Section 1 Part 3

Serious vs Campy

Everyone KNOWS what you mean.

Ok, Now you have decided to write for yourself (in which case you likely just want to write what you write) or to really get into something people like.  In my opinion, you should next decide whether you want something SERIOUS (I take that to mean Plausible, the ability to suspend disbelief) or something CAMPY.

Serious is by far the easier to write about here.  Serious does not mean mundane, a well-known concept is that of “Suspension of disbelief”.  I had this concept explained to me in 1983 by the writing legend “Andre Norton” who said, it’s YOUR story, you can make any rules you want however once you MAKE a rule…YOU have to live by them or give your reader a DAMN good reason why you broke the rule. “SO…you can have a heroine who is made weak by Kryptonite, but once you DO that, you cannot just SUDDENLY have her immune to the effects without justifying WHY.

I will pause here to add a thought about “deus ex machina”. This literally means “god from the machine” and in Greek times a guy would be lowered down from the ceiling to EXPLAIN to the audience, why something happened.  It is better to let your reader understand, rather than treat them like they are incapable and have to explain to them, so you would ALSO be wise to incorporate the “K.I.S.S.” principal in your plots (Keep It Simple Stupid)  the more complicated your plot the harder it is to remember all your rules.

NOW we get to one of MY “pet peeves.”  Campy is defined as being so extreme that it has an amusing and perversely sophisticated appeal.  And William Shakespeare said, “Many a true word hath been spoken in jest.”  If you want to write a comedy, write a comedy, however it seems to me a HUGE number of stories, have adopted the old 1960’s “Batman” Campy.  If you’re writing drama or passion, Campy is WAY overdone, and in my opinion NOT fun, but I think it’s done because people are AFRAID everyone will think them a pervert that wants to SEE what the write actually HAPPEN in real life.

In other words…the villain approaches a helpless heroine strips her naked, ties her up, and then puts on a clown nose, huge shoes and TICKLES HER…As if to say “what you guys thought I wanted to rape her?  Come ON it was a JOKE.” Well we ALL know what you were thinking, and for cripes sake, it’s OK. #1 people write gristly mutilation, torture and murder scenes ALL the time, are you telling me THAT is ok, but RAPE, or using the “N” word is so ghastly and socially unacceptable that you run in fear? The action is from your CHARACTER, not YOU, SO…I am pretty sure that JUST because George Lucas does NOT want to be an evil Sith lord and rule the Galaxy, and that the writers of “Game of Thrones” do not want to be an evil young king, JUST because they thought up a realistic villain.  Of COURSE, we have an arousal at the prospect of having a “no strings attached” relationship that is why it’s called a FANTASY.  Go ahead BE honest and let the dark side out a bit.  Campy is NOT fun in passion, if you do not believe it, think of the most intense pleasant REAL life sexual relationship you have ever had, and then picture waiting to be with that person for weeks, that partner entering in clown face, a red nose, floppy shoes (stark naked) tickling you and then LEAVEING without giving you any release.