The Art of Allusion

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avengers, baroness emma orczy, j.r.r. tolkien, marvel, selay'uu (sort of), star wars, story dynamics, the lord of the rings, the scarlet pimpernel, the silmarillion, worldbuilding

In literature, allusion is a reference to something that will be familiar to the audience; anything from a turn of phrase to a cultural icon, or even a mention of a familiar food. Allusion is a tool, used to anchor the readers and story in a certain time and place. It is also useful in creating its homophone: the illusion of a larger world.

Places like the galaxy far, far away and Middle-Earth are chock full of things that we never see, but are alluded to; “strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark”, for instance, or “Ancalagon the Black.” Each of these allusions gives us a tiny amount of information about the subject. We know that Ancalagon the Black was a dragon. They also hint at things; Ancalagon the Black must have been a very nasty dragon to merit the nickname “the Black,” and for Gandalf to mention him at that point in the story, he must have been familiar even to hobbits. This gives Ancalagon a bit of a reputation. Having read the Silmarillion, I don’t recall seeing what Ancalagon did, exactly. I do remember Glaurung–also a nasty piece of work–but he wasn’t technically a dragon, he just took the shape of one. Unlike many of the throw-away references in The Lord of the Rings, we didn’t learn much about Ancalagon in the Silmarillion. We didn’t learn anything more about Gundarks until the Clone Wars (which some people don’t accept as canon.)

Throw-away references that may or may not be built on later are important. While the reader probably won’t mentally flag them “THIS IS IMPORTANT!” unless they are a major fan of the book or the series, they do create the illusion that there’s a bigger world off-screen or off-page, and if you do bring them back later, it will be an “oh. OH!” moment for the reader as they recall that you slipped it into the text earlier. (Here’s a hint: if it is important to your plot in any way, slip it in early and bring it up at least once before you need it. That way it won’t fall on your readers’ heads out of a blue sky. That tends to drive people away.)

These allusions are also marvelous in creating a character with a past. Like the infamous tomato sauce incident (I thought I told you not to experiment in the kitchen, Will! The New World hasn’t been discovered yet!), or the moments when Halt or Crowley mention something that happened in their youth without telling the full story, these allusions also broaden a character, just as they broaden a world. You create jucier characters, which readers love, that way. It’s a win-win situation all around.

Would Araluen be so interesting if we weren’t curious about what might be lurking in Russia (the John R. Flanagan equivalent of it)? Okay, maybe that wasn’t a good example. 😛 But would the oliphaunts have made such an impact if we hadn’t been already curious about Harad, after Gandalf mentioned it and that it was nearly always warm there? Would we have been so eager to find out what happened at Budapest? What about Halt and Crowley’s friendship and how they became friends, or why Marguerite was acquainted with Chauvelin at all?

Insert random reference that builds into your world here.

Your readers will love you.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Remember how I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?

Yeah, and I threw up?

This isn’t payback, is it?

Now why would I do that?

(Virtual chocolate for anyone who knows that quote!)

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TCWT December 2014: Learning from the Masters

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a tale of two cities, blogging, brian jacques, c.s. lewis, charles dickens, dee henderson, fahrenheit 451, g.a. henty, irene hannon, j.r.r. tolkien, lord of the rings, madeleine l'engle, ray bradbury, redwall, sir arthur conan doyle, story dynamics, teens can write too blog chain, the silmarillion, writing

We’re back again!

I am so sorry, I’m posting this a day late. I had planned to schedule it, but… well, let’s just say that though I know better than to excuse myself to my instructors at college, you guys might actually forgive me if I say that work and college conspired to destroy ANY plans I had for this week. AT ALL. Also, late happy St. Nicholas’ Day and on time happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

I know it’s been a while since I posted for the Teens Can Write Too blog chain, but I had good excuses. Crazy college and a new job made me take a hiatus from blogging for a while. I kind-of almost want to change to a history major, but I’m going to hang on with what I have now–I figure that if I want a history degree later, I can get a history degree later by transferring credits and attending part-time. Besides, I don’t think you need a degree to go to history conventions and get in on that conversation. History people are awesome.

