You’ve Been Canonized!: LeonTrotsky
Good evening and welcome everyone to this installment of You’ve Been Canonized our weekly interview segment here on Timelines where we take a patron author and get to know more about them , what they think of Timelines , and their current project or AAR ! If you’re new to the show I’m canonized author of
Timelines: What if Spain Failed to Control the World? and today’s guest is LeonTrotsky author of the award winning
Cruelty Has a Human Heart . Let’s get to the questions !
Part I: Commissar Trotsky
A look at the revolutionary !
canonized: First , I'd like to welcome you to our programme ! Tell us a little about yourself , how long you've been on the forums and how long you've been writing AARs .
LeonTrotsky: Ive been on the Paradox forums a few years but AARland for only about 18 months I think. Well my first AAR I wrote about a year ago, which was more a history book style, my current one is my first attempt at a narrative
canonized: What finally drew you to AARland and to finally start writing your first AAR ?
LeonTrotsky: I was impressed just at the sheer scope of writing that was going on, not to mention the quality. Some of them read like genuine history books, some are very funny; some are just incredibly well-written stories. But I'd have to single out Coz1's epic 'Into the West' as the one AAR that really made me keep returning to forums and eventually wanting to contribute my own work
canonized: You mentioned just a moment ago how your current AAR of which we'll talk more about in depth in a later section is a narrative ; could you tell us why you chose this particular writing style ?
LeonTrotsky: Well I've always been attempting various different creative writing projects, usually without much success, but I thought that the structure given by basing a story on a game would make sure I actually see it through to the end. Add to that my interest in historical fiction and alternate histories and it seemed like the obvious choice of styles to go for really.
canonized: Although you've been on the forums for quite a while , it is also fair to say that you're in that middle group of writers who are not exactly new but are still fresh on the scene . What kind of challenges have you encountered and overcome now that you're ripening in your writAARship ?
LeonTrotsky: I think I still face the same sort of problems as new writers do; first and foremost in wondering what sort of reception my work will have, and how much interest it generates on the forums. Although I've managed to get into the habit of updating fairly regularly, there are still times when I think I should rewrite parts of an update that don’t seem good enough. But I don’t want to be constantly rewriting parts, because then the AAR might go weeks without an update. I think that’s a difficult balance to strike particularly if the readers have got used to regular updates
canonized: That's very true , indeed . I'm quite interested as to what motivates you as a writer . Especially as a narrative writer , there is usually more meaning there than , say , gameplay AARs .
LeonTrotsky: Well, I believe all writing has a purpose - from merely wanting to entertain to making more important points. I think the best fiction does both at once. What motivates me is a desire to tell history from the bottom up, from the point of view of ordinary people. As I’m a history student I encounter too many books which write ordinary people out of big events altogether. That said, I dont think its the job of a writer to make really obvious moralising points; but to tell a good story and let people draw their own conclusions
canonized: I can definitely see a lot of that in your current work which begs the question -- does your name bear any indication of the kind of ideologies you possess and does it influence your writing ?
LeonTrotsky: Well, I am a Trotskyist, Marxist, Socialist... many words I suppose! I'm sure that comes through in my writing as it does in other parts of my life, in fact I hope it does. I think all writing has an ideological slant to a greater or lesser extent. One of the things that makes AARland such a vibrant online community is that all writers can pursue their own interests from their own points of view. I think a writer's personal beliefs can affect not just how they write but what they choose to focus on in the first place. For example for my current AAR I've read up on the revolutionary tradition in Italy, something I knew little about before hand (and am by no means an expert on now!). This was interesting for me personally and hopefully is for the readers too.
canonized: It’s verily true that we have a very diverse community here which , unlike many other forums , remains most of the time very civil and encouraging to writing in general ; an amazing thing ! Does your work point to any projects you might be taking up outside of the forum or from your focus as a student ?
LeonTrotsky: I'll be studying a paper later in the year which is European history in the 19th century; more or less the time of Victoria. It's a period I've a great interest in due to its impact on the creation of modern Europe, and some of the questions first raised in that period remain pertinent today. In that regard, anything I read or write about the period is linked to my history course - albeit in a more enjoyable fashion than ordinary work!
