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Are You a Cruel Writer?

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
Well, I believe in Seattle at one point, a fund raiser for dogs raised more money than for the homeless... it's an interesting phenom but it's all over the place. I do recall getting real irritated Martin kept killing off dire wolves, Rob Stark? Meh. He had it coming, in a sense for being a fool. The wolf! Damn it!

In the Outlaw Josey Wales... they shot his gol darned dog! That's it, man! Done! I'm going to war. Oh sure, they killed his family too, but the dog was the last straw, heh heh.

Personally, animal cruelty hasn't had a pay off for any story i've written. But it can be extremely effective emotionally, so... if it ever comes up, I'll do it.

And rape is another, I don't touch sex scenes (they bore me to read or write), let alone rape, unless it's going to be interrupted... typically with blood. There is one very specific rape/ritual sacrifice scene I might write, but odds on the witness will look away, but it will paint the god the sacrifice is for well.

I feel far more sympathetic toward animal characters than human characters, lol. I can't stand reading about animal cruelty, especially when no one questions it.

A comical death? Um...how would one pull that off? But overall I agree.
 
And rape is another, I don't touch sex scenes (they bore me to read or write), let alone rape, unless it's going to be interrupted... typically with blood. There is one very specific rape/ritual sacrifice scene I might write, but odds on the witness will look away, but it will paint the god the sacrifice is for well.

Most sex scenes are awkward at best, cringe worthy at worst. GRRM is one example of someone who writes pretty darn awful sex scenes.
 
I have no problem with killing characters. Generally, if I think I can get away with it, I'll kill someone off with no further thoughts. What I don't do is torture, psychological trauma, etc. I might maim on occasion, but even then I'll think long and hard about it.

And killing the dogs is a big no-no. Or the owls.

Was that a reference to Harry Potter?
 

KC Trae Becker

Troubadour
I don't like reading or writing characters dying, but in most stories it needs to happen to at least some characters, given all the violence and struggle. So I play the indifferent grim reaper, cut the strings of their lives and fates. But I try to make it meaningful.
Whimsical deaths that leave the reader frustrated are pointless to me and reason for throwing books across the room, or throwing them out, or at least giving them away.

I probably don't need to chime in on the Game of Thrones busting, but I stopped at book 3. Though my son continued on and encouraged me to also. I didn't look back. I don't need the frustration. Life's too short and reading time too precious to waste on writers who don't respect their characters or readers.
 

caters

Sage
I hate sexual scenes. I gloss over them or even don't mention them at all. But even in the most romantic of scenes, I don't show that 2 people are having sex.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
>And killing the dogs is a big no-no. Or the owls.

Even when the owls are not what they seem?
 

Holoman

Troubadour
I try my best to give the impression I am all George RR Martin and will kill anyone off, but the truth is most characters that I kill off have a death sentence from the moment I create them and I don't kill off main characters. I am a sucker for the happy ending and create characters specifically to kill off. Never touch my most beloved ones.

That said, many probably wish they were dead with the stuff I put them through :p

I'll have to disagree with others on sex scenes though, I like to read them. But I don't like them in anything other than romance (erotica?) novels. That said, I do like me a good romance novel with some intimate scenes.

I'd never write one though. It would feel lame and my mum would read it...
 
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My one writer friend (she's self-published too) is the sweetest, kindest person imaginable in real life...but in writing she's an outright serial killer. She killed her protagonist's parents, THEN she killed their adoptive parents. She seems to really like inflicting harm upon her characters...
 

Sola Haze

New Member
In my opinion, there is a time in every writers life when they must ask themselves: "Am I a sadist?" Most of the time the answer is no. But, if you become a writer, especially for Fantasy, or Sci-Fi, you are doomed to start reading and writing some pretty dark and graphic things. And LIKE it.
I for one, enjoy writing torture. No, that doesn't mean I love hurting my characters, or that I'm sick in the head. That just means the concept of physical and emotional pain in literature is interesting to me. I've accepted that I'll have to write these eventually.
I believe in happy endings, and all that, but I make it a twisting and dark path full of evil and cruelty. I once cut off my OC's arm. And I killed the love interest, or plan to, of the protagonist in the third book of a sci-fi series I'm writing.
I'm not a sadist. I'm just creative.
 
In my opinion, there is a time in every writers life when they must ask themselves: "Am I a sadist?" Most of the time the answer is no. But, if you become a writer, especially for Fantasy, or Sci-Fi, you are doomed to start reading and writing some pretty dark and graphic things. And LIKE it.
I for one, enjoy writing torture. No, that doesn't mean I love hurting my characters, or that I'm sick in the head. That just means the concept of physical and emotional pain in literature is interesting to me. I've accepted that I'll have to write these eventually.
I believe in happy endings, and all that, but I make it a twisting and dark path full of evil and cruelty. I once cut off my OC's arm. And I killed the love interest, or plan to, of the protagonist in the third book of a sci-fi series I'm writing.
I'm not a sadist. I'm just creative.

I've asked myself that before...

My stuff has always been dark. I write torture, I write death, I write pain, I write loss, I write fear. I put my characters through hell. And you'd think I would think it a necessary evil but no, it's just the story...And i do enjoy putting my characters through hell.
 
I think that writers can get pretty insane when they realize they are quite literally a deity with relation to their novel. And on occasion, I fall amongst these ranks. Sometimes a little suffering ought to spice up the tale, wouldn't you agree?

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk
 

Malik

Auror
Okay, if you thought the scaphism was bad, you should see what I just came up with in the sequel.

Holy crap. I have outdone myself.

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I'd like to think I can be a cruel writer, I just haven't gotten the chance to take advantage of it yet. I've written a lot of short stories that end with the death of someone, often children. But I haven't killed any of my characters in which a reader can read along with for long enough to get an emotional attachment to them. I think that's just my inexperience though.

But I will say that I love writing violence. Part of that is making it unexpected and not overused, but I love writing it. I suppose it's because I really want to freak the reader out.
 
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