Fiction Writers are Sadists

[purplerabbit]

So the book I am writing has me thinking a lot about the personality of authors and what their writing says about them. On a large scale, there is something particularly telling about being a fiction writer in the first place.

All my life I have had these amazing characters in my head and then I do extremely unpleasant things to them. Think about it. What makes the stories interesting to read is when bad things happend to the characters. I am not writing "Waiting for Godot" here. Most works of fiction are about about ripping the characters apart and seeing how they survive it -- if they survive it. I love the characters I am writing about. Yet, I also delight in putting them through hell as part of the story. In fact, the scenes I probably get the most stimulation/satisfaction from are the ones that are horrible for the characters. There is something intensely sadistic about being a fiction writer.

Comments

[satyrblade.livejournal.com]

No question. And the more acute the pain, the more compelling the fiction.

[purplerabbit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and the worst is yet to come for the characters. Must be working as my loyal test readers tell me this was the best chapter yet.

Of course, I think it is also important the the characters be built to a point where you care about them before the terrible blows hit. Another fucking growth experience!

Maybe that's it! I am a character in someone's book...