Well, that’s enough about that.

On to the prompt!

Over the years, I have learned a lot, mainly by following the example of other authors. Remember how there’s that annoying little thing where your writing tends to mimic the style of the last author you read? Well, that’s part of it. But only part of it.

From The Lord of the Rings and the Redwall series, I learned about style and pacing. In Redwall, the style is very concrete, and the pacing is quick; when you get to the crises of the books, it’s a hard-hitting series of events leading rapidly up to the climax. The Lord of the Rings is paced slower and has a bit more of an ornate style. I have had my style compared to Tolkien’s *glares at Iris, sitting in the audience*, but I tend to prefer Jacques’ pacing.

From Irene Hannon, Dee Henderson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I learned the value of not broadcasting your plot twists all over the place. Normally I have intuitions about whodunit, but in these cases I could not see the villain until he was right in my face. Genius.

From G.A. Henty, I learned that it’s okay to take detours. (Okay, Tolkien does that too, but I read Henty first.) Adding in side plots to prolong a quest+character development for side characters=an equation for 300 pages of a good read. (Don’t hate on me. 50k is all well and good, but I like books that are 150k or 200k, even. I read The Lord of the Rings in nine days straight and actually finished reading The Silmarillion.)

From A Tale of Two Cities, I learned the value of keeping up with history and using a cultural and historic background to my advantage. Realism is the name of the game, and while you’re simulating realism, it helps to be knowledgeable about the real history behind it.

From Fahrenheit 451 I learned the importance of keeping calm through criticism. (Don’t ask me how; that’s just the lesson I took away from it. I pick up on odd things sometimes.) I’m not used to being criticized in a negative light. If you’ve been reading my blog, and especially the comments on the posts, it’s only been once or twice that I haven’t received abject praise. I don’t know if that’s because I’m good at what I do or if I have a feel for what my audience likes or if they just can’t find anything to criticize. But it’s hard to be criticized since I’m so used to praise. I just have to find out what’s relevant, and not let the rest get to me.

From C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle, I learned that it’s okay to write the tough books, the ones that might get you hated on. You might be shocked to see how much criticism gets to me, even if you’ve known me forever, but I learned from reading Lewis’ and L’Engle’s works that you have to just kick fear in the teeth and write it. You’ll be surprised by how much support you garner.

You have to write the book that wants to be written, and if it’s too difficult for adults, write it for children. ~~ Madeleine L’Engle

5^th – http://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/

6^th – http://nasrielsfanfics.wordpress.com/

7^th – https://erinkenobi2893.wordpress.com/

8^th – http://introspectioncreative.wordpress.com/

9^th – http://semilegacy.blogspot.com/

10^th – http://kirabudge.weebly.com/

11^th – http://whileishouldbedoingprecal.weebly.com/

12^th – http://randomosityofeden.wordpress.com/

13^th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

14^th – http://www.alwaysopinionatedgirl.wordpress.com/

15^th – http://www.juliathewritergirl.wordpress.com/

16^th – http://miriamjoywrites.com/

17^th – http://horsfeathersblog.wordpress.com/

18^th – http://unironicallyexcited.wordpress.com/

19^th – http://theboardingblogger.wordpress.com/

20^th – http://stayandwatchthestars.wordpress.com/

21^st – http://unikkelyfe.wordpress.com/

22^nd – http://fantasiesofapockethuman.blogspot.com/

23^rd – http://lilyjenness.blogspot.com/

24^th – http://oliviarivers.wordpress.com/

25^th – [off-day]

26^th – http://butterfliesoftheimagination.wordpress.com/

27^th – http://missalexandrinabrant.wordpress.com/

28^th – http://www.pamelanicolewrites.com

29^th – http://jasperlindell.blogspot.com.au/

30^th – http://maralaurey.wordpress.com/ and http://theedfiles.blogspot.com/

31st – http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (We’ll announce the topic for next month’s chain.)

Oh, are you still here?

I apologize again for posting late. Don’t stick around here, though! Head right over to the next blog and don’t miss out on their post!

