NEW PARIS BOOK IN PROGRESS IN 2024: THE KNOWN, THE UNKNOWN AND THE MORAL CONFLICT – Blog # 3.
Every story has three elements: the known, the unknown, and the main character – i.e., the hero.
In the planning stages of my next fictional novel, tentatively called The New Paris Book, set in Paris from 2020, I consider these three elements.
Known: In 2020, Paris is orderly, safe, and known, but with restrictions.
Unknown: Paris is changing and imposing restrictions and rules in response to the pandemic and Brexit. How chaotic and risky do these restrictions have on the plans of the hero?
Hero: In my new Paris fiction novel, the hero must face and explore known facts as well as the unknown. This is particularly relevant for the three dragons in the story – i.e., the major challenges and conflicts, such as with the pandemic and Brexit, as well as everyday life and relationships in Paris.
What are the positive and negatives that come with order and chaos? How long is the unknown going to last? Can the main character find order in chaos? When chaos is supreme, is it too much to hope for a miracle?
Within the three elements, is there good and evil in Paris, and is the main character influenced by the good and evil in Paris? For example, in addition to the known conflicts and challengesfor the hero in the story, is there a moral conflict – a battle between right and wrong? Will it lead to tragedy?
The German philosopher Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) said that “genuine tragedy is not a conflict between right and wrong, it is a conflict between two rights.” French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-1984) wrote,
“If you knew when you began a book what you would say at the end, do you think you would have the courage to write it? What is true for writing and for a love relationship is true also for life. The game is worthwhile insofar as we don’t know what we will be at the end.”
The planning for my New Paris Book, a semi-autobiographical novel, continues …
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Photographer: Martina Nicolls