Lessons from It Spills Over: don't pull your punches · 1:54pm Aug 22nd, 2014
If you haven't read this story yet, you should.
So I think the important thing to take away from It Spills over so far as writing goes is - you don't really gain anything from shying away about exactly how bad a bad situation is.
This isn't the same as lovingly describing gore or the like, since that's just pornography. No, I'm talking about conveying the pain as clearly as possible. And there's a reason for this. It's not to upset people, but it's because the change, the hope that (I hope) you introduce then actually matters. Now of course you don't need to be so in depth about it as It Spills Over - that is of course the central component of the narrative there. But when you are writing a story and something bad happens, don't flinch.
I think this applies to stories that even aren't meant to be heavy. Because if you take this advice, and really think about it, you'll be able to gauge what sort of trouble is appropriate to your flavor of story. And I think treating something that's bad too lightly can bring down the quality of the work.
The reverse is kinda true too, but you rarely see that outside of comedy, which of course plays by its own rules. For comedic effect is a magic phrase that can upend many guidelines on how to tell a story.
(Really, comedy to me is some voodoo haze from which Colin Mochrie and Mike Nelson spring forth fully formed, as Athena from Zeus' head)
"No one likes a timid storyteller."
Stephen King
2391011 I agree as a storyteller, but sadly, it seems limp, mediocre storytelling is what sells. At least in the mass market...I mean, come on. Have you seen the writing quality in 50 shades?
2391040 Most people don't like to feel threatened or pressured by what they read, so limp, inoffensive storytelling tends to sell pretty well even if it isn't exactly what one would consider good.
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I've developed an idea I call "Second person by proxy."
Story's with hollow protagonists, that never have to make a hard decision, (like Stephenie Meyer's series) are popular because it allows the reader to insert themselves into the role. I've accepted this as the equivalent of finding an acceptable way of writing in the second person; without all the annoying "you"s.
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Colloquially known as "pants." Because it's a character you wear.