Does anyone remember Dogma 95?

Click to access the_vow_of_chastity.pdf

It was an initiative to develop a set of standards for film, by which a group of directors hoped to carve out a space and achieve recognition for a particular approach to cinema.

As writers, we want our work to mean something to those who read it. Yes, some write to make a living, but most of us want it to be more than that. I propose Dogma 2022, a twenty-first century version for fiction. It would be a project to mobilize the potential of genre fiction to brainstorm possible responses to current social issues. If we gained enough credibility, we could form a kind of guild to which writers could submit work for endorsement, and act as a jury to offer awards.

Here’s a draft set of standards for genre fiction equivalent to Dogma 95 for film.These are intended to act as a set of Queensberry rules, so that whatever our views, we maintain a consistent standard of integrity and respect for each others’ work. The standards are not an attempt to constrain anyone’s views, but rather a guide for how we express them.

All characters will be fully realized. Cliché characters are not acceptable.

Substantial challenges. E.g., finding hope in alienation or diffusing racial antagonism in a workplace. Romance is adequate as background but not sufficient for the foundation of a story.

All characters, even and especially antagonists (i.e.’villains’) will be accorded their human dignity. Authorial revenge on a character who represents an idea the author dislikes is not acceptable.

Maximize immediacy. First person narration or deep POV are preferred.

All plots must be based on real events, and/or scientific facts.

All plots must take place in an identifiable place that actually exists.

All plots must be resolved by interaction of the characters as developed in the story. Dei ex machina are not acceptable.

No psychobabble! Because it is lazy and squanders all the work a writer has done to develop a character and the situation in which she finds herself. And it repels the reader. Even if she doesn’t know why, she is repelled.

What other criteria should it have? And who wants to be part of the endeavour?