Consequential Violence: The Impact of Combat in Fiction

[Gamal]

Not every story benefits from complex portrayals of violence. But some stories and characters can be enhanced and improved if their violent actions had more consequences.

http://bit.ly/1M7loIg

Have fun.
Gamal

[Beverly]

Gamal:

I'm interested in reading your article but to do so I would have to be a member of Squarespace, and I'm not. Have you posted it elsewhere?

[Gamal]

I apologize for the blocked link, Beverly. The post can be accessed from here for free...

http://gamalhennessy.blogspot.com/201...

[Beverly]

Thanks! And thank you for including the resources. I have read Grossman's On Combat but didn't know about the writer's guides.

I agree with your points. Violence is too often included because it's expected in a thriller but not much thought is given to making it appear authentic.

Also: you mention PTSD but you might want to look into Post-Traumatic Growth too; the research in it suggests some intriguing characterization possibilities.