The Mundane; A short literary analysis.

Why is the mundane so interesting?

At least to write about, in media.

Why would you want to write about real life? It’s boring.

Write fantasy, write mystery, suspense, science fiction.

Everyone can do that, well, not quite literally, everyone can write about a world that doesn't exist, everyone can invent problems and conflicts and write on and write off, left and right. Because the world is in your hands… but what happens when it isn’t?

The mundane, the world we find ourselves in is so interesting because I enjoy seeing what people can do with it, how can they twist it? And how far, so it doesn’t seem off?

Everyone can tell me about an inhumanly strong person saving the galaxy, everyone can tell me about a “unique” character saving the world, who’s extremely smart, no one can do his job (Because it is usually “his” job)

But, can you tell me about this person just dealing with life? Just trying to solve their problems the best they can? In a perfectly balanced way? Show me flaws, show me sadness, show me mundane happiness, show me relationships, words that actually mean something, show me an interesting scenario, show me what it means to be alive, in a world where there’s no hero, and no villain, but just the people, their thoughts, and the small actions that represent them.

Human Emotions.

“Everyone can write about a world that doesn't exist”

That turns me into a hypocrite… I write based on the mundane and the “normal” but even if it’s a world that exists, the people who live in it don’t, but that’s what it means to be a writer, dream and then put it on paper, share it with the world.

Maybe the situations my characters find themselves in are real, are taken from the real world, are mundane and generally about what happens in the day-day, but the characters aren’t, once again, I’m contradicting myself.

But, what’s beautiful about this and the mundane in general, is how people do it; some of the problems and situations are similar to what has happened to me and to other people in real life, relatability, a strong asset to have on your side, somewhat of an extension of someone, but how do other people deal with it? What varies? What makes their mundane situation special, how do I, how do we make it special?, there’s art in writing about the mundane.

And I’m not saying I’m good, even remotely, I just like it.

In a few movies, series and video games, the mundane parts are what are most memorable to me, because it says more about a character than when dealing with the actual plot or the big conflict. Everyone who’s mildly good can save the world, everyone who’s considered bad or selfish, or has the mentality that the end justifies the means, can do the wrong thing.

But what do people do when they face something common, like being fired from a job, losing a relative, moving, dropping out of college, breaking up, drinking, coming home from work. What do these people think? How do these people behave? What do the clothes they wear represent? We may think the stakes are less important, but they’re not. A trip to the grocery store when you have extreme anxiety is like facing the enemy, in an ordinary fashion.

There’s an art in writing about the mundane.