Part II: Our Faithful Comrade
Leon and I discuss a few things about Timelines
canonized: As I remember you were the 55th person to stop by and give us a comment here on Timelines . By that time we were already long into the story ; what brought you to read through ?
LeonTrotsky: I meant to start reading earlier to be honest. Because it was one of the first EU3 AARs to really get to any length, I thought 'Well I'd better see what all the fuss is about'. Needless to say I had to continue once I'd started; it’s always worth looking at an AAR which has already run to lots of pages, because with the number of comments that entails the author must be doing something right.
canonized: Haha , well length indeed we've gone through quite a lot since February and especially in the narrative style it can get intimidating here and there ; how did you feel about going through the pages of text ?
LeonTrotsky: Timelines does at first glance look very text-heavy, but actually its not too bad because there’s a lot of dialogue involved and the updates are broken up so even if you can't read a whole one in one sitting you won't lose your place. Obviously sometimes I was too tired to continue catching up but, speaking personally, that goes for all books; sometimes I'm just not in the mood for a lot of reading. But whenever I am, catching up on Timelines is a priority.
canonized: I'm very flattered ! What impressions did you gather when you first started and what impressions do you currently have a whole season later ?
LeonTrotsky: The whole premise intrigued me really, specifically to begin with the essay in which a character imagines a world not dominated by Spain - which is ours! I thought that was a good piece of alt-history writing. Obviously the storylines are quite complex; I think that generates a curiosity that keeps a lot of people reading. As some questions are answered, others are asked. What's current occupying my mind is the whole business of the 'Disappearance' - surely we haven't seen the last of all those characters, you wouldn't do that would you?
canonized: Haha , I suppose it would be a bit too cruel . As for the alternate history , we also saw it change from an innocent young man's scribbling into a conspiracy to revolutionize the world - how did the flow of the work feel for you and its architecture ?
LeonTrotsky: I think that was cleverly done - it's as though the 'bad guys' are the ones trying to set up a world similar to the one in which we live. Of course without knowing more about what’s going on in the alternative 'present' it's impossible to speculate whether that would be a change for the better or a change for the worse, I suppose we'll have to see what successes they have, if any.
canonized: Speaking of different worlds ; you also mentioned earlier that ideology and world view definitely influences a writer's work -- how have you come to see the world views presented in Timelines ?
LeonTrotsky: There certainly seems to be something approaching a holy mission for the Spanish, the way they expand over the world for the sake of the keys and the timepiece as though they were almost sacred relics, which sometimes seems quite sinister. But having said that, there are still religious dissidents in the 'present' which implies a high level of tolerance, so perhaps I'm reading too much into the religious side.
canonized: Certainly religion plays a big role not just in the story but in the reality of the time periods as well . One of the things that Timelines attempts to balance is the macro-situation with those of situations of individual characters ; what are your impressions of this especially coming from someone who enjoys writing from the ground up ?
LeonTrotsky: Every individual has their own reasons for doing what they do, whatever position in society they are in. So the relation between individuals and wider events is just as important when writing about the rulers of a vast empire as it is for those ordinary people at the bottom. In fact, because of the nature of rule during the period and the predominance of certain characters (personified probably best by Cardinal DeWitt in Timelines) you could even argue that such relationships are even more important in a story like this. Recently I’ve become interested in Raul; there's an example of a character who seems to have complex reasons behind all his actions, many of which we as readers can only guess at this point - and that's a large part of making characters engaging I think.
canonized: And lastly ; your guesses on the nature and purpose of the Timepiece and its Keys ?
LeonTrotsky: Well the prevailing view of the readership seems to be that it's a device allowing travel or interference in parallel timelines (the clue's in the title I guess!) - I'm not going to be brave enough to deviate from that at the moment. But to be honest, I don't like to speculate too much. Part of the fun of a storyline like this one is the surprises you keep springing.
Part III: … And Jealousy a Human Face
Leon and I delve into his current AAR !
canonized: My first curiosity is why you chose that particular line from William Blake's "A Divine Image" and how you feel it signifies your piece ?
