Scenes of Brutality: What Are We Thinking?

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art of writing, brutality, craft of writing, creative writing, Game of Thrones, graphic content, graphic scenes, Outlander, sadism, sadistic, writing a book, writing a story, writing fiction

Before I get started, I know I mentioned that I would be writing my weekly posts on Mondays. However, it looks like Tuesdays work better for my schedule. So for now on, expect posts from me on Tuesdays.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

So, I am currently watching the Starz series Outlander on Amazon. For those who do not know, it is about a 1940s Englishwoman, Claire Beauchamp, who is transported back two hundreds in 18th century Scotland. Since this is the 1740s, there’s a lot of brutality going on, especially with a captain of the English army in Scotland, “Black Jack” Randall, who tortures the Scottish people left and right. There’s even a scene where Claire’s husband, Jamie Fraser, is tortured and then raped by Randall.

Now, I didn’t read the books that this series is based on, but I understand that the show is closely based on the books written by Diana Gabaldon. If so, it makes me wonder why she would put in a scene where a man graphically rapes another man. Yes, there are a lot of male-on-female rapes, floggings and beatings in Outlander, but it is easy to brush them off as that was the time period back then. But that scene has been haunting me. I guess it is because I’m one of those who has grown attached to Claire and Jamie, and couldn’t tolerate Jamie being tortured that way. Yes, Claire was raped or almost raped herself, but the show didn’t graphically display that as much as Jamie.

It also haunts me because last week, I was working on my WIP, which picks up where Claire McCormick and Daniel Poncher are in the trilogy. I was writing feverishly and in a stream-of-consciousness way. As a result, I ended up writing a part where Daniel graphically rapes Claire. Yeah, I did that. I went there.

Now, there are other scenes when Daniel does that, but it is not as brutal and more of a coerced sex way. But when I wrote that part, I was so bothered and disturbed that I had done that, and I ended up deleting it. Watching that scene on Outlander helped me do so.

Which has me thinking about why we writers write such graphic scenes, and just what the hell are we thinking? When I wrote that scene in my WIP, I was rattled and wondered if I have a sadistic side of me somewhere deep in my sub-conscious. I have to admit part of me felt truly satisfied with that scene, and was disappointed when I deleted it. I am now considering adding it back in.

Is there something wrong with me? Do I love torturing my characters? Am I sadistic somehow?

Heck, it makes you wonder if someone like George R. R. Martin, the author of the books that would inspire the HBO series, Game of Thrones, is sadistic. I mean, all of his characters go through hell, and some get brutally raped or brutally murdered. It is enough to leave readers and viewers shaken.

So, what are we writers thinking? Are we cruel? Or just going along with the muses in our heads?

I think the bottom line is whether these brutal scenes are worth it for the entire story. If it does not add something to the whole story, however violent it is, then it is pointless – and even sadistic. Perhaps what should be more disturbing is how violent human nature is, and we writers are just representing and expressing that in our work. If human nature were not so cruel and barbaric itself, then maybe we would not write such things.

But what of the satisfaction that comes with writing those parts? I think the reason why part of me was satisfied with the now-deleted scene where Daniel rapes Claire is because it flowed so well, from one action to another and another. The part before Daniel attacks Claire had me excited because there was so much emotion and action going on. But once I wrote the rape part, I was like, ‘what have I done?”

Is it worth having in the story? I don’t know yet, I’m still debating. But one thing I’ve been learning while watching Outlander, and even other shows, is that writers aren’t really sadists. Human nature is, and so are our muses. We’re just writing what works for the story and the characters, and what is streaming out of our consciousness.

But it is also vital for us to wonder whether all the violence is gratuitous and even worth portraying at all.

 

The Dark Proposal – 50% Off on Smashwords!

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abusive relationships, authors, book characters, book promotion, books, eBooks, explicit content, fiction, graphic content, NA, New Adult, New adult books, promotion, reading, Smashwords, urban fantasy, vampire books, vampires

Click here to purchase on Smashwords

I’m a little late in Smashwords’ summer promotion sales, but hey, better late than never!

My book, “The Dark Proposal” is 50% off the eBook site. This promotional sale will run until July 31st, before it goes back to its original price of $2.99.

If you’d like to purchase it on Smashwords, here is the promo code: SSW50

As you may know, “The Dark Proposal” is about a college graduate who thought she met perfect boyfriend, until he reveals to be a malicious vampire with a sinister proposal.

The book begins at the end of the summer, so this may be good timing!

Happy reading!

Mom, Dad – Please Don’t Read My Book!

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authors, books, explicit content, explicit sex scenes, graphic content, novels, writers

Even though I released my novel nearly 10 months ago, I never gave a copy to my parents. I don’t ever intend to, and I really hope they won’t read my book – even though I dedicated my book to my family.

