Ghosts - what can they do?

jscribbles · Jan 12, 2008

Would you, as a reader, accept that a ghost could fall in love with another character who is dead but walks around like the living as a "guide" (think Dead Like Me).

Would you accept that a ghost could make out with such a guide?

How can I make it so that the ghost can communicate with the living (not the guide)? I am playing with electricity, and I thought that may be a way for her to communicate.

Would you accept a character carrying a magnet or something like that would be able to communicate with the ghost?

Would you accept the idea that ghosts can communicate through the internet? I guess this isn't so far-fetched, since we've had some movies about ghosts communicating through electricity recently.

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to fix what could be a fatal flaw with my novel if I cannot resolve some of these issues.

scarletpeaches · Jan 12, 2008

I'd suspend my disbelief for anything if it was written well.

jscribbles · Jan 12, 2008

Good to know, good to know.

JoNightshade · Jan 12, 2008

I'd add to what SP said and say that I'd accept it as long as you set up the ground rules first. Ghosts can operate however you want in your world - you just have to define it early on and make the rules clear to the reader. I don't want to get 200 pages in and discover "Hey, that's an email from a ghost! I didn't know they could interact with electronics!" (Or whatever.)

joyce · Jan 12, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
I'd suspend my disbelief for anything if it was written well.

I agree. If it's written well, I'd believe anything.

Evaine · Jan 13, 2008

In the TV series Randall and Hopkirk, Deceased, (the modern remake of the 60s series) Randall first sees Hopkirk as part of his computer game, though later he can see Hopkirk directly (and no-one else can, which means he has a lot of conversations and arguments with thin air). Hopkirk can't touch anything, but he can blow things about, and he can influence other people who are under hypnosis. A lot of the ghostly attributes came from real life experiences of ghosts - here played for comedy.

justme · Jan 13, 2008

joyce said:
I agree. If it's written well, I'd believe anything.

I agree.

Smiling Ted · Jan 13, 2008

JWheeler said:
Would you, as a reader, accept that a ghost could fall in love with another character who is dead but walks around like the living as a "guide" (think Dead Like Me).

Would you accept that a ghost could make out with such a guide?

How can I make it so that the ghost can communicate with the living (not the guide)? I am playing with electricity, and I thought that may be a way for her to communicate.

Not only would I believe anything that's written well, I'd suggest that the one thing you need to invent yourself (the electromagnetism sounds promising) is the set of rules for the dead interacting with the living.

The most interesting novels about the subject are the ones where the author has come up with a fresh twist on the rules. In Expiration Date (Tim Powers) people snort ghosts like cocaine, and the protagonist is a kid who accidentally huffs the ghost of Thomas Edison.

jscribbles · Jan 13, 2008

Smiling Ted said:
Not only would I believe anything that's written well, I'd suggest that the one thing you need to invent yourself (the electromagnetism sounds promising) is the set of rules for the dead interacting with the living.

Actually, the twist to my story isn't how the dead interact with the living but the task the ghost is trying to accomplish. I agree that I need to find something special to make the communication possible, though. I'm considering the electromagnetism idea or possibly using the internet in some way.

Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad to know if I set up a plausible set of rules in the beginning (and write my face off to make it great), readers will come with me. I was worried people might be like "hey, ghosts can't do that!"

Chasing the Horizon · Jan 13, 2008

Ghosts can do whatever you want them to do. Sometimes different ghosts can even do different things depending on how and why they're in the world of the living.

small axe · Jan 13, 2008

You might ask the opposite: What can ghosts NOT do, no matter how well written?

That is, at what point do you give up the dramatic value of their BEING "ghosts"?

And if a ghost "can do anything" ... is that as interesting as exploring what they can NOT do?

Consider the movie GHOST. It's a wonderful (imo) movie and love story ... but it's defined by what the ghost CANNOT do, and the lengths it must go to communicate with his lover from across the spirit world. The ghost's limitations make the story better ... and the audience understanding his limitations are vital to the story.

Just my two cents.

Death Wizard · Jan 13, 2008

If you set up an intelligent, well-conceived set of rules at the beginning, and then follow those rules, everything else will fall into place.

farfromfearless · Jan 13, 2008

I agree with peaches - if its well written, I'll gladly suspend my belief. Take a look at Charles de Lint's book "The Blue Girl" - while fairly conventional in terms of what ghosts can and cannot do, he does present an interesting setting for his MC to communicate with a ghost. Along side that, he also uses aspects of his fictional world to bridge some of the challenges the ghost faces in his attempts to interact with the physical world. Lynn Flewelling also presents an interesting approach to ghosts in her series "The Bone Doll Twins". Both are good reads.