LeonTrotsky: Blake is a favourite poet of mine for a start... I think that it describes that even the most atrocious actions, of which there are a fair few in the story, have reasons behind them that are embedded in humanity rather than just a simple case of good and evil.
canonized: Speaking of good and evil ; although we see differences in certain sentimentalities of characters , for the most part , the vast majority are morally ambiguous . Some , like Carmela have different things on their minds , others like Luigi commit his acts with a clear conscience . Talk to us a little about the complex human beings you've constructed in your characterizations so far .
LeonTrotsky: First of all, thanks for the compliment; complexity is what I was going for! I think the situations that the characters find themselves in force them to act in certain ways. Some are fairly naive and easily led by others, acting without much real conviction. Luigi is the opposite of this, because he has a moral and political code which may well excuse any and all actions he commits. Mainly I suppose my characters are all just trying to survive in the difficult times I've thrown them into. As for whether the things they do are morally right or wrong, that's for the readers to decide for themselves.
canonized: Another curiosity of your work is that your chapters , as they currently are juxtaposed , take us between the two end points of your scenario -- namely the middle of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th ; what overarching purpose do you have in store for this interesting dichotomy ?
LeonTrotsky: With both periods developing into revolutionary situations there's some fairly obvious parallels to draw straight away; how individuals react to, and more importantly help to create great events is a recurrent theme. In time, some of the rivalries between characters that exist in the later period will be unmasked by events years before, as well as filling in the gaps of family history that exist. I suppose I’ve set myself a rather challenging task due to the time-changing nature of the chapters but hopefully I'll be up to it
canonized: Where we currently are , the formation of the Italian State and its problems is an interesting study especially when placed in comparison to the struggle it is having to survive in the 20th century situation ; Why did you choose Italy as your setting ?
LeonTrotsky: It was foolish from a writer's point of view to choose a place I had very little knowledge of, but fun to research. The story is based on a Victoria grand campaign in which the history of Italy seemed to make for the most interesting background for the story I wanted to write; it's as simple as that really
canonized: We also have the other group of individuals in the story being the British occupation force . It's interesting the way that you opened the story with them to immediately bring us into a sympathetic sentiment especially in the all too human character of Archie . Although they and the insurgency switch roles being antagonists , would you please share with us a few thoughts about how you've come to make such a tapestry from this group of men ?
LeonTrotsky: Their experiences are more-or-less based on the real life hardships of soldiers in the Great War, which I wanted to include for various reasons. Firstly to acknowledge the suffering endured by their real-life counterparts, but also to avoid them being cast as 'bad guys'. Although working for an occupying, invading force they are as much victims of the situation as the Italians. The effects of their own experiences will become clearer as the story goes on but their being there allows the reader to look at things from an outsider's perspective. Also, the differing opinions and personalities of the soldiers hopefully show how similar, even shared experiences can lead to radically differing reactions.
canonized: The permeation and change of ideas in the rapidly changing landscape is a poignant thematic element in your work -- as the landscape changes so does the landscape of the mind . As railroads are built , so is the symbol of unification a harbinger of the coalescence of the state . Did these symbols come naturally or had you intended them from the start ?
LeonTrotsky: They were unintentional, but thinking about it, they have historical explanations. Infrastructure like railways was a key part of the building of modern nation states, and so those behind their construction were often naturally politically involved with corresponding movements. As for the destruction of the Italian landscape from war being the foreboding of times of upheaval and revolution, that too is almost natural... after all the horrors of the First World War gave birth to many revolutions in Europe.
canonized: And lastly, do you have any plans for future or concurrent projects that you'll be taking up ?
LeonTrotsky: Not at the moment - I'll be at university unable to start any games on which to base an AAR for the foreseeable future, but hope to still be able to regularly update the ongoing one. It's potentially quite a long work so, unless I get bored with it, it's unlikely I'll be starting anything else any time soon.
canonized: Well thank you very much for sitting down with us , Mr. Trotsky and I do wish you well with your amazing AAR so far ! I’d also like to thank our audience for tuning in again this week ; we hope you join us next week when our guest will be one of our newest readers, Amric . That’s all for You’ve Been Canonized this time , see you next time , and in the mean time stay tuned for more interviews ; fair , balanced , and unafraid !
