Worlds, Why the Violence?

[intipablo]

Why are we using so much violence in our worlds!
Note: I did not know where to post this so please tell me if it is in the wrong forum

While making my world i thought about why everyone uses kingdoms in they're world. These days most people just create some magic system and then just make the rest of the world about fighting and weapons etc. Nobody focuses on the main things that bring a world together! we are just talking about fighting and battles when we should be posting about things like, Lifestyles, Occupations, Games, Art, Languages etc.

What i am saying is. Almost everyone uses violence in their worlds!! Now you may disagree with this and i agree that we should have many different violent things such as different types of weaponry and back story's for how a world came together (or for how one broke apart). But why do we have to talk about only violence? why not a variety of things.

If you disagree strongly please do not put any hurtful or mean comments below.

,Inti

 

[Queshire]

Violence is one of the simplest forms of conflict. It's as simple as that. A story needs conflict. It doesn't have to be physical conflict, violence, but physical conflict isn't hard to come up with and it's visually impressive. No wonder it's popular with writers.

 

[Ireth]

There are plenty of posts about languages and other subjects. I've created a game for vampires in my WIP, for instance, and posted about it on this forum (though the thread is probably buried now). Violence is a sad fact of life, and a major catalyst for change. Utopia and world peace are all well and good, but many would say there has to be some sort of conflict in order to have a story. Eden didn't last long before the serpent slithered in, after all, and it all went downhill from there.

 

[Trick]

My answer: For the same reason that the Coloseum was always full to bursting...

 

[Nagash]

In many ways, I believe that what we're trying to achieve through our worlds, is a vast mirror of the universe's complexity, reflecting some bits of our profoundly misunderstood nature. What better puzzle than a Man's heart ? I've always thought that my WIP were merely an attempt to study and illustrate the deeply disturbed and complex psychologism of humanity. What an undertaking really, to depict our wild, passionate and unpredictable being. Surely "we are, as the ocean's abyss, inhabited by foul and unordinary creatures", filled with both magnificent outbursts of deeply tear-jerking humanity, and sheer moments of unspeakable violence; the way it works however, being completely illogical, passionate, makes it a thorny object of study, as well as a perfect theme for literature. Only the enchanting prose of a poet or a playwright doth know how to uncover a bit of this vast and complex labyrinth we writers are constantly staring at with amazement and stupor...

Point is, basing our worlds upon such unbridled passions we blow way out of realist proportions, is the ideal way to give them a prominent place within our work. Satire, they say, is all about exaggerating a given trait, personality, what have you some might find disturbing, to such point that it becomes obvious to everyone. I'm guessing capitalizing on violence in our works, is merely a way to point out what importance it holds within our beastly nature...

 

[intipablo]

Violence is one of the simplest forms of conflict. It's as simple as that. A story needs conflict. It doesn't have to be physical conflict, violence, but physical conflict isn't hard to come up with and it's visually impressive. No wonder it's popular with writers.

True, Violence does really spice up writing but that does not mean we have to use it in almost every world. We can have peaceful worlds? cant we?

 

[intipablo]

There are plenty of posts about languages and other subjects. I've created a game for vampires in my WIP, for instance, and posted about it on this forum (though the thread is probably buried now). Violence is a sad fact of life, and a major catalyst for change. Utopia and world peace are all well and good, but many would say there has to be some sort of conflict in order to have a story. Eden didn't last long before the serpent slithered in, after all, and it all went downhill from there.

This is true but i have not seen many. This may be because i can not access the showcase now but i still think that people use too much violence in they're writing.

 

[intipablo]

In many ways, I believe that what we're trying to achieve through our worlds, is a vast mirror of the universe's complexity, reflecting some bits of our profoundly misunderstood nature. What better puzzle than a Man's heart ? I've always thought that my WIP were merely an attempt to study and illustrate the deeply disturbed and complex psychologism of humanity. What an undertaking really, to depict our wild, passionate and unpredictable being. Surely "we are, as the ocean's abyss, inhabited by foul and unordinary creatures", filled with both magnificent outbursts of deeply tear-jerking humanity, and sheer moments of unspeakable violence; the way it works however, being completely illogical, passionate, makes it a thorny object of study, as well as a perfect theme for literature. Only the enchanting prose of a poet or a playwright doth know how to uncover a bit of this vast and complex labyrinth we writers are constantly staring at with amazement and stupor...

Point is, basing our worlds upon such unbridled passions we blow way out of realist proportions, is the ideal way to give them a prominent place within our work. Satire, they say, is all about exaggerating a given trait, personality, what have you some might find disturbing, to such point that it becomes obvious to everyone. I'm guessing capitalizing on violence in our works, is merely a way to point out what importance it holds within our beastly nature...

This is very true and i do not know how i can reply to this

 

[intipablo]

My answer: For the same reason that the Coloseum was always full to bursting...

Can you be more specific? i don't really understand what your saying.

 

[Nagash]

Can you be more specific? i don't really understand what your saying.

