Yesterday on a sweet tweet with a couple of my friends they were telling us about a field trip they took on Saturday to a local crime lab. While it sounded very interesting and I would have loved to have been able to hang out with these gal pals of mine, I would not have been very good company for the lab field trip.
Unless the new look is an adult female walking around the crime lab with a trash can strapped to her face. Either that or I would have passed out and been on a gurney. Of course that sent me on a whole different track with me waking up in a coffin. Don't ask.
Captain Kidd has learned the hard way that I have a little problem with blood. But I can assure you that has not slowed down his thirst for weekend warrior projects in our backyard. Every year he takes on a new one and every year he does something that inevitably leads us to the emergency room. God bless that man.
Unfortunately not all of the ER trips have been for him. Fourth of July seven years ago we were hosting a big BB-Q when he decided that a piece of furniture needed to be fixed that day. Suffice to say he drilled a hole in his hand when his drill breached the wood. Who knew? I think that is the reason they insist you anchor whatever you are working on to a work station safely and NOT hold it in your hand.
When he came into the house he asked me if we had an band aids. Now in our house that is code, yes code for blood, but not alot of blood. Unfortunately on this day we had our code words messed up. Or he did. You got it, there was a lot of blood and when he showed it to me I toppled like a tree. Put a lovely gash in the back of my head. Three stitches later, yeah go ahead and laugh. It did give me a great story for the party later that day.
One of the things I can promise you is when I write there will be no blood and guts because quite honestly I don't think I could get through the writing draft. So what, I am a big baby. I can live with it. Don't judge me.
But after this discussion it made me wonder if the rest of my writer buddies, don't look now that would be you, has thing or ideas they would not feel comfortable writing about. Share with me.
Strangely, I find it a lot easier to write about certain things (blood, injuries, etc.) than to read about them. Maybe it's the clinical detachment needed to write. If I'm thinking about sentence structure, building tension, and so forth, I don't have such a visceral reaction to the subject matter.
ReplyDeleteGraphic sex scenes. I have read & enjoyed several books that have them, so it's not like I'm offended - I am by no means prudish. But, I have attempted to write them myself, and there are a few drafts around here somewhere... but it's just not me, I feel like, I don't know, I'm invading their privacy or something. LOL
ReplyDeleteNow it's my turn to say: Go ahead and laugh - Don't judge me. :-D
Having been on that crime lab tour, I can tell you it was not for the faint of heart. I'm not squeamish, at all. I have three active kids who have broken bones, gotten stitches and knocked out teeth. I have a strong stomach for blood, but part of the lab tour was disturbing. However, it was clinical, and that made it easier for me to take.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I can't watch horror films or tv shows with excessive violence. I can't handle watching someone in pain or being brutalized, fictional or not. Books are different because I can gauge how much violence my brain processes, but I'm not a fan of very violent books. I think it's the same with my writing. I can write about violence and injuries, to a point. But there is a threshold I cross when my writer brain says enough.
Hmm...there's nothing I'm afraid to write, but anything gory or too graphic I don't know I could really do them justice.
ReplyDeletethere is a certain detachment that comes with writing (as linda detailed in her response), but i cannot write or read anything creepy. for me, creepy usually includes ghosts, serial killers, and really graphic stuff, but if everyone talks about a book enough, i'll usually cave and read it.
ReplyDeleteduring the day light hours only, of course.
I'm with Jeannie on this; I can't stomach horror movies. I am OK with the CSIs because it's clinical and I was once in nursing school (though I never finished.)
ReplyDeleteMy oldest gashed his leg open during the summer and it took 13 stitches to close the wound. I was fine with the blood, fine with the suture process. What drove me nuts was the drive to the hospital when NOBODY would get out of my way, even with my emergency flashers on and anxious horn honking.
I can write gore and action and blood, but I cannot for the life of me write anything overtly mushy. I involuntarily start gagging. Sex scenes are completely out of the question. I wouldn't say it is prudish as much as I get brain stumped. I just can't do it.
ReplyDeletehi miss kelly! mostly i could write about anything. but for me id dont write sex stuff. my brothers and my sister alway answer any questions i got about sex so i could know a lot but i think you gotta have some experience in it to write about it. so i guess im not gonna write about it for some years.
ReplyDelete...hugs from lenny
Linda: I am so jealous of you right now.
ReplyDeleteJessica: I get that. And I don't think that is prudish at all. We all have to find a place that we are comfortable when we are writing.
Jeannie: I think that is why I focus on writing romantic fiction, because even if there is some sort of suspense I can control it. I could never write truly horrific violence. I think Nora does a great job of writing that kind of stuff.
Candy: That was my thought exactly. I am not afraid to write it, I just can't do it well.
Abby: Brown noser. Not surprising. I can't write with any sort of detachment.
Patty: I don't like the horror films either. I have never really like being scared. But I can totally see you being a Mad Momma trying to get him to the hospital.
Alyson: Its amazing what everyone's comfort zone is when it comes to writing. I don't think it is prudish at all again, just a level of comfort, because as writers we leave a little bit of ourselves behind in every scene and the graphic sex scenes are very personal.
Lenny Lee: I think you are very smart to stick with what you know. And how lucky are you that you have such a great support system to answer your questions. If I have some questions in the future do you think they would help me too?
Thanks for stopping by everyone.
Kelly