tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post4552387104091929392..comments2024-03-28T06:59:34.982-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Red Sparrow: A Broken Winged BirdDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-71634417731510821052018-03-28T11:56:34.185-06:002018-03-28T11:56:34.185-06:00What a great post, Diana, and I agree with you. Re...What a great post, Diana, and I agree with you. Remember the great drama and suspense in the old Hitchcock films?<br /><br />My mysteries are labeled hard-boiled and have at least one graphic scene of murder in some of them. But that scene is PG rated compared to what is in books and films today in that same category. In each scene I focus on the emotional reactions of victim and killer, rather than any actual gore. Not a drop of blood mentioned. LOL<br /><br />I once heard that if you have one murder scene in a story that has several people killed, the reader will remember that scene every time another victim is found after the fact. Sort of like what we think of every time we see someone get in a shower after seeing "Psycho."Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-54747902450371941842018-03-25T22:54:13.045-06:002018-03-25T22:54:13.045-06:00I think the biggest problem is the excessive amoun...I think the biggest problem is the excessive amounts and explicit close ups of sick behavior. And the massive body counts that take the meaning out of a life lost.Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-87441509385236652712018-03-25T08:33:40.653-06:002018-03-25T08:33:40.653-06:00I originally wanted to see that movie, but the rev...I originally wanted to see that movie, but the reviews have been much like yours, which I didn't read at the spoiler part. I'll wait until it's on TV and free.<br /><br />As a writer who has a woman in jeopardy in my series, and even one where there's a violent scene--it's mostly behind closed doors--I have noticed that many female writers are the worst offenders. I can name two but I won't. I do have one book where there is a violent scene, and strangely, it's one of my highest-rated books, mainly, I think, because of the end. There's a difference between violence that drives the story and gratuitous violence, or maybe I'm kidding myself.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-41690037641739606452018-03-23T22:17:08.071-06:002018-03-23T22:17:08.071-06:00It shouldn't be too hard. :) Good men exist. A...It shouldn't be too hard. :) Good men exist. And we used to have fictional white hat heroes.Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-10779425547992520632018-03-22T17:56:24.766-06:002018-03-22T17:56:24.766-06:00I agree, too. And I love the idea of a prize for b...I agree, too. And I love the idea of a prize for books that contain no violence against women. Sadly, I suspect one of the "solutions" will be to avoid including female characters... but that's a whole 'nother issue. Avoiding such tropes is on my checklist for my writing, and I enjoy the challenge: increase the ratio of female to male characters, don't use the female characters as "bait" or other plot devices, and show the male characters treating the female characters with respect. Easy ;-)Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-18120350274175592892018-03-22T07:55:22.625-06:002018-03-22T07:55:22.625-06:00Spot on!Spot on!Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48288166476294427792018-03-22T04:46:13.236-06:002018-03-22T04:46:13.236-06:00This is a fabulous post, Diana. You've nailed ...This is a fabulous post, Diana. You've nailed it. Violence is, very sadly, a way of life today. Evil people who commit horrific acts have existed since the beginning of time; however, they seem now to be more in abundance than ever before, as emphasized by school shootings, the killing of law enforcement officers, mass murders in other arenas, and the list goes on. Unchecked bullying drives victimized youngsters to commit suicide and therefore seems to me to be a form of indirect murder. Despite the feminist movement and so-called strides made toward equality, the abuse of women appears to be as prevalent as ever, exemplified in part by recent revelations of its frequency in the entertainment industry. Some suggest our knowledge of all this is because we have better communication methods than in the past, and we therefore learn about situations we might never have known about years ago. Really? Consider this: random acts of kindness, once the norm for many people, now make the news because of their rarity. <br /><br />As a writer, I acknowledge the existence of violence and include some of it in my stories. While minimally graphic, it is realistic in presenting life as it exists but without excusing or glorifying such ugly acts in any way. Also, the perpetrator gets an appropriate reward by reaping what he/she sows. Explicit sex scenes (rape or consensual) never appear in my novels, nor do the expletives that pepper so much of today's entertainment. There are other ways and terms to demean people without resorting to language that once would have gotten our mouths washed out with soap. <br /><br />Thank you for posting this article, Diana. It's great food for thought.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-86948831956979403042018-03-22T01:06:47.280-06:002018-03-22T01:06:47.280-06:00I heartily agree with you. I've been reading t...I heartily agree with you. I've been reading thrillers, mysteries and crime stories for many years, and watched a few of those sorts of movies, and the violence has become increasingly extreme, gratuitous - and worse - glorified. And yes, it tends to focus on women. I feel like I must be an old fuddy-duddy to think this way, yet I'm (sadly!) waaaay too young to retire. It's as if writers/movie makers think they need to keep raising the bar on the shock and horror, using a larger hammer every time to get the audience's attention - they're scared we're going to look away, at the next shiny thing the interwebz can put in front of us. The focus seems to have shifted from storytelling to marketing - how can we make this slick and 'sexy' and so naughtily horrifying that people won't be able to go past it, just like a train wreck. We've opened Pandora's Box when it comes to 'dark' material and now all the horrors are pouring out. By way of saying, I too wish skilful story telling rather than graphic marketing would return. I can't think of any examples of the former.... Thanks for tackling this challenging topic. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734571630062812528noreply@blogger.com