People are bloodthirsty savagery-driven creatures.

 

[intipablo]

People are bloodthirsty savagery-driven creatures.

umm..ok i don't really understand that either, well i understand it but i don't know how it connects to this post.

 

[Trick]

Fans of violence have been around since right after Cain killed Abel. Human nature, whether you believe it to be created or evolved, tends towards violence. The Coloseum was a place of violence (among other things) and how often do you see movies or read books about the peaceful entertainments held there? I know I never have. I'm not saying that violence is good, quite the contrary. I'm just saying that people have proven that they like to watch it... and to read about it. Conflict is interesting. Bloody conflict is enthralling. Violent death is mesmerizing.

If you can write a book with no violence and it does well among many readerships, I will salute you and speak your praises. I encourage you to try and hope you succeed. I also know that, on a shelf nearby, there will be yet another violent bestseller flying through the checkouts faster than I can count.

 

[Jabrosky]

True, Violence does really spice up writing but that does not mean we have to use it in almost every world. We can have peaceful worlds? cant we?

As long as their inhabitants find some other means to get into conflict with each other, I suppose you could.

That said, I believe violence and life-threatening situations have so much dramatic appeal because they're the least mundane experiences most of us can imagine. Let's face it, the vast majority of people in modern civilization have monotonously safe and uneventful lives. We may feel comfortable with that, but from a literary viewpoint a comfortable existence is boring. Ergo, we gravitate towards stories that offer an adventurous escape from daily tranquility.

 

[Nihal]

Don't forget that this "violence" is an opportunity for a character grow and overcome obstacles. It's conflict, and being conflict it's not only about violence for violence's sake, but about overcoming a high stakes challenge. You win, you live, you lose, you die or worse.

 

[intipablo]

As long as their inhabitants find some other means to get into conflict with each other, I suppose you could.

That said, I believe violence and life-threatening situations have so much dramatic appeal because they're the least mundane experiences most of us can imagine. Let's face it, the vast majority of people in modern civilization have monotonously safe and uneventful lives. We may feel comfortable with that, but from a literary viewpoint a comfortable existence is boring. Ergo, we gravitate towards stories that offer an adventurous escape from daily tranquility.

Very true, But is they're any other way of having very dramatic scenes????? By the way nice website!

,Inti

 

[intipablo]

Don't forget that this "violence" is an opportunity for a character grow and overcome obstacles. It's conflict, and being conflict it's not only about violence for violence's sake, but about overcoming a high stakes challenge. You win, you live, you lose, you die or worse.

This is true. But characters can grow in other ways, for example, Many characters can grow and become a better person by seeing the mistakes of other people. They can go through arguments and very sad parts in they're life and grow. And violence doesn't always have to be physical.

 

[JRFLynn]

Stories tend to be microcosms of our own reality. That's one reason why I lean toward darker subjects. Sad but true. However, I do believe it's important to cover violence, not for the gratuitousness of delving into it, but because you can't truly understand something like evil unless you stare it in the face. Where does it come from? Why are we flawed? How can we overcome our troubles? Thinking of solutions to these questions is cathartic for me as both a writer and human being.

That said, it would be nice to have a healthy balance between grit and world-building. The trend is dark, but I'd like to see more inspirational tales covering daily life as well. If that's your hope, go for it!

 

[intipablo]

Fans of violence have been around since right after Cain killed Abel. Human nature, whether you believe it to be created or evolved, tends towards violence. The Coloseum was a place of violence (among other things) and how often do you see movies or read books about the peaceful entertainments held there? I know I never have. I'm not saying that violence is good, quite the contrary. I'm just saying that people have proven that they like to watch it... and to read about it. Conflict is interesting. Bloody conflict is enthralling. Violent death is mesmerizing.

If you can write a book with no violence and it does well among many readerships, I will salute you and speak your praises. I encourage you to try and hope you succeed. I also know that, on a shelf nearby, there will be yet another violent bestseller flying through the checkouts faster than I can count.

Like most of the other posts this is true. But why does everyone on this website (well, world basically!) believe violence is the main entertainment! this world has grown into only violence!

 

[intipablo]

Stories tend to be microcosms of our own reality. That's one reason why I lean toward darker subjects. Sad but true. However, I do believe it's important to cover violence, not for the gratuitousness of delving into it, but because you can't truly understand something like evil unless you stare it in the face. Where does it come from? Why are we flawed? How can we overcome our troubles? Thinking of solutions to these questions is cathartic for me as both a writer and human being.

That said, it would be nice to have a healthy balance between grit and world-building. The trend is dark, but I'd like to see more inspirational tales covering daily life as well. If that's your hope, go for it!

this is very true and i agree with it.

 

[Guy]

It all depends on what kind of story you're writing. If it's a comedy, for example, or a romance, then violence is fairly easy to avoid. If you're writing more of an adventure, thriller or horror type story, violence becomes pretty useful.

Besides, sword fights are cool.