Diana W. · Jan 17, 2008

I would like to add that I too would be able to go along with a plot like that if it's well written. If it helps, there is also a theory that you can communicate with ghosts with tape recorders. If you leave a tape recorder on record and ask a ghost if one is present to speak into the microphone you're supposed to be able to hear voices.
You might also want to consider "white noise" where if you have the sound of static (eg television not tuned to a station or likewise a radio) you are also supposed to be meant to be able to hear ghost voices. Some things to consider for your story if you're looking for ways ghosts can communicate with the living. I hope that helps!

geardrops · Jan 17, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
I'd suspend my disbelief for anything if it was written well.

It's a whole thread of people agreeing with you.

The world. She has gone mad

StoryG27 · Jan 17, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
I'd suspend my disbelief for anything if it was written well.

I just had to quote what peaches said because I think this says it all.

And yes, the whole world has gone mad. . .peaches included.

Smiling Ted · Jan 17, 2008

EVP

NYBrit said:
I would like to add that I too would be able to go along with a plot like that if it's well written. If it helps, there is also a theory that you can communicate with ghosts with tape recorders. If you leave a tape recorder on record and ask a ghost if one is present to speak into the microphone you're supposed to be able to hear voices.
You might also want to consider "white noise" where if you have the sound of static (eg television not tuned to a station or likewise a radio) you are also supposed to be meant to be able to hear ghost voices. Some things to consider for your story if you're looking for ways ghosts can communicate with the living. I hope that helps!

Nice suggestion.
Hearing voices in static/white noise is also sometimes called EVP - electronic voice phenomenon.
If you ever listen to Art Bell/Coast to Coast you'll get an earful of riffs on this topic...NPI.

Diana W. · Jan 17, 2008

Also if you go to this site you will find a forum full of ghost hunters and people who are generally interested in the subject of ghosts. You could even join the forum and post your question on there. Maybe some people who specialize in ghosts will be able to give you even more ideas for your story. Somethings that THEY would also be able to accept.

http://www.tapsmainforum.com/

small axe · Jan 17, 2008

It's a whole thread of people agreeing with you.

Well, I don't agree that anything and everything that is "well written" works. A role can be well-acted and still be mis-cast.

A Ghost can be well-written (and what really do you all mean by that? Explain.) ... and still fail miserably in concept.

A Ghost character might spout dialogue and character angst like Shakespeare, and if one of it's "powers" is to communicate only by ... smearing cat feces on toast ... that's a well-written, yet badly concieved, character.

"Well written" isn't a panacea, imo. Well written alone can still turn an interesting genre yarn into "literary" drivel.

I concede I'm in the minority there, possibly in error, but it's NOT

a whole thread of people agreeing with you.

Or maybe I do agree with the OP, just not the advice that "well written" covers ALL problems with suspension of dis-belief.

Maybe I'm just defining "well written" more narrowly than others ... obviously "good in all ways" covers "all ways" ...

Is there any way a piece can be "well written" yet still contain flaws?

What flaws could exist, yet you'd still consider a piece "well written" in this Ghost example?

jwuollife · Jan 28, 2008

Ghosts - What can they do ?

Hi, I'm a professional medium and whilst you're looking to write Fanatasy which doesn't really have any rules it's always worthwhile looking at actual spiritual phenomena..i.e. EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena), White Noise & White Light. You never who might be reading your novel. And with regard to 'Guides' you need to be sure you know what they are, as everyone has a different idea, depending on their own beliefs. A good easy book to read about 'Guides' is - Spirit Guides and Guardian Angels by Richard Webster. If it's not what you're looking for there's plenty of websites on the subject...good luck with your project.

~grace~ · Jan 28, 2008

JoNightshade said:
I'd add to what SP said and say that I'd accept it as long as you set up the ground rules first. Ghosts can operate however you want in your world - you just have to define it early on and make the rules clear to the reader. I don't want to get 200 pages in and discover "Hey, that's an email from a ghost! I didn't know they could interact with electronics!" (Or whatever.)

Exactly! Just make sure the rules of YOUR ghosts are defined, whatever rules you decided on.

:e2bouncey

Plot Device · Jan 28, 2008

Evaine said:
In the TV series

... A lot of the ghostly attributes came from real life experiences of ghosts - here played for comedy.

Care to rephrase that one?

geardrops · Jan 28, 2008

Plot Device said:
Care to rephrase that one?

Are you implying ghosts don't exist?

Plot Device · Jan 28, 2008

dempsey said:
Are you implying ghosts don't exist?

I'm making a dual allusion here, either one of which I deem quite humorous:

Either;

1) Ghosts do not exist, so any claims to a "real life" experience by a ghost is ludicrous.

or

2) Ghosts are (by nature) no longer alive, therefore the expression "real life experiences of ghosts" is an oxymoron.

Either way, you might want to rephrase. :tongue

jwuollife · Jan 29, 2008

Hello Again, I actually find the term 'ghosts' a little disrespectful and prefer the term 'Spirit'...and sorry if my next comment is controversial, but 'spirit' do exist. I have seen & experienced too many things to think otherwise. But it's always interesting to listen to other viewpoints, but what's that phrase about walking in another person's shoes.

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