Writing Violence: Too Much of a Good Thing?

It often takes me days of procrastination before I work myself up to tackling a violent scene. In my current book I have several scenes of torture and a couple of fight scenes during the climax. I wrote the torture early on, one scene after the other.

Writing for me is a very visual process. I sit for awhile with my eyes unfocussed until I see the scene play out in front of me. I watch my characters act out their parts and listen to the words they say and then I write it all down.

As you can imagine, if a character is suffering at the hands of another it can be quite disturbing even if there is no sexual violence involved. I have a particular fear of gruesome medical procedures so my inspiration is easy to come by. Make the bad guy a doctor and voila, instant horror.

Don't kid yourself...

Violence is shocking 

It's Red and Bloody...

Not Fifty Shades of Grey.

Pain and Suffering

is not romantic...

And it is not easy to write


That being said, when I get on a violent roll? Look out. I wrote 3000 brutal words today. The big fight scene near the end of the book. Lots of hand to hand combat, knife play and choking. The weird thing is it was easy. Flowed out of me like water from a fountain. Turned out pretty well, too. 

Is that weird?

I dunno. What I do know is that I am glad to be going to Florida in a few days. Escape the strange world of Doctor Solomon Smiles and his experimental burn treatments. Yikes! Take a few days off from Jack Heller,
the aging hitman who just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone but especially Signy, who finds herself smack dab in the middle of it all every time. 

Del Boca Vista - Here I come. A little creeped out and ready for some good, clean, sunny fun. Leave the computer at home and break out the blue wigs and the sensible shoes. Time to party!

  
 Here's hoping nothing horrible follows me there...


Out there on the wing of the plane, watching, waiting, chuckling...


Sharp little teeth dripping with gore...


Mwahahahaha.....