Gold's Laws

Nov 06, 2009 21:45

These are fairly straightforward, but to my surprise a lot of people seem to lose track of them.

Gold's (first) Law: "Sauce for the Goose"

Applies to interpersonal relations and especially to international relations.  If it's OK for "us" to do it, then it should be OK for "them" to do it.  And vice-versa: If "they" shouldn't do it, "we" shouldn't do it either.

Commentary: To pretend otherwise is to say that "we" have the right to make rules for others, presumably because "we" are more powerful than "they" are.  In other words: might makes right.  This is the position of a bully, and is morally indefensible.

This is one of those "Everything I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarden" things.  It should be too obvious to need repeating.  But somehow everybody seems to think "I am/we are an exception."
Gold's Second Law

Applies to writing and other literary endeavors.  If you spend 20,000 words on a sex scene, that's 20,000 words you haven't spent on the plot.  Put two of them in a 100,000 word novel, and you have a 60,000 word novel plus two sex scenes.  The resulting book is going to be thin on plot.

Commentary: Unsatisfied sexual tension can arouse the reader more than the best explicit description.  My favorite examples are in the Anita Blake books by Laurell Hamilton.  Book 4, The Lunatic Cafe. has a scene where Anita and Richard are "making out" but have agreed not to "go all the way".  The tension between them is very strong.  Compare with the scene in book 6, The Killing Dance, where she finally goes to bed with Jean Claude.  Yes, there's some nice sex there, but all the tension is dissipated.  The scene is far less exciting, IMHO.

equality writing obvious

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