I was once asked if I truly believed that the things I write were real. Since I write fantasy/sci-fi, I had to stop laughing before I could answer. Do I believe that dragons roam the world, and elves are hiding in every forest? Of course not! But afterwords it got me thinking.
This subject came up during the recent Life the Universe & Everything event last February and it got me thinking again. As authors we can see our worlds, hear our characters, and touch their lives. Does this make them real? No more real than any of the other myriad thoughts that flutter through our minds on a daily basis. What then of the thoughts that lay behind our make-believe worlds and characters? Those can be very real.
Dan Wells doesn't have to be a serial killer or even believe that what serial killers do is right, to write about them. That doesn't change the fact that serial killers exist. I have often heard it said that an author writes what they know. (for Dan's sake, I hope he acquired his info from studying rather than experience.)
We do things to our characters, and model these worlds from the clay of our creativity. We force our characters to endure things that would make many normal people break, and then think, What else can I do to them? Part of this is necessary. You can't write a good book without conflict, and it will get mighty boring if the main character does nothing but win all the time. Sometimes it is hard to punish our characters, who want nothing more than to survive to the end of the book, and sometimes it is truly wickedly fun.
In the end, I truly believe that when an author writes, they bare a portion of their soul, or their own psyche if you prefer. Some authors are able to write scenes that would make a Marine cringe, but balk at scenes dealing with *gasp* sex. While some of this may be due to what genre is being written for (i.e. keep erotica out of the hands of YA), I can't help but believe that a large part of the scenes and scenarios that we craft are built from our own moral fiber.
Please tell me in the comments below if you have ever written a scene or story that has made you extremely uncomfortable.
I wrote a kidnapping story and there were a few scenes that put me on edge, but I had to test myself--see if I could go there. I went there and it wasn't fun, but I think it works.
ReplyDeleteI wrote about a husband, fisherman, who disappeared at sea--something that happened to a friend, not me. Nonetheless very hard and sad to write. (p.s. I think that's hilarious that someone asked you that question!)
ReplyDeleteI've written scenes that make me uncomfortable before, but if the story calls for it then I'll write it, even if my stomach turns or I want to cry the entire time.
ReplyDeleteI write scenes all the time that make me uncomfortable. However, there are still things I refuse to write about, but for philosophical reasons, not because I can't write them due to discomfort--though it would definitely be uncomfortable. Good luck on your future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteI had to write a scene where a character I really liked died, and another was grievously wounded. I actually got teary eyed while writing it.
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