A Classic Storyline

This isn't going to be a dissection of a storyline; simply something to reveal an influence in my writing style.

As a teenager, many (too many), years ago, after I had recently discovered science fiction stories, my uncle was home on leave from the Navy. Unknown to me, he was a sci-fi fan and while I was at school, he left to return to his duty station. As adults frequently do, he disregarded my ownership of my books and asked my mother if he could trade books with me. When I returned home, Mom told me about it and I found that he left a double-book in place of one of my favorites! I can't remember the title of the book he took, but I still have the double-book he left me.

The book consists of "The Legion of Time" and "After World's End", both by Jack Williamson, and I found that of the two stories, I like the former most. In the story, a man is lured and thrust, (a strange combination) into a noble pursuit and manages to prevail against all odds with the assistance of nearly a dozen other men pulled out of Time at the moments of their deaths. During the story, one and another of these men are killed in action and their remains released over the side of the Time-Ship they are on until only the hero remains. He triumphs at the cost of his life and anyone would believe the story would be over there, but you must remember that this is a sci-fi story and no one is ever really dead if the author doesn't want them to be dead.

The hero awakens in a hospital aboard the Time-Ship and is confronted with his shipmates, presumed dead until this moment. The only permanent casualties in the story are the myriad baddies they dispatched, the arch-villainess, and the tragic character of the man responsible for pulling them all out of Time.

Now, it may seem trite and contrived, but to really judge the story, you should read it yourself if you can find it. I suggest cruising some of the moldy-smelling used book stores that seem to crop up in the weirdest places, because the copy I have was printed sometime in the 30's.

Returning to the "trite and contrived" aspect; it may seem so at the first reading, but I've discovered that Mr. Williamson wrote the story in such a way as to inject an undeniable symmetry that is difficult to dispute. I know that any editor would caution against this as it is no longer a favored writing style. It is an antique and false writing style, but I believe it betrays that within us which wishes to have a "happily ever after" at the end of the story. Not just this story, but any story.

I have played with such a construct in several of my own novels and have been pleased with the result. Maybe that explains why it has been so difficult for me to find an agent while still posting fairly respectable sales figures. I view editors as critics and have seen too many stories, movies and TV shows that critics hated, but fans were wild about. Critics try to instill an artificial style and taste in the audience despite what the audience wants. That's why so many of them admit to 'guilty pleasures'.

To sum up: I will continue to write to please myself and my readers in spite of the things editors my shake their heads over.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of The Empty Heart: A Collection, Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle