Writing short stories and chaos

I’m currently in the final stages of writing my third collection of short stories. Like most of my other writings, especially short stories, I enjoy the theme of chaos.. Of course, any good story presents conflict or obstacle, often another person or organization embodied in the antagonist. My antagonists are almost always something other than a human: the universe, the reality of life, God, Satan, whatever. This is true regardless of the genre in which I am writing. I am playing with Chaos Theory, to some degree.

Chaos Theory is an older theory of mathematics which purports that some complex systems are not predictable because one small change to even the tiniest element can result in radically different outcomes. The truth of this theory can be seen in weather predictions. Even with computer modeling, accuracy is only good for a short period into the future. Beyond that, the number of variables and the effect of even a tiny variable can product, over time, momentous changes. This is sometimes called the “butterfly effect,” suggesting that even the flapping of a butterfly’s wings could have a signifcant effect in some cases.

In truth, Chaos Theory is not suggesting that chaos reigns; only that it appears as chaos. Later theorists believed that it should theoretically be possible to predict, if one could only monitor every element, even minute ones. Perhaps AI can someday do this is some areas. The three-body problem is a fascinating application of this theory (and the basis for an innovative novel by Cixin Liu. (An interesting field of study involves the connection between Chaos Theory and quantum mechanics or physics—the study of the wave reality of subatomic particles. I should look into this.)

As you can see, then, being a human in a complex society in a complex universe with a phenomenal number of variables (large and small), would make predictability almost impossible. But my use of these ideas in narrative go beyond mere mechanical chaos. There are a few characteristics of my view, shaped, I am sure, by my experience and my education.

• The reality of being human and living a life is not quantifiable or predictable: we are not in control of much at all.
• We desire quantifiability and predictability so much that we believe if we work and think well enough, we can be in control of most of our life.
• Obstacles, loss, suffering, lack of control, unfairness cause us great consternation—especially if they seem to be random (chaos).

This all then me to want to explore characters who come face-to-face with this unreliability of human existence, especially if it can be so confusing and unfair that it pushes them to the it limits. My interest in this is not sadistic or love of dark themes, but something far more helpful (I hope). By exploring what a human does with faced with the reality that they are not in control, or that they have no idea how to act, or that serious injustice can occur in good lives, I hope to help my readers find some comfort. Not firm and solid answers to the meaning of life—because I think that would destroy the whole theory—but comfort in that it is part of being human, and others experience it as well.

Maybe a reader will find some answer to his purpose in the world beyond the futile attempt to impose order. Maybe a reader can see some things in a new way when it happens to a fictional character instead of her. Or maybe a reader will simply not feel so alone, knowing that others have struggled with the same issue. I don’t think it’s my job to lead the reader to answers I believe in. That’s their own journey, in which I hope to be some help along the way.

So, back to writing about the chaos that comes while we pursue good, happy, and meaningful lives.