Banal

Banal

Writers observe the world and then use they situations and characters they have seen to create stories. We find good people and employ them as models of how life at its best can be, and we find bad people and use them to explain some of the troubles in our world.

If a writer looks carefully enough, almost everyone is interesting enough to put into a story.

I’ve recently encountered a couple of people who seem to take delight in other’s misery. One spread false rumours about a literary festival I’m involved with, and another questioned the legality of local house concerts.

In both situations there was little reason for the complaints beyond tearing down something worthwhile. The literary festival is a chance for writers and artists to get exposure and a little compensation and an opportunity for the public to be inspired and entertained. House concerts are one place where musicians can make a little money. They are often set up in a way that the host gets nothing beyond the satisfaction of hearing wonderful music. Those attending can hear fabulous music in an intimate setting.

It’s hard to understand why anyone would want to destroy either of these admirable activities.

When I think about fiction that I’ve read, I have a hard time remembering characters who tear down good work with little comprehensible motivation. Villains usually have a back story that makes the reader a little sympathetic or at least have some understanding of what makes a character tick.

In order for reader to be interested in a character, there must be something about them the reader can relate to. It might be that they see a reason for reprehensible behaviour. An evil character who has suffered through a terrible childhood is believable and elicits some sympathy. When a character is shown to have some kind of mental illness, we are given a clue to why they behave the way they do.

It often happens that people who attack worthwhile activities do little to help others or even be involved in the world outside of their own small circle. When someone complains about an artistic gathering, it is likely that they never attend any of the events they are talking about.

It is easy to sit behind a computer and whine about the rest of the world. There are so many worthwhile things we can do with our lives. Complaining and putting others down is poor use of the time we are given.

Constructive criticism is a different issue. We all make mistakes and it is useful to hear of ways that we can improve what we are doing. It isn’t hard to tell helpful comments from those that are just nasty. There is a meanness to negative critiques that is easily discerned.

When writers put characters into a story, there is a reason for their existence. If everything about a character has no recognizable justification, they don’t provide much help with a narrative.

It is possible to write about the kind of person I’ve been describing. The problem is whether this kind of character can add anything to a story. One way of thinking about the problem of using this kind of character is that they can be best described as banal. The dictionary says that banal is an adjective the describes something boring, ordinary, and completely lacking in freshness or original thought.

Being banal is not a good way to live your life and people who are banal don’t provide much interest for those around them or writers looking for interesting characters.