tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post5429119268075792278..comments2023-11-06T13:07:23.645-05:00Comments on The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment: Be Cruel to Be KindMatthew MacNishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-19839338891887213312011-01-05T21:48:58.045-05:002011-01-05T21:48:58.045-05:00Day late here, but check out the scene of David Lu...Day late here, but check out the scene of David Lurie and his daughter coming home from walking the dogs in Coetzee's DISGRACE; somewhere near the middle of the book. Haven't read anything as frightening or cruel since.Steve Abernathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305427572896472459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-25088837022324205452011-01-05T15:50:32.095-05:002011-01-05T15:50:32.095-05:00Isn't cruelty such a great word? Seriously. En...Isn't cruelty such a great word? Seriously. Enjoy the torture, Matt!ali crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13023009704454279645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-80420013090848626882011-01-05T00:14:17.386-05:002011-01-05T00:14:17.386-05:00I read somewhere that our job is to chase our char...I read somewhere that our job is to chase our characters up a tree and then start throwing rocks at them.<br /><br />Luke Skywalker certainly got kicked around from the very start - he gets knocked out by a Tusken Raider, finds his family burned, gets sucked into the Death Star, and then doesn't just fall into garbage, but gets pulled under by a monster and then the walls start closing in. And that girl there he's hot for? His sister! How cruel is that?<br /><br />But really, it's something I've had to work on, too. I'm always crossing out things like, "Have some cookies before you go on your walk," to "No food for you - get on the front line so the first volley don't kill our best men."Steve MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15026970188928733645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-15867071053060177632011-01-04T23:35:12.972-05:002011-01-04T23:35:12.972-05:00Being cruel to my characters was something I had t...Being cruel to my characters was something I had to get used to. I still find it hard sometimes. But, yes, we must do it! Good luck with your scene.Susan R. Millshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09578747592345750650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-35129269497092871422011-01-04T20:05:46.806-05:002011-01-04T20:05:46.806-05:00Hmmm...I try not to torture anyone in picture book...Hmmm...I try not to torture anyone in picture books. It tends to make little kids cry. (wink) I do enjoy ya books that involve emotional turmoil.Sharon K. Mayhewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07799235347319851345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-60723659424832125642011-01-04T17:36:11.906-05:002011-01-04T17:36:11.906-05:00Awesome post. I'm reworking my fantasy YA and ...Awesome post. I'm reworking my fantasy YA and am specifically looking for ways to increase the tension in the story - and I've been more cruel to my characters with each new scene I add. What doesn't kill your characters makes them stronger and more real.Nicole Zoltackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07464800543376449290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-43717950086044020492011-01-04T16:42:42.139-05:002011-01-04T16:42:42.139-05:00Oh, dear God! I just finished "As I Lay Dying...Oh, dear God! I just finished "As I Lay Dying," in which Faulkner was so irredeemably cruel to his characters, it went beyond the pail. (I just like the image of something going beyond a small bucket off in the distance, despite the fact it's incorrect as far as the saying goes.)<br /><br />Anyway. You can be cruel to your characters, yeah, but for the love of chiclets, give us *something* to hang on to at the end, not just more of the same deathly drama. Curse you, Faulkner! *shakes fist*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-71649826365497096432011-01-04T15:29:22.794-05:002011-01-04T15:29:22.794-05:00you already know that I like when everything good ...you already know that I like when everything good happens to good characters since I sometimes look on the world through pink coloured glasses.DEZMONDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14127166104359407763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-3576251549658286142011-01-04T15:27:21.136-05:002011-01-04T15:27:21.136-05:00I can tell you the cruelest thing I've done to...I can tell you the cruelest thing I've done to Byron in the sequel to my book - I introduced a female character! Enough said.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-36237751485414034932011-01-04T14:26:23.364-05:002011-01-04T14:26:23.364-05:00That's a great question lbdiamond. In the scen...That's a great question lbdiamond. In the scenes I am writing today, my character is at reform school, so in between the punishments he endures, there is some time for reflection on his situation and interaction with friends, but these examples would obviously differ greatly depending on what kind of story you are telling.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-32637671704453412882011-01-04T14:03:33.585-05:002011-01-04T14:03:33.585-05:00Yup, you gotta be cruel to be kind...erm, sounds c...Yup, you gotta be cruel to be kind...erm, sounds counterintuitive, don't it? <br /><br />GREAT POST!!!!<br /><br />My question: in our quest to always keep upping the ante, how do you manage "down time" and "rest" between episodes of MC torture?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-73369121452580821852011-01-04T13:53:55.542-05:002011-01-04T13:53:55.542-05:00That's the evil Matt we know and love!
