Just a simple question, I know it was answered once a -long- time ago (but I CBF to search for it right now) so I'll ask again...
In regards to writing, it's already been answered that one can have sex scenes if they write it correctly (suffice to say, don't make it so blatant) and such... but what about violence? What I want to know is, how far is too far when it comes to describing someone's gory demise?
Shove some warning signs at the beginning and you should be alright. I'm not quite sure how freaked out one could get after just reading something gory...
Then again, reading gory stories isn't exactly my idea of fun in the first place.
That's one of those odd areas that really depends upon where and what you personally find creepy and/or disgusting, and also relates to your culture.
Sex scenes normally go too far when they start getting graphic. Simply stating that someone is standing nude in front of someone else, and then moved to a bed, would not be graphic. And I'm not going to say what WOULD be too graphic - I think you can figure that out yourself.
Violence, though. Here's a couple of different examples of the same scene.
Watching through his monitor, Mudd saw his last shot penetrate the shields of the fighter, piercing the cockpit window and also the pilot. It was a toss up on whether he bled to death before he died of exposure.
Watching through his monitor, Mudd saw his last shot penetrate the shields of the fighter. The bolt ripped through the cockpit window, sending shards of glass flying. The beam energy remaining in the bolt was enough to not just penetrate the suit of the pilot, but to tear it off at the middle of his forearm. Mudd imagined the scream of agony that the pilot must have made, as his life blood poured out of his severed arteries. The pressure in the cabin quickly reached zero, and the remaining blood boiled, then froze.
I just came up with both of those descriptions while I was writing this response, and neither are part of anything I have published on this or any other site.
Personally, I'm hard to gross out from descriptions - I read military books, both fiction and science fiction, from authors ranging from Heinlein to Turtledove to Clancy to Weber - and I throw John Ringo in there as well. (I can recommend the Ghost series - but it's NOT for the faint of heart, by any means.)
Violence, though - we're playing a space shooter game. There's going to be blood and guts. You can always just write that your character was sickened by what he saw rather than saying he saw the disemboweled corpse - or not.
I wouldn't get into slave/master relationships, or describing full bondage/dungeon sadomasochistic scenes - even though the violence there is expected, it's a bit over the top for this genre.
(11-21-2013, 12:53 PM)Jihadjoe Wrote: Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.
If I could thumbs up Agmen's response to this as far as the best answer I would.
Though I lack the ability to write some amazing novel that keeps the readers attention.
I have had many ideas for stories that never got written or fully planned out. Never to a degree
though have I made it gory enough for the reader to want to stop reading or look away. Though
it is a technique that some authors would probably use and attempt to do. That is not something
I can do without making it seem like the message I was passing was rushed.
I've been told many of my stories seemed rush and I am trying to alter my writing skills to better
suit the community into reading my stuff. I like writing out what is in my mind and would prefer
not to push my readers away.
I wrote a sex scene in some detail, just to see if people would try to stop me.
No one did.
Sex is natural, it's something we should teach our kids at a fairly early age so they know exactly what it's all about. So they don't make mistakes or do something they'll regret. So why censor it on the forums? As long as it's not some freaky unnatural or illegal stuff, go for it.
A greater understanding of a gun, for example, means less chance to have an accident with it. Capiche?
' Wrote:I wrote a sex scene in some detail, just to see if people would try to stop me.
No one did.
Sex is natural, it's something we should teach our kids at a fairly early age so they know exactly what it's all about. So they don't make mistakes or do something they'll regret. So why censor it on the forums? As long as it's not some freaky unnatural or illegal stuff, go for it.
im so tempted to write fapfapfapfapfap but i wont... aw crud.
the limits of violence are what makes someone feel physically sick. Agmens examples do not do this, but the next paragraph in his procession would be along the lines of
'He watched as the cockpit glass cracked and shattered. as the razor sharp sheets tumbled in the zero gravity, he saw one foot long shard pierce the pilot through the eye, and into the cushioned seat back. The jelly-like filling of the eye squirted onto the glass, causing a rainbow reflection over the man's nose, and a darkening stain marked the track of the fluid down across his cheek and onto his flight suit. The man's mouth opened soundlessly in a scream for there was no air to conduct the sound. Horrifyingly, another sheet cut his scream short; it slid effortlessly under his chin, severing his head from his body, which slumped away, but the head remained in place, pinned by the shard of glass through the eye. The head, swivelling on its macbre pivot, squeezed the remainder of the pierced eye against the flat of the glass shard's blade, and it popped out onto the cheek, bouncing gently a few times before coming to rest.
