Hate my work, hate me...possibly

[to_cry_about]

the_epic asked me if, as a writer, I worry about being judged as a person for my writing (and subject matter, by extension

Comments

[ex_the_epic80]

This is pretty much what I've always thought, but then again it's never something I've sat down to think about to any great effect...with the exception that I seem to reflect most of my own values and thoughts in my writing (and quite obviously so, at that.)

[waterstrider]

I've had to think about it because I'm in moral philosophy and philosophy of literature classes, and also because I've had to defend my hatred of Hannibal to others.

[ex_the_epic80]

Not to me you don't. I can see making a movie about evil and the faces of it and so forth, but what the hell was the point of that movie? Hannibal's eating, killing and being a bastard was shown as something commendable, lovely and wonderful. It made me gag.

[youngest_one]

Interesting post. I've yet to come to a conclusion regarding the morality of art, but this post gave me a lot to think about.

Am I correct in surmising from this that you do not object to morally offensive persons or situations as long as the author writes them that way, and makes such actions repugnant?

[waterstrider]

Correct. It's not the content, but the tone, which is why I think ratings based on content (particularly with fanfic, where there probably aren't any prepubescent kids reading) are of very limited value.

[youngest_one]

At what age do you think the average person would be sufficiently mature to make moral judgments concerning works of art?

Also, what kind of rating system would you like to see, if any?

[waterstrider]

With the general caveat of IT DEPENDS, I'd say that people basically know what's what at thirteen or fourteen (maybe fifteen for some). A young teenager can tell Schindler's List from Triumph of the WillI think the ratings system we have does an acceptable job of sorting movies and television into rough age-appropriate groups. But it works because a board of trained human beings makes the decision. They're able to watch a movie and say, "Yeah, okay, people get shot in the head, and you wouldn't want to bring a toddler to see it, but it's still different from a horror movie

[ex_the_epic80]

I have a question for you. Do you find it hard to write about things you haven't endured/seen/done? Is it easier for you to write on your own experiences or for you to make things up based on how you see others act in situations?

Did that make sense?

[waterstrider]

It really depends on the thing, and it's a matter of degree. I haven't lost a parent, for example, but I've experienced grief from other sources enough to be comfortable writing about it. I would have more trouble writing about piloting a plane than about piloting a ship, even though I haven't done either one -- I have more experience on boats to fill in the gaps

[ex_the_epic80]

I'm going to go check out minisinoo as you've suggested, as I can use all the help I can get. And no, you're definatly not alone in this...I'll tell you what's brought this up for me. I've been re-plugging away at my novel and I'm finding and aura of, non-humanity to some of the characters. Now this would be fine in a fantasy story with dragons and wenches and the like, but I'm looking to write a moral analogy in the guise of a historically-based fantasy fiction, and so the people have to SEEM like they are people. The human condition, I believe is how it's described.

I can do the whole "brooding and sad, yet humour-filled and good-driven" knight because I can relate to that feeling, but some of the other characters are hard to get my mind around, so I figured I would get some pointers. Lady Astelde/Adeline (as she will be known again...), if you've read the book, is particularly difficult to write because of her lack of passion for life, as well as her cold hearted nature.

In any case, thank you for your insight.