As promised, today’s edition is all about my new series. In this case, I’ll be talking about The Elemental Genre of Wonder, as coined by the podcasters at Writing Excuses. Instead of giving you an abstract explanation of what this concept is, and how to use it, I came up with the idea of breaking down and analyzing a story sequence where I think this concept is used masterfully and for great effect. Let me know if it was helpful
But first...
(Note: This is a Moon Gate; aren’t they just awe-inspiring? Can’t find the attribution for this wonderful photo sadly. If you know to whom it belongs, please let me know)
As explained by the Writing Excuses folks, the idea of an ‘Element Genre of Wonder’ stems from the phrase "Sense of Wonder" that you get from a lot of SciFi/Fantasy today. To be more precise, the Elemental Genre: Wonder speaks of the aspects of your book that create a Sense of Wonder or awe in either your characters or your readers or both.
What do they mean by Sense of Wonder?
According to Wikipedia, quoting The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction:
SENSE OF WONDER n. a feeling of awakening or awe triggered by an expansion of one's awareness of what is possible or by confrontation with the vastness of space and time, as brought on by reading science fiction
Or… George Mann speaks of "the sense of inspired awe that is aroused in a reader when the full implications of an event or action become realized, or when the immensity of a plot or idea first becomes known."
Before I proceed, two caveats.
Wonder is not necessarily a positive thing. A Sense of Wonder or Awe can be experienced by watching a nuclear explosion. There's nothing positive or whimsical about that.
This Elemental Genre of Wonder is not only reserved for SciFi/Fantasy. As the Writing Excuses Podcast folk illustrate: standing on a pier and looking at a 15-story ship, surrounded by friends, that gives you a sense of wonder. A beautiful sunrise after a long night out drinking with friends, that is a sense of wonder as well. A giant cathedral during Christmas mass. The examples are endless.
So... Without further ado...
How to use the Elemental Genre: Wonder A Basic Introduction
To prepare for this edition, I listened, took notes, and reflected on five different Writing Excuses episodes (11.1; 11.3; 11.6; 11.8 & 11.9). The conclusion I arrived at is the following: For a person to feel a Sense of Wonder, generally, three elements are needed: Novelty, Contextualisation, and Escalation.
Novelty or Strangeness, the experience of something other, or something old seen in a new light, often urges people to feel a Sense of Wonder.
Contextualization: this, in a way, is connected to the concept of Novelty. The ability to experience something old in a new way, or to make something stand out through juxtaposition with something else, helps bring forth that Sense of Wonder.
Finally, the Writing Excuses folk speak of creating a sense of Escalation. If you see first a wooden dingy, then a small yacht, then a cruise ship–the cruise ship becomes suddenly way more awe-inspiring.
How is this expressed? Well... In Fiction, a Sense of Wonder can be expressed in two ways:
1) The Experience a character has.
2) The Experience a reader has.
Those two ways are not necessarily occurring at the same time, mind you. Or, even better, not all characters in a given scene experience a sense of wonder at the same time.
‘The Journey From Platform 9 ¾’ Example
This is the best example I've found of an author achieving a Sense of Wonder in their readers (and characters.) Throughout this sequence (found in Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, chapter 6), Rowling combines Novelty (or Strangeness), Contextualisation, and Escalation to achieve an incredible effect.
Note: I'm just going to focus on J. K. Rowling's use of the Elemental Genre: Wonder through this sequence. A lot of other (very important) things are happening in these few chapters.
What happens in this sequence?
We begin, as you might recall, with Harry being driven to King's Cross by his aunt and uncle. This gives us the context of normalcy, of Harry's (and the readers) every-day life–but all the while we know that he is about to leave that life behind.
You (and Harry) know that he is going to Hogwarts. You (and Harry) want to know what Hogwarts is like.
But does Harry just teleports to Hogwarts from there? No. Because escalation needs to happen for the sense of wonder to have its full effect. Not only that but… Does Harry find his way alone to platform 9 3/4? Nope. Harry first encounters the Weasleys, which, among other functions, serve to bring the first hint of novelty to the sequence.
At first glance, we realize the Weasleys are different. They act different from everyone else, they say strange things such as 'muggles' (a word Harry recognizes, but still finds new and strange.) They are the ones to show Harry the way through the literal portal between platforms 9 and 10.
But what does Harry first see when he crosses this wondrous portal? A 'normal' means of transportation. A train. Surrounded by what usually surrounds a train when it’s departing: men and women, parents saying goodbye to their children. But.. these are not normal families. Here the strange (and new) and the familiar begin to intermix. This allows the reader not to feel lost, or overwhelmed.
Then: Harry boards the Hogwarts Express and leaves Kings Cross behind. He feels a sense of wonder (and so does the reader) already. But you know who doesn't? Most of the other students, including Ron. They all knew what to expect, they knew about magic, and about a train that would take them to their school. Most of them have already been there, in fact.
The escalation continues: on the train, more strange, wonderful things, happen. Ron attempts to do magic but fails. A boy comes asking about his pet toad. Then comes the Trolley Witch, and introduces Harry to the fact that even candy is going to be different. (Again: strange and familiar pairing.) And so the trip goes until the train arrives at Hogwarts.
Oh wait, the train doesn't arrive at Hogwarts, doesn't it? This is a detail I often forget when remembering this scene. There is no Hogwarts train station. The train arrives at Hogsmeade, which is much more meaningful. In that detail, lies Rowling's true genius. Instead of having the Hogwarts express arrive at Hogwarts' gates, Rowling adds a little (seemingly unnecessary) portion to the journey. By doing so, she delays gratification to the reader which, of course, further escalates the sense of wonder and eventual payoff.
A familiar (yet still quite strange) character is reintroduced to the story: Hagrid. He is going to lead the 1st year students (and them only) through the lake, instead of taking the carriages with the rest. This is another brilliant detail: Rowling alienates all the first-year students (and the reader) from those who have already seen Hogwarts and have already felt that sense of wonder, and just find it old and familiar.
As the first-year students traverse the lake and approach Hogwarts, Rowling has Ron and some of the other (non-muggle-born) students mention how they knew this like trip was part of the plan. But... nothing can prepare them for what they are about to see. At one point, the boats turn, and Harry (and the reader) see Hogwarts for the first time.
Because of the way Rowling set the scene, now not only Harry, and the reader, bask in the castle's beauty and size, but also all the other students who have never seen it before. And so the Sense of Wonder manifests at its most effective.
That’s it! Pretty awesome, right? If this still doesn’t make much sense, or you don’t know exactly how to emulate this on your own writing, don’t worry. I’ll be doing a more execution-oriented follow-up to the Elemental Genre of Wonder soon enough.
Oh, and two final notes:
The first is that I did this recap from memory, so if I made any mistakes or forgot any details, please let me know and I’ll make the necessary adjustments.
The second: Brandon Sanderson says that a lot of new writers make a big mistake when trying to inject a sense of wonder into their story––They introduce an awesome new element to their story, but they don't give us, the reader, or the characters, the time to react to it because they believe they have to keep the pacing going really fast all the time.
In Harry's trip to Hogwarts, JK is forcing you to spend a lot of time reading; she is slowly introducing element after element, delaying the final gratification, making you turn page after page, all in wait for the big moment to arrive.
And when that moment arrives, it truly is wondrous.
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