Using “The Forces Unseen” To Write My Novel.
Two articles ago I wrote a thought piece on pseudoscientific books. It was one that satisfied me, but brought more questions than answers. Perhaps in the future I’ll write a more in-depth version of that post. While bringing my main points home, it was a surface level summary of a topic I was in the beginning stage of exploring. I’m still in a beginning stage now, but a little further along to realize there’s much to be taken from these strange anomalies of spiritual-scientific beliefs.
While I like to use the word pseudoscience, it’s a very broad term that doesn’t fully acknowledge the extreme nuance of the field. There are grains of truth in some of the most wild theories and buckets more in the plausible ones. It’s also important to realize that many dominant theories in science today were at one point labeled pseudoscientific. When considering these things, it’s hard to tell what keeps all of them under the same group for me. After some pondering on this, I realized my imaginary side was bonding with these theories. As of now, it’s the only reason for my categorization.
While strong scientific theories can still intrigue, there’s something about having a little wiggle room of unknowing. Topics such as the existence of aliens, the system of consciousness, and prehistory are still big unknowns. This gives eons of ways to speculate; countless people, cultures, creatures, forces, technology, and philosophy that may or may have not existed, or may still exist. It’s a game of grasping on to scraps of knowledge and shooting in the dark. For me this is what makes pseudoscience fun, if it can be called a science at all.
Perhaps the better word for these theories I hold interest in is speculative science. Their ability to capture the imagination in endless directions makes them in common. A secondary characteristic would be their believability. If the proposed thing could occur in a similar dimension, it fits the bill. In my last article, I described pseudoscientific literature as having an uncanny valley quality to it. While I still find this true, they also have an awe-inspiring nature that I didn’t come to terms with until later in my studies. This feeling all comes down to “it’s probably not real but could be real”. Though there are many imaginative people out there that create worlds that could exist in our own, pseudoscience has this reality potential that makes it more intriguing. It’s one thing to read a fictional story of an underground city, it’s another to have a hunch that it may be real.
In healthy doses, this state of mind is a great conduit for creativity rather than blind cult worship. I should mention however that a delicate combination of heavy speculation with a dash of belief needs to be present in order to achieve this. The end goal is to not become fearful of Armageddon by giant scorpions, but seriously consider if they could be a reality in our universe. It’s coming to terms with the little humanity knows of the universe and its countless possibilities. A great example of these phenomena is Bigfoot. Most people don’t believe in its existence, but that doesn’t stop there being countless TV shows and books written about the phenomena. Even a crumb of believability in the public is enough to keep an ever flowing interest in the squatch. It makes people truly confront the potential reality of a world beyond our own more than even a fictional story about such a creature could.
This leads to my current endeavors, what I currently call “the forces unseen”. I’m planning on pursuing this exercise by the end of 2022 through 2023. To further explore my toad worshiping character Rodney for my novel, I need to understand what he sees in his lumpy friends. In order to do this I must explore the properties of an “unseen energy”. If there was a force that were properties of physics that most states of consciousness could not perceive, how would it function? In my case, this “unseen” energy occurs in the toads and is the reason Rodney draws to them. There are many questions I need to answer about the toads. What do their metaphysical bodies look like? How is their energy transferred? What are the rules of their metaphysical energy? What are the unique properties of this energy? There’s much more to ask beyond that and it will take a decent study of physics, biology, and religious studies to create a model that feels believable. My goal is to not create another pseudoscientific theory, but to craft a world for my story with the essence of my character.
If any reader has made it this far, thank you for trying to understand this nebulous topic. It is something I find much fascination in for reasons beyond what it intends. I hope to further pursue my knowledge of speculative science and use its potential to foster creativity to the fullest. To do this through literature or art is my ultimate dream, an aspiration to create something fresh in the sci-fi genre. It’s a tall order, but I’m going to try. Whether I garner success isn’t the aim. Having a passionate attitude towards science is good, even for mere creative purposes. This new hobby of mine has restored my intrigue of it after five soul sucking college years and for me that’s a great thing.