I thi...That's the evil Matt we know and love! <br /><br />I think you bring up a common pitfall--often we create complex and difficult backstories to explain why a character is the way they are, and show why they act and see life in a certain way. BUT, as you've found out, this doesn't mean that we can let them off easy now. The ante must always be upped, and the character has to be challenged to a point that their past experience is only one facet, and merely a launch point to what they must now face. <br /><br />Good luck with the torturing!<br /><br />Angela @ The Bookshelf MuseAngela Ackermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808259088625142389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-37079539960813956342011-01-04T13:21:24.542-05:002011-01-04T13:21:24.542-05:00great. Now I've got "cruel to be kind&quo...great. Now I've got "cruel to be kind" stuck in my head... ;p j/k<br /><br />Well, you know SK said "kill your darlings"; although I think he was talking more about your favorite passages that weren't contributing.<br /><br />Go for it! Make 'em bleed. I think I shared when I was going through this in my last WIP. It really does make the whole stronger. Good luck~ :o) <3LTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239077455322030275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-83518903459987956592011-01-04T13:10:52.397-05:002011-01-04T13:10:52.397-05:00Very true. My agent once told me that she apprecia...Very true. My agent once told me that she appreciated the way I could "break my characters apart before putting them back together." <br /><br />And so that's what I keep trying to do. It's hard sometimes, I'll admit that. Good luck!Elana Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05877856005992028912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-20009040351965050472011-01-04T13:08:04.260-05:002011-01-04T13:08:04.260-05:00I cry at that scene in Lord of the Rings every sin...I cry at that scene in Lord of the Rings every single time I read it. I am unspeakably cruel to my characters. They usually forgive me, though. Once they reach the happy ending anyway. Good luck today!Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01445455787485222068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-76449922458232988942011-01-04T12:33:22.346-05:002011-01-04T12:33:22.346-05:00Good luck on your cruelness today! It is essential...Good luck on your cruelness today! It is essential. I always like to think about it, instead of putting them in bad places, working them out of the bad places they had to go. It helps. ;)Colene Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06086195075690893194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-50309720392165872732011-01-04T12:11:48.856-05:002011-01-04T12:11:48.856-05:00I read this book called The Novelist's Boot Ca...I read this book called The Novelist's Boot Camp and he says (and I'm paraphrasing) that if the absolute worst thing doesn't happen to your character then it isn't satisfying for the reader. Readers want drama - it's sort of the whole reason we are compelled to get to the end of the book.K. M. Waltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07167022736028223997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-38588868752521859192011-01-04T12:10:25.682-05:002011-01-04T12:10:25.682-05:00Ah yes, there has to be that balance there of crue...Ah yes, there has to be that balance there of cruelty and kindness. It can be tough for me to be terribly cruel sometimes but it's important for the reader to be invested in the story. :) Great post!<br /><a href="http://lisadgibson.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover</strong></a>Lisa_Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17238496789960349077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-51827448269899567602011-01-04T12:01:57.090-05:002011-01-04T12:01:57.090-05:00It’s kind of weird that in our writerly lives it g...It’s kind of weird that in our writerly lives it good to be rotten. Actually, we have to it we want to be exciting.Southpawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16539290964546504171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-16254880290396977512011-01-04T11:46:49.033-05:002011-01-04T11:46:49.033-05:00I've recently re-read The Heart is a Lonely Hu...I've recently re-read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and I guess you can't be as cruel as John Singer's fate - deaf, unable to speak, his devotion to his only friend thwarted, he drifts through the story absorbing others' emotional turmoil while unable to vent his own. Or there is Thomas Cromwell in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. In this account - his childhood is one litany of abuse, he survives bloody European wars, his beloved wife dies and he is thrust in the midst of England breaking away from Rome! :-)<br /><br />I can see how a kind of benign cruelty certainly beefs up the main character to loftier ideals!!<br /><br />Take care<br />xOld Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13185547869183611159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-8080929726681957182011-01-04T11:34:46.595-05:002011-01-04T11:34:46.595-05:00An agent at a conference I attended said that all ...An agent at a conference I attended said that all writers had to ask themselves "Am I being as mean as possible to my MC?" It made me realize I was being too nice to mine in my first YA. I just finished writing my second YA, and I was downright cruel to her--but it's a much better story. Great post! :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05255908019822363456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-65339681800299077602011-01-04T11:27:45.377-05:002011-01-04T11:27:45.377-05:00So true Matt. It's hard to beat them up like t...So true Matt. It's hard to beat them up like that, but if you don't do it, the reader is left wondering where the story is.Melissa Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02700191547004665402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-51565021209681884872011-01-04T11:20:50.593-05:002011-01-04T11:20:50.593-05:00very true. I also try and make my MC make things w...very true. I also try and make my MC make things worse. So they try and fix things and it just Effs them up even more. Nothing's worse than knowing you screwed things up even more, or that the bad times are your faultSarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-28108617679336390832011-01-04T11:02:30.135-05:002011-01-04T11:02:30.135-05:00It must be the dark side in me that enjoys putting...It must be the dark side in me that enjoys putting my characters in danger, making them suffer, even killing them upon occasion.mshatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308916014310536449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5345890055658252124.post-42698193168490398782011-01-04T10:48:34.587-05:002011-01-04T10:48:34.587-05:00Very true, I'm all in favor or being cruel to ...Very true, I'm all in favor or being cruel to be kind too. (Erm, in my writing, that is!) <br /><br />Also, Hamlet quote ftw ^.^Mariekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16383960692054256957noreply@blogger.com