Better to be loved and gored than live peacefully
By p1kef1sh
@p1kef1sh (45681)
March 19, 2016 4:29pm CST
A friend of mine is an author of historical novels set in the late 14th century in England, she is quite well known within the genre and has had some success on both sides of the Atlantic. However, she said to me today that her reluctance to describe graphic sex and violence is causing her to fail to gain new readers. Apparently these days books that have a sex act or bloody killing on every other page is what the public want. I am very surprised by this; have we reached an age where our senses are so numbed by a daily digest of graphic imagery that we are no longer able to use our imaginations? Do we HAVE to have things spelled out to us these days, have we lost the ability to work out for ourselves what might have happened. If so, then we are very much the poorer for it. Perhaps I am mistaken.
4 people like this
3 responses
@GardenGerty (157552)
• United States
19 Mar 16
I know that seems to be mainstream, but surely there are a few people who want to use their own imagination.
2 people like this
@Lazyblogs (494)
• Chandigarh, India
19 Mar 16
No you are right . People are more into these things than imaginative books
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325720)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jun 16
I know some of the books I start reading nowadays go in the reject pile simply because I find them too graphic, especially in the violence area. I am just not interested in being shocked and sickened by too much detail. My imagination is quite graphic enough on its own. Hopefully the wheel will turn again and hopefully before your friend is put off writing.
