Tim Skinner's Blog: Asylum Chronicles - Posts Tagged "abuse"
A Reminder to Trauma Writers: Trauma Hurts!
If you want to tick off a reader, abuse your lead character(s) and then don't write about how that abuse might affect them. Show the abuse but don't write about how it might be wrong, immoral, or at least illegal. Just tell a reader that's what the character deserves, and leave it go at that!
See how far that gets you.
I see this from time and time --what I call the 'trivialization of abuse' in fiction writing. Rape and murder have become commonplace themes--almost so much so that writers sometimes treat them as incidental acts.
For example, it's become popular to make light of physical assault, rape, or psychological or emotional assault, by not writing follow-up scenes to describe the suffering, shock, grief and the inevitable change that abuse inevitably causes.
These drive-by "story-drivers" have become almost a thematic cliché in how they are (not) treated, meaning: they are sometimes not treated at all. Characters sometimes go on as if nothing ever happened!
It just defies logic.
This failure requires one of two things from the reader: a suspension of disbelief that borders on sheer ridiculousness, or it puts the reader into the unfortunate position of having to justify the abuse, which is typically what happens when the writer doesn't condemn things when they should.
This isn't to say that readers aren't intelligent enough to make the moral judgment themselves, or assume the suffering. Most are and most do. But some might wonder that if the author doesn't think it's important to follow up on the aftermath of abuse, then perhaps it isn't important--and furthermore, perhaps the character didn't feel anything (Weird!) or worse, perhaps they deserved it!
Ouch!
Bottom line: we risk readers justifying the abuse when we don't define things or describe the authentic suffering abuse entails. This is a psychologically and morally repugnant omission from any writer concerned with the human condition.
We've heard such justifications and lack of sympathy before, particularly when it comes to some women suffering sexual assault: 'She was dressed too provocatively!' or 'She was in the wrong place at the wrong time!' 'She was in the wrong time period!' or 'It's just the way the assailant's culture behaves!'
Bologna!
Don't put your reader in that sort of position.
When we trivialize trauma by ignoring our character's humanity, we are doing little more than exploiting that character--and equally so, our readers. This leaves them not only questioning their own motives, but the writer's, as well.
My advice to any aspiring writer, rather he be of fiction or non-fiction, is to:
1) Be authentic to the psychology of your character(s). Human beings suffer, no matter what they are wearing, or what gender they are, what they've done, or where they are.
2) Write with the reader who may have actually suffered such abuse, or loss, in mind. If the character is a sociopath who enjoys hurting others, just be fair to those who he's hurt and describe that hurt.
If your character is a masochist and loves to feel pain, fine. But
3) Don't imply abuse is a normal human behavior with no fallout. Masochism is still a deviant behavior, and so is domestic abuse: whether it's verbal, emotional, or monetary. Pain may be pleasurable, but at least have the mental diligence to ask the question: what is driving this character to cut herself, pull her own hair, or drip hot candle wax on her bosom while her lover beats her with a metal rod.
Characters who suffer such abuse (leave out the candle wax girl for a moment!) do not get over abuse in the span of a chapter or two unless there is something emotionally wrong with them. If that is the case, then be fair to the reader and go ahead and say that. Unless you are writing about alien life forms or robots,
4) Know that pain, loss, and suffering change people!
It is as simple as that. Readers expect an author to
5) Treat their characters authentically; and I would add, we, as writers, have a responsibility to do so.
6) Pay attention to the authentic ways in which human beings respond to pain, and bring those responses to your story. The reader will be glad that you did. You may actually
7) Advance the human cause. Don't take away from it.
Write authentically and even your characters will thank you. Trauma hurts. Let's not pretend it doesn't.
See how far that gets you.
I see this from time and time --what I call the 'trivialization of abuse' in fiction writing. Rape and murder have become commonplace themes--almost so much so that writers sometimes treat them as incidental acts.
For example, it's become popular to make light of physical assault, rape, or psychological or emotional assault, by not writing follow-up scenes to describe the suffering, shock, grief and the inevitable change that abuse inevitably causes.
These drive-by "story-drivers" have become almost a thematic cliché in how they are (not) treated, meaning: they are sometimes not treated at all. Characters sometimes go on as if nothing ever happened!
It just defies logic.
This failure requires one of two things from the reader: a suspension of disbelief that borders on sheer ridiculousness, or it puts the reader into the unfortunate position of having to justify the abuse, which is typically what happens when the writer doesn't condemn things when they should.
This isn't to say that readers aren't intelligent enough to make the moral judgment themselves, or assume the suffering. Most are and most do. But some might wonder that if the author doesn't think it's important to follow up on the aftermath of abuse, then perhaps it isn't important--and furthermore, perhaps the character didn't feel anything (Weird!) or worse, perhaps they deserved it!
Ouch!
Bottom line: we risk readers justifying the abuse when we don't define things or describe the authentic suffering abuse entails. This is a psychologically and morally repugnant omission from any writer concerned with the human condition.
We've heard such justifications and lack of sympathy before, particularly when it comes to some women suffering sexual assault: 'She was dressed too provocatively!' or 'She was in the wrong place at the wrong time!' 'She was in the wrong time period!' or 'It's just the way the assailant's culture behaves!'
Bologna!
Don't put your reader in that sort of position.
When we trivialize trauma by ignoring our character's humanity, we are doing little more than exploiting that character--and equally so, our readers. This leaves them not only questioning their own motives, but the writer's, as well.
My advice to any aspiring writer, rather he be of fiction or non-fiction, is to:
1) Be authentic to the psychology of your character(s). Human beings suffer, no matter what they are wearing, or what gender they are, what they've done, or where they are.
2) Write with the reader who may have actually suffered such abuse, or loss, in mind. If the character is a sociopath who enjoys hurting others, just be fair to those who he's hurt and describe that hurt.
If your character is a masochist and loves to feel pain, fine. But
3) Don't imply abuse is a normal human behavior with no fallout. Masochism is still a deviant behavior, and so is domestic abuse: whether it's verbal, emotional, or monetary. Pain may be pleasurable, but at least have the mental diligence to ask the question: what is driving this character to cut herself, pull her own hair, or drip hot candle wax on her bosom while her lover beats her with a metal rod.
Characters who suffer such abuse (leave out the candle wax girl for a moment!) do not get over abuse in the span of a chapter or two unless there is something emotionally wrong with them. If that is the case, then be fair to the reader and go ahead and say that. Unless you are writing about alien life forms or robots,
4) Know that pain, loss, and suffering change people!
It is as simple as that. Readers expect an author to
5) Treat their characters authentically; and I would add, we, as writers, have a responsibility to do so.
6) Pay attention to the authentic ways in which human beings respond to pain, and bring those responses to your story. The reader will be glad that you did. You may actually
7) Advance the human cause. Don't take away from it.
Write authentically and even your characters will thank you. Trauma hurts. Let's not pretend it doesn't.
Asylum Chronicles
I write novels! When I'm not sleeping, I'm thinking about topics, plot, and characters. This blog is meant to be a real-time chronicle of my life as a working author in the historical fiction and psyc
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