are we killing children now? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T14:38:22Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/are-we-killing-children-now?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A190148&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI'd better not give away deta…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-17:537324:Comment:1939992009-04-17T14:14:17.109ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
I'd better not give away details. As always, the hero fights evil where he finds it.
I'd better not give away details. As always, the hero fights evil where he finds it. Uh oh. Why? Do kids get kille…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-16:537324:Comment:1939432009-04-16T21:35:03.219ZminervaKhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/minervakoenig
Uh oh. Why? Do kids get killed in it?
Uh oh. Why? Do kids get killed in it? I'm beginning to be a little…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-16:537324:Comment:1939302009-04-16T17:40:19.338ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
I'm beginning to be a little worried about your reading DRAGON SCROLL, Minerva. :)
I'm beginning to be a little worried about your reading DRAGON SCROLL, Minerva. :) True enough. It is a personal…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-16:537324:Comment:1938892009-04-16T14:34:37.926ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
True enough. It is a personal thing.
True enough. It is a personal thing. I think a writer is obligated…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-15:537324:Comment:1938332009-04-15T22:12:22.426ZTom Cookehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TomCooke
I think a writer is obligated to uphold and teach ethics, or morals if you prefer, to the extent they feel like they are obligated. Your well is only as deep as you dig it.
I think a writer is obligated to uphold and teach ethics, or morals if you prefer, to the extent they feel like they are obligated. Your well is only as deep as you dig it. My book Goodnight Angel centr…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-04-03:537324:Comment:1914892009-04-03T22:38:31.536ZJessicahttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Jessica
My book <i>Goodnight Angel</i> centres around the murder of a little girl. I don't actually show the murder - but I do describe crime scene shots etc. It was hard for me to go into detail, but I had to for the sake of the plot. To make my protagonist care enough to investigate the murder, I had to make it pretty horrific.<br />
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Sometimes it is necessary to be graphic - to show the bullet going in and see the kid die - to make the audience feel it. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a scene where a boy…
My book <i>Goodnight Angel</i> centres around the murder of a little girl. I don't actually show the murder - but I do describe crime scene shots etc. It was hard for me to go into detail, but I had to for the sake of the plot. To make my protagonist care enough to investigate the murder, I had to make it pretty horrific.<br />
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Sometimes it is necessary to be graphic - to show the bullet going in and see the kid die - to make the audience feel it. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a scene where a boy gets kidnapped, and I did my absolute best to capture the helplessness and fear he was feeling. That way, the audience wants the protagonist to catch the bastard who did it - they're involved on an emotional level which keeps them turning pages. I felt kinda sick when I was writing it, but it had to be done. Killing ought to be disturbin…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-03-29:537324:Comment:1907092009-03-29T21:25:36.240ZEric Stonehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/estone888
Killing ought to be disturbing. My first book, <i>The Living Room of the Dead</i>, disturbed some readers who complained about that to me. My reaction was, "Good, it was supposed to be disturbing. If you weren't disturbed by it, I would have failed in what I was trying to do."<br />
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If killing a kid, or a dog or a cat or someone's favorite granny advances the plot or helps develop a character, I say go for it. And if you want to do it explicitly so as to advance the plot, develop a character or…
Killing ought to be disturbing. My first book, <i>The Living Room of the Dead</i>, disturbed some readers who complained about that to me. My reaction was, "Good, it was supposed to be disturbing. If you weren't disturbed by it, I would have failed in what I was trying to do."<br />
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If killing a kid, or a dog or a cat or someone's favorite granny advances the plot or helps develop a character, I say go for it. And if you want to do it explicitly so as to advance the plot, develop a character or raise the anxiety level of your reader, well that's just fine, too. Having been informed of the s…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-03-29:537324:Comment:1906912009-03-29T19:40:08.213ZminervaKhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/minervakoenig
Having been informed of the storyline, I guess I can understand the 'necessity' of killing the kid, but I still argue that it wasn't necessary to show the bullet entering his body and him falling to the ground, a la Sam Peckinpah. Even if it was paranormal, and even if he's going to come back to life, something about the graphic visual element strikes me as wrong at a very basic level.
Having been informed of the storyline, I guess I can understand the 'necessity' of killing the kid, but I still argue that it wasn't necessary to show the bullet entering his body and him falling to the ground, a la Sam Peckinpah. Even if it was paranormal, and even if he's going to come back to life, something about the graphic visual element strikes me as wrong at a very basic level. Okay. This whole argument han…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-03-28:537324:Comment:1905002009-03-28T20:56:01.462ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Okay. This whole argument hangs on a narrow definition of "teach." Sorry, my fault. I shouldn't have used the word. We normally associate that with didactic works. And no, I don't want to write fables and neither do I write books with an agenda. I detest those myself.<br />
So let's let it go.
Okay. This whole argument hangs on a narrow definition of "teach." Sorry, my fault. I shouldn't have used the word. We normally associate that with didactic works. And no, I don't want to write fables and neither do I write books with an agenda. I detest those myself.<br />
So let's let it go. Lost is a special case becaus…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-03-28:537324:Comment:1904942009-03-28T20:14:33.879ZAlbert Tucherhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/AlbertTucher
Lost is a special case because of its strong paranormal element. If you don't watch the show regularly, you may not know that characters don't always stay dead. The boy grows up to be a pivotal character, which suggests to me that he will be back.<br />
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However, I still reacted with shock and horror. In one of my unpublished novels I put a boy in great danger, but I don't kill him. Someone even suggested it to me, but I couldn't.
Lost is a special case because of its strong paranormal element. If you don't watch the show regularly, you may not know that characters don't always stay dead. The boy grows up to be a pivotal character, which suggests to me that he will be back.<br />
<br />
However, I still reacted with shock and horror. In one of my unpublished novels I put a boy in great danger, but I don't kill him. Someone even suggested it to me, but I couldn't.