This is different for each writer. For me it’s difficult to write scenes that involve an animal death. I hate to see animals die. I won’t even watch a movie if I know an animal will die. But sometimes these types of scenes are important to the plot. That still doesn’t make them any easier to write. I would never kill an animal or even a person for no reason. The plot has to be moved forward in some way by the death.
I’ve had to write a couple of these scenes. In one book, a dog’s death brought the hero and heroine closer. In another soon-to-be released book, the animal death was symbolic and also true to the time period in regards to sacrifices made to the gods. This scene was really difficult to write and I almost deleted it, but then decided I had to stay true to the time period and to the story. It was a necessary scene. My editor agreed. This type of scene may upset some readers, but that’s a chance I had to take.
Writing that difficult scene isn’t always easy to do, but a writer needs to put aside his or her own feelings and stay true to the story. After all, it’s our job as writers to move the story forward, not to write what we want or to coddle the reader. Sometimes those difficult to write, heartbreaking scenes are the ones that resonate most with readers.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
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A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in Dark Age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html
10 comments:
Kelley,
Thanks for sharing your comments about writing difficult scenes. I found it very inspirational and something I've had difficulty with as well. Great points. I will add the link to your website to my next communication to the LHCWG so they can read it too. Good stuff! Buck
Hi Buck,
Thanks for your comment and for supporting my post. Much appreciated.
Wow! What a bright and cheerful blog. Nice article. I totally agree about writing difficult scenes. I have joined your blog here so I can get alerts. =)
Wow! What a bright and cheerful blog. Nice article. I totally agree about writing difficult scenes. I have joined your blog here so I can get alerts. =)
Dear Kelley,
I know just what you mean about writing those difficult scenes that rub against the grain. Most often I find a way to philosophize about the negative part and to turn it to an advantage. One example: in a book to be released soon, one of the MC is defiled by evil men. I blunt the action by taking him into a dream of light; and in a sequel, those same men are dealt with in a surprising way that underscores the theme of the book. But you are right--the unpleasantness was something I had to grapple with and to turn into a positive.
Great blog! Thanks for the insights.
Take care, Erin
Hi, Kelley,
I left a comment earlier. Is it floating in the blogosphere? Will it come back to haunt me? Ah, well, I'll repeat the essence below and hope this one gets through.
I can empathize with your quandary: how do you handle a scene or a situation that must turn bleak in order for the plot to move forward, or for the characters to fully realize themselves or each other?
In a soon to be pub book, my main char MUST be in a situation to be defiled by two evil men. But I take him into a place of light; and I come back in the sequel to wreak vengeance on those two men--but not in a way one would expect. He is satisfied at the resolution, and so am I. But it took an extra book to resolve it!
Thanks for a really interesting blog...xErin
Should I try for the third time? I hope the moderator will delete two of these, at least!
Hi, Kelley,
I left a comment earlier. Is it floating in the blogosphere? Will it come back to haunt me? Ah, well, I'll repeat the essence below and hope this one gets through.
I can empathize with your quandary: how do you handle a scene or a situation that must turn bleak in order for the plot to move forward, or for the characters to fully realize themselves or each other?
In a soon to be pub book, my main char MUST be in a situation to be defiled by two evil men. But I take him into a place of light; and I come back in the sequel to wreak vengeance on those two men--but not in a way one would expect. He is satisfied at the resolution, and so am I. But it took an extra book to resolve it!
Thanks for a really interesting blog...xErin
Hi Kelley,
I agree with you. Writing about the death of an animal can be heart wrenching, but we have to do the hard thing to write a good story.
Janice~
I can empathize with your quandary: how do you handle a scene or a situation that must turn bleak in order for the plot to move forward, or for the characters to fully realize themselves or each other?
In a soon to be pub book, my main char MUST be in a situation to be defiled by two evil men. But I take him into a place of light; and I come back in the sequel to wreak vengeance on those two men--but not in a way one would expect. He is satisfied at the resolution, and so am I. But it took an extra book to resolve it!
Thanks for a really interesting blog...xErin
Erin O’Quinn
Erin,
Thanks for your insightful comment. As authors we have to write scenes that move the story forward even if they might be something unpleasant such as the scene you described. Thanks for sharing. Sorry you had trouble posting your comment. It's those computer gremlins I guess.
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