Presently, what are you struggling with?
We generally don’t pay a lot of day to day attention to the questions of reality. It is with us always and somehow, in its various forms, we learn to adapt. But when we turn our attention to thinking about our dreams or the ideas of ancient mysteries pops into our head, there is something else which reveals itself to us and that is struggle. We can view it as a burden or inspirational. Naturally it shows up in all manner of fiction. It is present in romance because the outcome of that affair or what we do when we find that one special person is never assured. Even when we achieve that wonderful marriage its continuity is not assured. And the same can be said for adventures or the explorations in science fiction, fantasy and all other forms of fiction.
And Then There Is What We Call The Real World – Oh That!
In the animal world at large we are well acquainted with the various forms of struggle. As a child I was fascinated by shows about nature. After awhile I referred to them as shows in which things eat things. So much of it was about survival through struggle.
If we expand our definition of struggle we can see it operating at a grand scale in the universe. Even galaxies struggle with each other as they draw together and collide.
It is inevitable that fiction will involve all manner of struggle. It may be personal, between two people or collectively in social collisions. It is so much a part of life. It is possible to view it as merely struggle and that it involves effort. A negative viewpoint is not productive. It may well involve considerable creativity with all that it offers. Out of it comes things new and unexpected. It is much more than merely survival.
Grand/Universal Forces
In Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy I pose two important forces which are involved in the struggle. One is the Mysterium which is closest to women. This is the force we often associate with the moon and it engages our passions and sexuality with all the intensity and joy that creates. Naturally it is deeply engaged in the creativity which brings new life. Related and closer to men is the Maelstrom which is often destructive but has its own creative component. That component is exemplified as stars explode and in the explosion is created the heavier elements, or stardust ,of which humankind is born.
It is inevitable that struggle will engage us in our own lives and it is one component of writing fiction which is especially fruitful and fascinating.
Enduring Struggles
And then I have to share this. I have a very personal struggle which simply will not go away. Punctuation! You would think since I am a “scientist” (yeah, right) that I would have this down pat. No such thing. I am haunted by commas and remain totally clueless regarding colons and semicolons. For some reason, I can’t seem to understand them or even why we really need them. Maybe that’s just my problem. Am I alone in this?
An odd question. Do you have a favorite form of struggle?