This is mainly because of The Dark Proposal‘s content. I would be mortified if my parents – especially my dad – read the explicit sex scenes. I don’t think I could be in the same room with him if I knew he read that part, at least not for a while. My parents are very conservative when it comes to sex, so to have their baby girl write such a scene would be so awkward for us.

My two sisters read my book, and they were OK with it. They may have teased me a bit, but no awkward moments. That was a relief.

But I could never allow my parents to read my book, or anything I else I write if it has any swearing or graphic sex. It is also because I wouldn’t want my parents to know that side of me, the one that is more at ease with graphic content.

I’ve heard about some authors keeping their families in mind when they write. Some authors have said they wouldn’t want to write anything that would embarrass their parents or their children. “Who would want their parents to know they write gore/erotica?” they say.

Well, first off, there’s always a pen name to give you more creative freedom. And secondly, I think the question that all writers need to ask is, who are you writing for? Are your parents your audience or thousands of potential readers?

Now, I am not saying it is OK to blow off your parents and do what you want (depending on your relationship with them, which is a whole other story). I’m only saying that sometimes, artists need to be true to their vision. If you want to write a romance book that will include plenty of steamy sex, and you want to do this with all your heart, why not? And if your parents don’t understand, well, you’re an adult (I hope) and sometimes you’ve got to live life on your own terms.

Now, I don’t have any children, as of yet. I don’t think when I do become a mom that I will tone down the content of my books. I have a lot of ideas that will take many years to produce, so I don’t want to wait till my youngest is 18 years old so I could finally write that novel that may include explicit sex. I also don’t intend to write any children’s book as of now, so I’ll be writing books meant for older audiences for a while. Once I have kids, I’ll figure out how to explain to them what their mother writes and why. I’m sure having a writer mom will be a good start for my future kids being OK with my books contain.

The thing is, I’m an author. I’m an artist. I have ideas. I have questions to ask and ideas to explore. I think I will feel stifled if I didn’t do all these things. I’m fortunate that I have family members who are not judgmental of what I write. I feel sad for the authors who do, because it must really sting knowing your parents or siblings are dismayed by what you’ve written. All I can say is, you have to be true to yourself in life.

If you are an author – or aspiring to be one – how does your family deal with the content of your work? Are they also bothered by the genre or message? Oh, and if you have any funny stories to tell, please do!

Warning: This Book May Offend You

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book ratings, content ratings, content warnings, graphic content, graphic scenes, NA, New adult books, offense guaranteed, offensive material, sex scenes, violence, violent scenes

I was just participating in the weekly Twitter chat #NALitChat this evening and we discussed content in New Adult books and what is appropriate or not. I pointed out that readers should always be warned about a book’s content, because some may not be all right with what is written.

No matter the age of some people, book scenes that have swearing, violence, explicit sex, disturbing or controversial events are not everyone’s cup of tea. I truly believe it is best to give your potential readers a heads’ up on what they are getting themselves into. The last thing you would want is a reader complaining about being uneasy with certain content in your book.

Image via Wikimedia

Now, some might say, “that’s their problem” and ignore complaints. I find that attitude to be arrogant, which could turn off your audience. Yes, you are writing what works for you, but it is your audience that will read and potentially praise your work, making all those long hours worth it. I think a good writer has to be a good listener, though not necessarily a slave to their readers’ demands. There is a thing called compromise, and writers have to do that with their audiences.

Now, others might say, “many adult oriented books are R rated these days anyway”. The may be true, but that doesn’t make it an excuse. Not everyone is pleased with the increasing violence, profanity and sex in not just books, but movies, music and TV. Even a 20-something may be uncomfortable with such content and they could be fairly open-minded. So don’t get cynical and assume everyone will okay with four letter words in every sentence or sex scenes that have far too much TMI, because many are not.

This is why I believe it is a good idea to put warning boxes on all book blurbs. Ratings like G, PG, NC-17 and everything else is not necessary. But a heads’ up is important. You warned anyone interested in your book and then it is their decision to read it or not.

Now of course, seeing a warning about gore, explicit sex or disturbing scenes may entice someone who loves that stuff to read your book just for that content, forget about the storyline. If that’s the case, well, laugh your way to the bank! You can’t control the reason why someone is buying and reading your book, so just count the number of sales you have in the meantime.

Then again, you may want someone to truly appreciate your plot and characters, so laughing to the bank may not be the solution. But that’s a different topic for the future 🙂

Furthermore, if you do warn potential readers about the content of your work and they still complain about it, then I would agree that is their problem. You made it clear that your novel is not for everyone and they still chose to read your book. It was up to them to ignore the warning signs, so I would say they have no right to complain about what they came across. You can only just shrug and carry on. You did what you could

So that is what I have to say about addressing graphic content in novels. Now, I am going to readjust my book description so everyone who reads them would understand what they will be reading…and they better not bitch and moan about it either! 🙂