Mudd saw the last, dying scream expressed from the lungs of the enemy pilot as a series of bubbles, cut short as the pilots body exploded in the violent decompression of space.
"you're under a lot less pressure now" he thought, as he kicked his boat into cruise.
--------
i tried to make that as disgusting as possible... and this is the key here - if one of your readers thinks 'gross' you've gone to far. likewise with the whole sexy scenes, purple prose shouldn't arouse your readers. and bearing in mind that young male adolescents read this stuff, not a lot will be too much. Saying a lot, but with few words is far more powerful than a Jane Austen-esque plethora of adjective-laden descriptive narration.
Posts: 8,828
Threads: 747
Joined: Aug 2008
Staff roles: Moderator
Admin here but you all knew that!
In some of my story posts, I've insinuated sex but I don't get to graphic. Usually, it's just enough for the reader to know that it happens. Two people disrobing alone in their room with the light being turned off or the mention of someone disrobing to insinuate partial or total nudity. Regardless, I keep it clean.
Akura, I read your post around the time you wrote it. I do agree that it's a natural act. I haven't had to admin anything on it but I have to keep in mind that we do have kids in these forums and I like to think that a parent can check on them if they so choose.
I won't say much if it's not too detailed but if I get a PM with a complaint then I have to do something. Fortunately, that doesn't happen often.
You would include such vivid details of something for a specific purpose. Certain novels include very detailed scenes for the purpose of inciting certain emotions within the reader.
Looking at Agmen's example, unless you had a specific reason to include the details of the death the simple fact that he died when the laser went pewpew to his cockpit is enough.
"The bullet impacted his head." - The reader draws the conclusion, that he obviously is dead or neutralized.
"The bullet impacted his head, bursting through his dense cranium and mangling the inside organs before bursting out the nape and showering the adjacent wall in sanguine horror and gray matter." - In which case, too much information is present. Unless you were writing a type of horror or mystery type novel, in which case this might bring interest to the reader.
Too far is simply detail that subtracts from the purpose of the story. If you need a "sex scene" then by all means, add it in. But going into lucid details about everything might bring your motives into question. If there isn't a forum rule against certain things then I would presume it to be free game; A disclaimer of some sort would be appropriate though.
Tiberius Walker, putting flames out and being awesome since Apr 13 2008 ™
[8/17/2008 5:56:46 PM] Aaron (Boss/Jurgen) says: Can't bring myself to say it... Looks like you get the LABC, I've seen what you can do in one
Walker (Albert Wint): I can has win? --- Epyon the Bored: You can haz win. --- [1:18:00 PM] Chris (Niezck) says: I love you <3
[5:55:53 PM] Raisu says: Walker pwned both Battleships(LNS-Texas LNS-Arizona) - [5:55:57 PM] Raisu says: in a cruiser Tiberius Walker, spreading mayhem, destruction, and Spamming Flood since Oct 22 2008 ™
[9:08:25 AM] Gurjiv (Frozen) says: I hope someone gives you AIDs.
[7:15:17 PM] Dylan (Ximen) says: Walker... you have no idea how much fail you bring into this world...
[8:05:08 AM] Ross (SevereTrinity) says: Screw you for making me install FL again
[10:51IE AM] Epyon the Bored says: My god if I ever meet you I am going to strangle you. Tiberius Walker, being better then you since April 30, 2009 â¢
We will remember - We do not Forget - We do not Forgive
![[Image: kelsieicsig.png]](http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/stewcool/Freelancer/kelsieicsig.png)
![[Image: 7Md2x4D.png]](https://i.imgur.com/7Md2x4D.png)
IE AM] Epyon the Bored says: My god if I ever meet you I am going to strangle you.