Many think you are what you write.
For some, that may be true…but for others it may not be. It may be more of a case that they just really get into what it is they’re writing. Become the story. Or perhaps it’s more that the story is part of the author. Or there are elements of the story within the author. All may be true…and I’m sure other reasons also exist. But in any case, to categorically state that one who writes about evil is evil is a hasty generalization.
Authors write about their topics for many reasons. Some to learn more about a burning issue, some to work out personal issues. Personally, my life is pretty tame…my imagination, on the other hand…not so much. I love to What-if things…play with might be–what might be behind events. To that end, sometimes I take on topics that aren’t pretty…as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, to be true to the story. But in all cases I do try to take on a story that holds some kind of “resonance” with me. I try to only take on topics that have some inherent value to them, because, after all, I am going to be spending a lot of time in that topic, writing that topic, describing that topic.
So, next time you approach an author of a book of something that might offend you, instead of attacking that author…try to understand why that author took on that topic. Why was it important enough for that person to spend so much of their life working that particular story.
After all, we don’t (necessarily!) look down on those actors who act out violent scenes in movies, do we? We look at them in awe of their ability to actually carry out that part not only “on-screen,” but in front of an audience of many actors, camera and stage workers, as well. We may, however, still wonder why they took on such a part….
And that’s what went through my head as I watched Rooney Mara in a pivotal and quite violent scene in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.