When I was studying writing, I was told that true literature had to be involved in a cause that somehow exposed the dark underbelly of the human condition. Writers were warriors, their pens mightier than any sword, holding a heedless society to the reality of its own injustice.
Maybe I shouldn't have giggled.
The truth of it is that I think I do more good when I feel good about the world, and I'm in a good mood. I think there are a lot of people like me - shallow, cheerful folk whistling "Rocky Mountain High" off-key. I write for them
And I don't like villains, so I don't write about them. Sure, there are people who do things that aren't nice, but they appear and depart quite quickly. There's the school of thought that one of the best characters a writer can have is a 'villian you love to hate'.
I don't enjoy hating anyone.
Yes, the world has problems. I've experienced quite a few of them myself, and have met people who were truly villainous.
But I write to entertain, and true horror is not entertaining. True villainy is not something to peruse on a Saturday evening in one's recliner.
And perhaps - I hope - that the truth is that most people are really pretty nice, and they deserve to have access to stories about...
Well, about people like them.
Andrew - not sure what happened. I was sure I was following you, but haven't been getting posts. So I'm signing up again - we'll see.
ReplyDeleteLove this post - I'm with you. True horror is not entertaining. I write about hope - we all need hope, don't we?
Blessings, my friend,
Becky
Great to see you, Becky!
Deletemore than anything, I think God wants us to have hope - and to serve Him that's what we need to emphasize.
The literary examples I follow are Nevil Shute and Andrew Greeley. The works of both deal with ordinary people, ordinary life - and provide satisfying dramatic tension without horror, gratuitous bloodshed, villany, or horror.
God bless!
Andrew