tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post5011832031718063956..comments2023-11-02T08:39:45.816-04:00Comments on En Violet: Don't Kill The BabyKelsey (Dominique) Ridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10646757546422013401noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-72741378514063409052010-03-26T22:04:23.959-04:002010-03-26T22:04:23.959-04:00vader -- That was my reaction in a nutshell.vader -- That was my reaction in a nutshell.Kelsey (Dominique) Ridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10646757546422013401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-80776670915411870602010-03-26T01:37:42.934-04:002010-03-26T01:37:42.934-04:00She killed the baby!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!She killed the baby!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11698069614879439878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-46876289132723759232010-03-25T08:19:12.236-04:002010-03-25T08:19:12.236-04:00Karen -- I think you've hit on a good point th...Karen -- I think you've hit on a good point there. We should surprise our readers, not horrify them.<br /><br />Susan -- I'm glad you enjoyed.<br /><br />Davin -- I think you're right that showing the emotions will help make the characters more sympathetic and cut down on the horrific aspects. Emotions are things people can relate to, so it can help the reader understand.<br /><br />Talli -- Thanks.<br /><br />Genie -- I'm glad the post came at a useful time for you. Good luck with that scene. It sounds really interesting. :)<br /><br />Glamis -- Thanks. I think you're right that killing the baby could be someone relative. If one is more used to an idea, it might not horrify them, but it could easily shock the daylights out of someone else.<br /><br />Elana -- Thanks. I agree, suspense and twists are good, baby killing, not so much.<br /><br />Piedmont -- I'm glad you found this post helpful. Nice continuing analogy in the comment. :)<br /><br />L.T. -- I think emotionally charged is good. You want people to care about the characters and what happens to them, after all.Kelsey (Dominique) Ridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10646757546422013401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-555199407565558852010-03-24T15:54:44.078-04:002010-03-24T15:54:44.078-04:00I don't know that I do "shocking" bu...I don't know that I do "shocking" but I hope I do "emotionally charged." I don't want to gross people out or send them running to their therapist but I do want to make them think a little.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-91595216141476898852010-03-24T15:53:33.901-04:002010-03-24T15:53:33.901-04:00Thank you for this post. I am now killing the bab...Thank you for this post. I am now killing the baby in my current WIP. I think she only needs to be roughed up a little bit, more than a spank but definately not enough to leave a red mark.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-17993656286636612072010-03-24T13:00:19.736-04:002010-03-24T13:00:19.736-04:00Great post! I would be in the 98%, I think. I try ...Great post! I would be in the 98%, I think. I try to have suspense and twists, but I don't wanna kill the baby.Elana Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05877856005992028912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-13956233642512182832010-03-24T11:51:21.087-04:002010-03-24T11:51:21.087-04:00This is great. I think it depends on the genre, to...This is great. I think it depends on the genre, too. I read some horror pieces for the Genre Wars contest, and quite frankly, they killed the baby every other paragraph. But that was - to me. To any person who actually likes horror, I'm sure it wasn't nearly as shocking.<br /><br />I like this phrase, killing the baby, and I think you've got a great point here! Shocking your reader just to get a reaction is never wise.Michelle D. Argylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696465137285587646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-88792043318221278092010-03-24T11:36:44.374-04:002010-03-24T11:36:44.374-04:00This post comes at a good time for me! I was just ...This post comes at a good time for me! I was just mulling over this issue, and now I'll be extra careful. I've been working on a scene in which an unrequited lover gets devoured by a dragon, which has been displaced from its natural habitat by warfare. One of my readers thinks it's too sad! Haha. I think the scene is kind of funny, but I think I'll need to handle it with care.<br /><br />I find this concept to be true. I've read a couple of really good books that so thoroughly jarred me with a gruesome image that it's the main thing I remember about the book. I certainly want to avoid that in a fantasy/romance story.Jean Michelle Miernikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08971882597502010124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-28733371145460300172010-03-24T11:27:25.691-04:002010-03-24T11:27:25.691-04:00Great advice and I love the analogy!Great advice and I love the analogy!Talli Rolandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04780882465745107715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-73972124711438225092010-03-24T11:02:12.341-04:002010-03-24T11:02:12.341-04:00I think this is great advice. In my novel, I do ha...I think this is great advice. In my novel, I do have a shocking scene (some would say two), but there is a limit to how shocking I wanted to be. Like you said, we don't want the horror of one scene to be so powerful that nothing else is retained from the reading experience. At least I don't want that. <br /><br />When I thinking about scenes like this--and now I'm realizing that my current WIP will have an equally shocking scene--I think the key for me is to make sure I show the humanity of the act. I want to focus on the emotions, and I want to portray that in a way that allows the reader to sympathize.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-41761147214465405002010-03-24T10:23:28.894-04:002010-03-24T10:23:28.894-04:00I don't want to horrify my readers any more th...I don't want to horrify my readers any more than I want to be horrified when I'm reading. I'll definitely keep this in mind as I rework some scenes. Thanks!Susan R. Millshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09578747592345750650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966097532659996793.post-14057715557811115772010-03-24T09:37:05.758-04:002010-03-24T09:37:05.758-04:00Well, from this point on I will always remember th...Well, from this point on I will always remember this issue as killing the baby. What an appropriate if disturbing image. Personally, I like to surprise the reader, but not shock the reader. And when I'm the reader, it's the same-- I like to be surprised, but not horrified.Karen Jones Gowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01153821980625034810noreply@blogger.com