tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post3946443493759036084..comments2024-03-28T10:16:38.716-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: On Killing and ConsequencesLeigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-62505721131818145082017-03-18T13:58:21.449-04:002017-03-18T13:58:21.449-04:00Thank you all for the welcomes, it's an honor ...Thank you all for the welcomes, it's an honor to be here. <br />Leigh, our culture certainly is one that expects punishment for "sins," whatever they may be, so vengeance will continue to thrive. Nebraska tried to ban the death penalty, the popular vote was for the ban, but many tried to block it. It's been with us a long time, and no matter the statistics on how many innocents are killed by the state, it just sticks in our craw when a guilty murderer gets to breath the same air we do. I have my own beliefs but I can't offer a solution. I'd want revenge on someone who killed a loved one of mine, I know that much. Right or wrong.<br /><br />John, thank you. Violence is out there and ignoring it won't make it stop. We do have a duty to humanize characters, especially those that are the victims of violence. I've written battles with faceless villains- usually in a combat situation, and I regret it, after my great-uncle confiding in me how combat affected him.<br /><br />Eve, that's a lesson we can teach over and over, because vengeance is such a primal desire. Sometimes people have to learn it the hard way.<br /><br />Robert, thank you for mentioning The Uncleared. You've been after me to write that novel and I have plans for it, as soon as I write the second book in the Jay Desmarteaux series. I have a trip to Alaska planned next year to research the "uncleared" novel, which I am calling THE FIRE INSIDE.<br /><br />BK, I get that. I personally think women write better scenes like this. Because while men are not free from fear--in fact, hidden male fear is probably the cause of more violence than we can measure--we are usually the perpetrator, or too distracted to be afraid when we should. Whether that's testosterone, cultural indoctrination, or both, it is rare when a man honestly shares his fear in a situation (and not for a loved one in danger) unless it's something like facing down a grizzly bear. I try to be honest about that--the "heroes" are afraid but can act in spite of it. Not everyone who wins a fight does so with clean underpants. But we don't talk about that, because we consider it cowardice instead of biology.<br /><br />Thomas Pluckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008022962076648740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-90858263781798615322017-03-18T12:56:30.280-04:002017-03-18T12:56:30.280-04:00I sometimes include fight scenes in stories and no...I sometimes include fight scenes in stories and novels--my husband is a fifth-degree black belt, and it's hard to avoid the temptation to include fight scenes when you've got an in-house choreographer as a resource. I try to keep the emphasis on the protagonist's strategy and emotions, rather than on blood and gore. And I get uncomfortable when I read scenes that invite us to focus on a helpless victim's pain and fear, especially if the victim is a woman and the attacker is a man. (If the victim gets a chance to fight back successfully later, that helps.) As you say, no matter how we write a scene, it's probably impossible to avoid titillating some readers, but I think it's often possible to keep titillation to a minimum by trying to direct the reader's attention. And, as you say, writing honestly about the consequences of violence is also important. Intriguing post, Tom--you got me thinking.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17673578800047888317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-26368659965632196952017-03-18T11:45:17.760-04:002017-03-18T11:45:17.760-04:00I have been a fan of Mr. P. ever since 2011 when I...I have been a fan of Mr. P. ever since 2011 when I read his story "The Uncleared." (Available for free at http://a-twist-of-noir.blogspot.com/2011/09/interlude-stories-thomas-pluck.html ) He takes a novella-size plot and brings it in as flash fiction (under a 1,000 words) without making you feel like a word is missing.<br /><br />Nice column, my brother New Jerseyan.Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-6083033898043879482017-03-18T09:39:39.387-04:002017-03-18T09:39:39.387-04:00Great post, and thanks for it!
From my work at t...Great post, and thanks for it! <br />From my work at the pen, I can assure you that 90% of the guys there have tried vengeance and revenge, and of those, 90% have learned that it didn't get them any satisfaction (except at the immediate adrenaline-pumped time) and instead, got them in more trouble, left them more bitter. Of course, by the time I see them, they've had sufficient time to think about it, and have decided they can't live that way anymore. Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-31630750321980385092017-03-18T09:25:57.146-04:002017-03-18T09:25:57.146-04:00Great insights, here. I've often heard reader...Great insights, here. I've often heard readers ask how we writers can tell stories that contain a great deal of violence without condoning violence, and this column effectively addresses that. And I agree that the "Parker on steroids" comment is a compliment--I love all Westlake's novels (and Elmore Leonard's also).<br /><br />Thanks again for guest-posting today, Tom. Hope our paths cross again soon.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-42240655899265312942017-03-18T08:53:26.650-04:002017-03-18T08:53:26.650-04:00Hey, Tom -- Provocative post here, and congrats on...Hey, Tom -- Provocative post here, and congrats on the new book. Look forward to seeing you in Toronto--and around the web between now and then!Art Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409008167752619352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-15323663988304274512017-03-18T07:54:48.757-04:002017-03-18T07:54:48.757-04:00Welcome to SleuthSayers. Nice ariticle.Welcome to SleuthSayers. Nice ariticle.O'Neil De Nouxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142721824657611738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-90872727717405864392017-03-18T03:15:57.510-04:002017-03-18T03:15:57.510-04:00It’s been said sports is a metaphor for war, certa...It’s been said sports is a metaphor for war, certainly a substitute. Some are more obvious than others– rugby, football, soccer– but it could be argued as we watch the NCAA, that fans have (barely) sublimated their thirst for war in March Madness.<br /><br />I think it’s possible to respond in the same way to the visceral thrill of violent films and novels, such as Charles Bronson’s Paul Kersey (Death Wish I…∞) and Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry. It’s like the mirror of horror films– we don’t really want to be eaten by zombies who lost their Medicaid, but we do like feeling safely scared.<br /><br />You may have noticed Florida is an extremely bloodthirsty state– we love to kill (we’re working on an enhanced Shoot First / Stand Your Ground law) and we love to execute people whether or not they’re guilty. We have a situation in which a man killed his pregnant girlfriend and subsequently killed a cop in a WalMart about 5 minutes from my house. The chief prosecutor, Aramis Ayala, picked that case to announce she was done seeking death penalties. The governor with one eye on the polls, went ballistic and pulled her from the case, appointing another prosecutor who believes in an eye for an eye for an eye… Vengeance is thriving in Florida.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.com