[Listen]
[Intro music plays]
[Woman’s Voice]
This is Behind the Cut with Christopher Gronlund. The companion show to Not About Lumberjacks.
[Music fades out]
Christopher Gronlund:
Behind the Cut is an in-depth look at the latest episode of Not About Lumberjacks and likely contains spoilers of the most recent story. You’ve been warned…”
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There’s an accepted literary rule called Chekov’s gun. The rule is simple: if you include a detail in a story, it must serve the story.
If you have a pistol on a desk or a rifle hanging on the wall, that gun must play an important part in the story…otherwise, it should never be mentioned.
Rules in literature serve a purpose, but…many are arbitrary. Three-act structures and driving plot are not as common in some cultures as they are in Western literature. Ending a sentence with a preposition or beginning a sentence with a conjunction is not the end of the world. The introduction to one of the most famous television shows of all time splits an infinitive with, “Where no one has gone before…” (and also ends the famous line with a preposition). And even the staunchest supporter of “Show, don’t tell,” usually has sections of their stories where we’re told what happened, rather than being shown.
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I mention rules because there are some things in “Godspeed, Crazy Mike,” people enjoy…that don’t serve the story. Detective Vandiver’s quirky love for sweepstakes is just that: a quirk. Nothing in the story hinges on it. And Detective Mule having Tourette syndrome doesn’t lead to unfolding clues in their case.
I am not one prone to gambling and other games of chance—I just thought it would be funny if many of the things Vandiver uses in his everyday life were won in contests.
Mule’s Tourette syndrome, however, is a bit more personal.
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Somewhere around third grade, teachers told me to sit still. Like Detective Mule, by fifth grade, I had developed a series of physical and audible tics.
I hid it pretty well, and when I couldn’t, I hung out with a friend who struggled with Tourette syndrome more than I did. I likely blinked as much as him, but he carried the “Blinky” nickname while I was mostly ignored. He was called a “spaz” for his physical tics, while mine weren’t as apparent when standing beside him.
By junior high, we were two of the more picked-on kids in Carl Sandburg Junior High School.
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I still deal with Tourette syndrome—just nothing like when I was younger. I’m lucky that it’s never negatively affected my life, unlike others who genuinely struggle through their days.
I’ve had people ask if something was wrong when I’ve had a hard to not giving into tics, but others are shunned and struggle to find work.
While there’s no literary reason for Detective Mule to have Tourette syndrome, I wanted to portray a character with the disorder…because some people have brown hair, and others have Tourette’s.
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Last year, I released a story titled, “Calling Out of Time.” The story’s protagonist, Amir Nazari, walks with a cane. It could be presumed he was injured as a child in the housefire mentioned in the story, but it’s never explained. He’s just a guy who needs a cane to get around.
Disabled people are underrepresented in fiction. If they are present, many times, their disability is part of the story. Sometimes that’s great—a friend recently wrote a novel called Breathe and Count Back from Ten, about a girl with hip dysplasia who wants to become a mermaid. But other times, a disability is seen like Chekov’s Gun: if the story isn’t about the disability, why mention it?
The answer, for me, is because disabled people exist.
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I’m sure there are some readers who scrutinize every little thing, but I’ve never heard people ask, “Does that character’s haircut serve the story? Why do they prefer clothing from that designer…is that part of the plot? What clues or symbolism are hidden in their favorite meal?”
But…if that same character is a wheelchair user, some question why the choice is made. “If it isn’t part of the story, why not just get rid of the wheelchair?”
For me—again—it’s because people who use wheelchairs exist. I’m not going to try telling the story of what it’s like to be a wheelchair user, because that’s a story better left in the hands of someone who knows, but all people deserve to be seen as more than a plot point.
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I’m fortunate: Tourette syndrome never limited me much. Sure, it used to contribute to my existing shyness, but it was never a disorder I had to fight to overcome.
My old friend (whom I’m still in touch with today), struggled more than I did, but he’s received help—and now even educates people about the condition. And still, for others, it’s a disabling syndrome that leaves them isolated from much of society.
There’s no reason for Detective Beatrice Mule to have Tourette syndrome—it doesn’t reveal anything about the story. But people with Tourette syndrome exist; in fact, they’re often played off as a joke.
So why not portray Detective Mule as a cool person doing her job…who just happens to have a disorder many people don’t understand?
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I think writers sometimes become so fixated on literary rules serving the story that they forget stories ultimately serve people.
And some people have only seen themselves reflected in stories as villains, oddities, or not represented at all. Those tropes and views are best left in the past.
Others have seen their disabilities played for sympathy, or portrayed as only being worthy of inclusion in stories if they somehow “overcome” their struggle and make others feel better about themselves.
But a person with a disorder or disability is so much more than just a literary device.
So…that’s why Detective Mule has Tourette syndrome, even though it’s not essential to the story; why Amir Nazari uses a cane; why Akara Mok walks with a limp; and why I’ll continue writing about people like them as I would any other person.
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Thank you for listening to Not About Lumberjacks and Behind the Cut. Theme music for Behind the Cut is a tune called “Reaper” by Razen. Visit nolumberjacks.com for information about the music, the episodes, and voice talent.
Also, for as little as a dollar a month, you can have access to a bigger behind-the-scenes look at Not About Lumberjacks on Patreon. Check out patreon.com/cgronlund if that sounds like your kinda thing.
In September, when Kenna Baynes happens upon a rare book in her university’s library, she finds marginalia on a page that leads her to…well, you’ll have to listen and find out.
Until next time: be mighty, and keep your axes sharp!
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