Escaping Perilous Times
Many authors have a tagline. Mine says, “Escape the Mundane. Explore the Magical.” And people who read often do so to avoid their daily routine. They may crave an adventure, a mystery to solve, or a romance to enjoy. While nothing replaces traveling adventures or romances, a book is far cheaper than actual travel. It’s also less dangerous than real adventure or illicit romances, especially during turbulent seasons.
Successful fiction writers in all genres keep this in mind
as they write. Many don’t realize the need to escape escalates during hard
times. Or that this provides a golden opportunity for authors of all styles --
none more so than fantasy. You can’t escape much further than that.
In 1937, J. R. R. Tolkien released the Hobbit. Remember, the world’s markets had crashed and depressions were ongoing. Political tensions were mounting in Europe, a residual from the 1st World War, extreme reparations payments thrust on Germany, and depressed economies world-wide. So why not write about a mountain hall filled with gold, gold a Dragon had taken away from a bunch of greedy dwarves who wouldn't split it? Now the dwarves take it back, but have they learned to share? Five armies converge to battle it out. You wonder if Tolkien was prescient regarding the near future. Or did he just know his history, while understanding cause and effect?
And in 1938, C. S. Lewis released "Out of the Silent Planet." He finished the next two books of the Space Trilogy during World War II. Imagine taking one of those German V-2 rockets to Mars (which he calls Malacandra) or Venus, as in his second book, Perelandra. Here the garden paradise still exists, awaiting the inhabitants' choice; follow the creator's rules or rebel, as Earth had.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was published in 1950. Remember, World War II had consumed 1/4 of England’s entire national wealth and English society hadn’t recovered as fast as America. In 1948, England was being forced to ration bread to its citizens, much less luxury items! Who wouldn’t want a closet escape into a magic land full of Turkish delight? But Lewis's character, Edmund, reminds us easy gratification isn't always best.
During tough times, our need is not just escape - we need hope for better things. If the J. R. R. Tolkien’s hobbit, Bilbo, can broker peace between dwarves and elves, and Aslan can overthrow the evil queen and redeem Edmund, then we can survive Covid or global warming, or the disaster de jour on the front page of the paper. When two hurting people find love, don't we all find hope?
Current issues are always emotionally loaded and disputed—that will never change. Stories allow people to bypass the powder keg to see how others solve their problems. For a few hours, our greatest challenge (or fear) is a dragon, instead of a virus. And you can shoot arrows at dragons—without a government permit or starting a nasty debate! (Of course the miffed lizard may roast you if you miss.)
In my own Dragon Mist world, Banshees have broken the bell while fussing and feuding with their lone male. So castle leadership decides that male has to replace the bell until it's fixed. Not a treat for anyone's ears. (But within this patchwork solution, can we find opportunities?)
The castle’s cooling system (frost giants and their icy breath) won’t allow the castle's heating system (fire sprites tossing fireballs) to move into the basement cave. A scheming leprechaun wants a new costume to disguise the fact he has acquired no gold for his rainbow pot. A fussy fairy queen commands her cannons to shoot exploding acorns at the gremlins, who copy and mock her every turn. (Detect any parallels regarding these dilemmas with today’s news?)
Those nasty Gremlins have also shut down the carpenter’s shop, so the woodwright can’t work. The blacksmith, a half-ogress named Draleen, has a fine workshop—gremlins aren’t crazy enough to tackle an ogre—so she can work all day. But she won’t. Not until the castle leaders find her a suitable man to marry. She’s certainly not fixing any bell, thank you!
So when a local village boy finds he’s an orphan, and the sheriff intends to collect him to sell to the next caravan to pay family debts, it just seems to be more trouble. Can Dragon Mist's dilemmas offer some hidden chance for the lad? This is a story about friendships, hope, and how we may hold part of an answer our neighbors need.
Can the trouble we see today offer authors the opportunity to reach out and help those around us? When the world comes apart, people often will stop and listen. They relish stepping out of their troubled life and into a favorite story, trading out their own shoes for our hero’s, if only for a couple of hours.
Now it's our job to take them some place worth going. As writers, we offer them the relief of escape. But like Lewis and Tolkien, we can do more. We can give the other fellow a chance to see old truths in a fresh way. And if they catch that, we all find a little hope.
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Check out Roulf Burrell’s debut novel at Amazon!
