Emotional distance

[Noma Galway]

I get extremely attached to my characters, especially the younger ones. That's not to say I won't kill one off every now and again, but physically and psychologically hurting them is not something I like doing. At all. That being said, a torture scene has become necessary. The victim is a 14 year old girl. I have to write from her perspective. I can't do it. I tried once, and I had to put it aside. Is there a way to distance yourself emotionally from your characters when writing something like that?

 

[ThinkerX]

Hmmm...First draft of the scene, maybe write it from the POV of a character you don't care for? Then, once you have something to work with, go back and edit.

 

[Tom]

It's not about emotional distance to me. I am tied up in all my characters emotionally, so when they suffer there is no emotional distance at all. For all intents and purposes I am the character, and I experience all the emotions. It kind of helps to make the character a self-insert in those scenes, at least for me. I feel like I'm pulling them out of the story and putting myself in their place to suffer.

It's still kind of unpleasant, though, so I just write those scenes in a rush so my mind doesn't have time to process the real impact of what I'm doing. I then go back later and edit, replacing any of my thoughts or emotions that might not fit with in-character ones.

 

[cupiscent]

I am the opposite to Tom! My prime concern when writing a scene - any scene - is what effect I want to have on the reader. What do I want them to be feeling? How can I be most effective in achieving that? I am completely disassociated from my characters - they exist only for me to wring emotion from the reader. (But, of course, in order to do that I have to bring them forth as rounded, interesting, vibrant people.)

In the problem scene in question, perhaps consider things from that angle - what is the point of this scene? What is the emotional journey for your character that you are taking the reader along for? Is the character having a trust betrayed? Is she growing harder through this suffering? Is she losing her youthful hope in the world? Is she learning that being innocent doesn't mean being safe? You need to have a reason for your readers to come along on this - because if it's just horrible things happening to a character they like, your readers aren't going to like it any more than you do!

 

[Incanus]

Just a quick thought: maybe you could set up the scene, imply what is coming, and then have it take place 'off-screen', so to speak.

I'm thinking of the scene in the original Star Wars movie (episode IV), where that floating, torture-sphere droid-thing (don't know its official designation) enters Princess Leia's cell exhibiting a nasty looking needle. It goes in and the door closes behind it, end of scene.

On the other had, I guess that doesn't really fit what you are trying to do. You might just have to plunge straight in to it--

Good luck!

 

[Noma Galway]

Hmmm...First draft of the scene, maybe write it from the POV of a character you don't care for? Then, once you have something to work with, go back and edit.

That might work. Since I just need to flesh out what happens and how the character would respond to certain things in future, writing from someone else's perspective first might help.

It's not about emotional distance to me. I am tied up in all my characters emotionally, so when they suffer there is no emotional distance at all. For all intents and purposes I am the character, and I experience all the emotions. It kind of helps to make the character a self-insert in those scenes, at least for me. I feel like I'm pulling them out of the story and putting myself in their place to suffer.

It's still kind of unpleasant, though, so I just write those scenes in a rush so my mind doesn't have time to process the real impact of what I'm doing. I then go back later and edit, replacing any of my thoughts or emotions that might not fit with in-character ones.

I can do that. I think my biggest problem here is that I have two younger sisters, one of whom is around the same age as the character whose POV I'm writing, so I keep picturing her instead of the character. Putting myself in would probably help me write the scene a lot easier.

I am the opposite to Tom! My prime concern when writing a scene - any scene - is what effect I want to have on the reader. What do I want them to be feeling? How can I be most effective in achieving that? I am completely disassociated from my characters - they exist only for me to wring emotion from the reader. (But, of course, in order to do that I have to bring them forth as rounded, interesting, vibrant people.)

In the problem scene in question, perhaps consider things from that angle - what is the point of this scene? What is the emotional journey for your character that you are taking the reader along for? Is the character having a trust betrayed? Is she growing harder through this suffering? Is she losing her youthful hope in the world? Is she learning that being innocent doesn't mean being safe? You need to have a reason for your readers to come along on this - because if it's just horrible things happening to a character they like, your readers aren't going to like it any more than you do!

I actually am not going to use this scene in my WIP. It's strictly character development. That being said, thinking about it as though it will be read and needs to have a purpose beyond making her mindset different and setting up later events might help me get out of her head a little bit while I write.

Just a quick thought: maybe you could set up the scene, imply what is coming, and then have it take place 'off-screen', so to speak.

I'm thinking of the scene in the original Star Wars movie (episode IV), where that floating, torture-sphere droid-thing (don't know its official designation) enters Princess Leia's cell exhibiting a nasty looking needle. It goes in and the door closes behind it, end of scene.

On the other had, I guess that doesn't really fit what you are trying to do. You might just have to plunge straight in to it--

Good luck!

"Torture-sphere droid-thing" is a good enough name for it for me...I see what you mean, though. If I have to flash back to it, I can probably use that advice.

Thanks, everyone, for your help on this! I appreciate it

 

[Telcontar]

If you try to write it with emotional detachment, it won't be as good. Good writing comes from bleeding onto the page (metaphorically, of course - I highly recommend AGAINST bleeding on your writing), so I'd say you need to KEEP your attachment, and your pain.

I can't think of any "tricks" to make it easier, and as said above I think any such tricks would probably harm the end quality. But perhaps a rhetorical device... You've said the scene is necessary, and thus it's really already happened. All you're doing is sharing the story, and no matter how painful that is it deserves to be done.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I would say try writing it almost like a technical manual. State what objects and apparatus do then place a generic person in in the situation. Finally place your character in the situation. I do think that having a strong emotional connection to the characters is crucial. If you don't have the connection then your readers never will. Remember that you do not have to write every aspect of a scene for the reader to know what is happening. For instance in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho, during the shower scene you see the arm and knife go up and down, you see images of the woman's body, but you never see the knife inside her. That is left to our imagination.
Finally, don't be afraid to venture into the darker side of your imagination. Also consider that if the character suffers and comes out stronger, the connection with the reader will also be reinforced.

 

[Noma Galway]

Thank you, guys. Your advice is really helpful.