point when their backstories coalesce into solid personalities. At that point, when they cease to be outlines, you're obliged to treat them as partners if you want their stories to ring true.

My father used to say that if everyone could put their troubles in a large pile and we could choose which ones we wanted, most of us would take back our own. I think that goes for fictional worlds, too. Interesting ones have lots of drama or absurdity in them, and few make for places we'd really like to live.

To celebrate the release of my most recent book, An Encounter With Cows, I am offering giveaways of that book along with both books in my Silent Consent series, Silent Consent and Endured by The Gods. Once I posted those two, I thought, why not run one more for my book of short stories, Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist?

Silent Consent

 
Endured by the Gods


And here is my book of short stories:
Thomas Hardy was an Optimist



And Finally, introducing my newest offering:

An Encounter with Cows