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Archivist of Selay’uu’s Journal: Goodbye Party

Tags

bbc merlin, bbc sherlock, brian jacques, characters, humor, iris, j.r.r. tolkien, john flanagan, lord of the rings, ranger's apprentice, redwall, sherlock holmes, sir arthur conan doyle, star trek, star wars, technology humor, the silmarillion

My proposal to study in Camelot was accepted! I am so excited. I can’t wait until I get to go! As I write this, it’s Monday (which means that my proposal was approved in one day. That’s quick work for Mistress El’ye, especially considering that she had to contact Merlin, Gwen, Gaius, and Arthur in order to check things through. I had expected to wait at least a week for her to get back to me.) However, it probably won’t be posted until later this week, as there have been a few issues with the internet in the Selay’uu mansion. (The most commonly suspected culprit is Anakin; however, I’m inclined to disagree. He’s affected by the loss of internet the same as the rest of us, and he’s too addicted to posting his Angry Birds high scores on Facebook to actually consider destroying our internet connection. Personally, I think it’s probably the fault of Morgarath and Morgoth, who have also been torturing us with the similarity of their names, and Vilu Daskar. Obi-Wan is working with Quinlan, Sherlock, John and Lestrade to covertly investigate. The perpetrators will probably be put to a punishment so awful they will never ever dare to cross the Council again. Also, the punishment is said to be unspeakable, which is a bit of a paradox, isn’t it?)

Anyway, I can leave as soon as I’m packed, provided that Obi-Wan, or possibly Scotty, can get me over there, but I’m planning on taking the rest of today to say goodbye to all my friends after I pack, and then leave early tomorrow. There’s even an element of uncertainty, because Obi-Wan says that while he’s fairly sure he can get me to Camelot, within a few miles of the city, I may end up anywhere in the realm and have to make my way to the city on my own. Of course, being the reckless adventurer I am, this is only making it all the more exciting for me!

Frodo and Sam, being the sweet people they are, planned a whole farewell party in the courtyard. Pippin turned up rather shamefacedly, apologetically replacing the cake, which he had shared with friends last night by mistake. Will came, and Tug came as well, which Halt found rather annoying. Everyone else thought that the pony was good company, though, and Tug was given an inordinate number of apples over the course of the evening. Every time we gave him one, though, Tug would just give Halt this knowing look, which most of us found hilarious. Halt took it all in his stride. It’s pretty much common knowledge that he is secretly amused by his apprentice’s antics, and occasionally–occasionally–this extends to his apprentice’s pony. I carried away the prize at chalk drawing, narrowly–surprisingly enough, it was Halt who was giving me a run for my money. Also, I think Gilan and Xanatos must be related. I mean, they act nearly exactly alike. Though I think Halt would say, “The world can only bear one of you, Gilan.” Anyway, all of my original characters were there, except that Klis was missing (again.) She needs rescuing so often, it’s not even funny.

And then I realized that for some reason, Captain Kirk had my cell phone. I had to go retrieve it. (Doctor McCoy was quite the help, there.) On second thoughts, it was probably Anakin who left it in his room, and I’m just being too harsh a judge. Still, I risked my life in there… I kid you not. Unlike the dinky little room you see on the Enterprise, there is neither rhyme nor reason to this room. Seriously. It’s like Iris’ mind, times five exponential. Or the room she was living in for the last year or so before she moved, only worse. (For those of you who have never seen Iris’ room, it was right under the eaves and already half-way in use as an attic, for storage. There wasn’t even room for an actual bed–she just put a mattress on the floor and a comforter on top of that and called it good. A certain distance over, there wasn’t enough room for me to stand up straight. And it was like a maze, with the bookshelves and boxes and all.) I suppose Kirk thinks it’s orderly, but honestly? I’m a practical sort of girl. I don’t do mess. Unless it’s my laptop or next manuscript in there, next time, I am never risking going in there again. And if I ever have to go in there again, I’m getting an official reprimand for the Captain. I don’t care what they say about bedrooms being a reflection on their owners. There is no way Kirk’s head is that crowded!