ADULT CONTENT – Part I Violence.

I'm am both a reader and writer of epic fantasy fiction, with an emphasis on adult fiction. In recent times I've read several novels that have claimed to be adult, and while I've enjoyed the plots liked the characters, I feel there has been something missing. Something that keeps it from being a truly adult novel.

At the risk of sounding sadistically perverse, for me, the missing pieces are sex and violence. In this post I shall talk of violence and save sex for my next post. Now I do not condone violence in every day society, nor do I want to read/write a gore fest for the sake of shock value. However, we are talking books and we are talking fantasy worlds. Authors do not always need to spell out every bloody detail. There are creative ways to show that someone is being killed, maimed, raped, or brutalised without having to make the reader physically ill (but that's a whole other post). That concept of less is more can be a powerful thing. My point is that violence is a part of nature, even today, and should not be avoided for fear of offending the readership.

I myself have cut of hands, slit throats, sacrificed deer (and humans alike) and thrust swords into the bellies of good men. Most of these acts of cruelty I've agonised over, while the rest I've licked my lips and taken great pleasure in. Did I say I was trying not to be sadistic?

Many fantasy writers base their stories on past or primitive cultures where violence and death were/are part of society. The Aztecs had their sacrificial altars, the Romans had their colosseum, the French had their guillotine, the Japanese are known for ritual suicide. In medieval times people were rarely sent to prison for crimes committed. Instead, they were tortured, or executed depending on the severity of the crime. The death penalty is still in existence today.

In my opinion, violence can be attributed to a number of things; a need for power/dominance over the individual, community, or both; territorial control; the right to mate (love); or just plain insanity. All of these things can add depth to your story, as long as it is appropriate and in line with the way your character(s) behaves, or the rules of the society you have created.

Violence can be a catalyst for change, or be an obstacle for your protagonist. It adds grit and realism to your world and creates a platform from which your protagonist can leap off of to discover themselves, or your antagonist to plummet in defeat (or vise versa). It doesn't have to consume your story, but remember that not all problems can be solved through negotiation; not everyone is content to be led away in shackles; not everyone has a conscience. In conclusion, don't be afraid to get a little dark at times.

My next post will be on Sex in fantasy fiction and how frustrating it is when there is none...

All comments welcome. Would love suggestion on other adult writing topics. The kind of issues that young adult books can't tackle.

PERSPECTIVE

If I was to say to you the sky isn't blue, you'd probably respond with, 'You crazy, bitch!' Or maybe you wouldn't, but you would think I had gone colour blind. But I say, it's a matter of perspective. Let's go into outer space for a moment and look down on the earth. Notice anything? We can see the blue of the water, the dark masses of land and white clouds. The sky (our atmosphere) has become as clear as glass. So whether the sky is blue or not is a matter of perception.

Who your characters are is also a matter of perception. All you see is a dangerous man stalking you. You don't realise he's actually trying to protect you from the terminator. A good way to show the many sides of your main characters is to have the reader view them through the eyes of other point of view characters. We all have a different opinion of who our friends and enemies are. You may think your protagonist is wise and kind, but is that what the other characters see?

For example, your mother thinks you're wonderful and doesn't mind you bringing over your washing, while your partner can't stand the way you leave dirty socks on the floor. Your co-workers think your strange because you like dragons, while your writing friends think... well they probably think your strange too, but not because you like dragons.

If you only have one point of view character this can be difficult to show, but not impossible. People adapt their behaviour depending on who they're with. You don't sware in front of your nana, but might curse like a sailor around your mates.

Ask yourself, how does your protagonist relate to different kinds of people? Do they treat the peasant on the street differently to the king? Do they say one thing and think another? How does their posture change around others? Do they stand tall in front of their friends, but shrink when their overbearing boss is around?

How do the other characters perceive your protagonist? Do women the women think he/she is rude, while the men find them hilarious? Is your protagonist misjudged by some and seen right through by others? Do others see the good/bad deeds of your protagonist? Do others wonder how your protagonist can be revered/loathed, while all they can see are the shortcomings/achievements?

Find the many facets of your protagonist and bring them out through the eyes of others, because from where others stand the sky might not be blue. 

Name Change and Building World Culture

Some of you (R&G) may notice that my blog is no longer called Too Drunk To Be In Love. It's now called Domasphere. Why the change? Well, as much as I like my original name I didn't want people to think I was some kind of drunken louse. Also there's a spacey element to Domasphere, which I just happen to have an interest in - http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ Very cool, sometimes nerdy, but always pretty stuff.

Had an interesting conversation today about the different cultures sampled when creating societal structures in a fantasy worlds. There are many to pick from, the same way you might pick at a chicken carcass in the hopes of creating your own unique salad of a culture that fits your story. I myself have dipped my finger into the Mongolian nomads, licked the spoon of Egyptian hierarchy and gluttonously devoured from the plate of medieval England. But what I find most fascinating is the culture of animals. Animal society, though perhaps not always as obvious, can be just as complex as human society.

Take for example lions: Highly skilled, bold, lethal, hunt to kill with very little thought for anything other than filling their bellies and surviving.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion 

Gorillas: Peaceful until provoked, protective, wary, powerful when the need arises, otherwise happy to sit, eat and pick bugs off each other.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla

And my fav, killer whales: Cunning, never miss the second time around, rarely miss the first time around, hunt for the thrill, curious, intelligent and yes wolves of the sea.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale 

So my point is, when building your world and the societies that fill it don't be afraid to extend beyond the boundaries of ordinary existence. You don't have to restrict yourselves to humans only. Even ants have a complex society with rules and hierarchies that they have to live by. In my opinion, humans are just glorified animal. And if you need proof of that just watch a football game.

When Things Come Together

I was going to call this post 'Giving The Fans What They Want', seeing as I now have two (thanks R&G - you guys rock!), but had another thought in mind.

I'm sure you've all woken in the morning with the thought that it's going to be a bitch of a day, but then everything seems to fall into place and you end up having a really good (everything's coming up Milhouse) day. Well writers have those days (though they come in moments) too. It often happens when they think that their story is weak, even though they've been working on strenghtening it for at least a year. They write and write, knowing it's bettter to write crap and fix it up later than to not write at all. Then, as the flow of words turns from consistency of molasses to honey to water, something just clicks and BAM! all the pieces fit together. And you didn't even have to think about it.

Can't give away too many details, but had one of those moments today. What I will say is that there is nothing better than being a writer in those moments.

Hey R&G have you seen that show East Bound and Down? It's my new thing. I think you'd like it.

Commitment to Posting

Okay, so even though I'm writing to an audience of 0, I've been told that, as a writer, it is in my best interest to blog. So from now on, I'm going to try and stick with this and do something at least once a month.

Right now it's close to 12am Sunday night. I have to go to work tomorrow, but would rather scrounge a few more minutes to write and be tired in the morning than go to be feeling unsatisified.

I've reached 20,000 words on Book 3 of the Bone Shaker Trilogy that I'm writing and have just started reading Mary Victoria's novel, Tymon's Flight. Will let the blogsphere know how that goes.

Guess I should try and get some followers.