Errors of the famous - help for the aspiring author

[Ken]

I may have misjudged your position, because on that I agree!

[Jim]

Kenneth wrote: "I may have misjudged your position, because on that I agree!"

Anyone who can appreciate an ancient Chinese strategy game and make a serious study of cause and effect has just got to have a logical mindset.

[L.G.]

Jim wrote: "Micah wrote: "Well, I think we can both preserve the magic of childhood and prepare them for the harshness of adult life. I mean, look at The Hobbit (the book, of course)...It's written in a very s..."

This times a million. I'm a big horror buff, so this might sound hypocritical, but gore and horror for the sake of it just aren't a good idea outside of certain parts of the genre. We can teach children without terrifying them, and I think it's important to balance the bad with the good. Sure, the world can be a damn scary place, but there are some wonderful people in it too.

[Calvin]

L.G. wrote: "We can teach children without terrifying them, and I think it's important to balance the bad with the good."

I agree. I recently published a fantasy novel where one of the characters is killed. I spoke with my 11 year old daughter about this and she pleaded with me not to kill any of the good guys. I had to ignore the pleading so I could show the reality of battle. It's easy to accept bad people dying but the truth is that good people also die. I made sure that the book did not have any graphic violence though. This was my way to show the reality without scarring them.

[Jim]

"I had always imagined that my first experience with a friend's death would be dramatic. My daydreams always involved me bravely comforting my dying comrade with encouraging words while he tried to console me by giving a brief, heroic speech. It wasn't like that at all. There is nothing dramatic or heroic about death; it is depressing and permanent. Those left behind ache terribly inside because their hearts have been broken and never completely heal."

Quote from "Levels". (Page 77)