Professional Storytelling: How Do You Handle Violence in a Story?

Are you writing a book with some action in it? Well, chances are that you’ve had to write a scene with some violence in it. How do you handle that?

I’m like you – I want to read or write interesting stories. At the same time, I want to stay on the right side of the line. A story’s violence is capable of taking you to a very dark place. Don’t believe me? Go read a Cormack McCarthy novel (and remember, you’ve been warned). Violence for violence’s sake, violence to shock … that’s not really what I’m about. So how do you tell a story that includes with authenticity and integrity?

It turns out, that this guy (->) might have the answer:

No, I’m serious! Shane Black was an actor and he’s also written and directed. You’ve seen his movies if you’ve seen Iron Man 3 or Lethal Weapon. I ran across this interesting discussion about Shane Black and how he handles ‘movie violence.’ Give it a look-see for some interesting insights on how to use violence in a story.

As the man said, ‘If we’ve experienced it, we know that violence can be indiscriminate and deeply personal at the same time. Violence done right in these movies, violence as a plot element or as an exhibition of character,  awkward violence, is violence respected.’

So I thought that was an interesting idea to contemplate. Stories with action will always include violence in some form. The question of how to handle it, how to wield that tool correctly to move your story forward, is being answered in some creative and insightful ways by many talented artists. Posting this here to inform you, and for my future reference.