Responsible Writing?

[J Riff]

Are you kidding? Movies I've seen lately, aimed at teenagers, are far worse than anything I could come up with.

 

[SciFrac]

I'd like to find books that would inspire me, that would challenge me, to be better, rather than books that make me feel complacent simply because I'm not actively hurting other people. I don't mean books with a message or an agenda, but stories that are uplifting. I find that I have to go to the older books that I have for anything like that.

So I have to wonder what sort of stories we are passing on to the next generation.

I feel the same, Teresa. After I'm dead and gone, I'd like people to think the world is somehow better because of what I wrote. However small that may be, I want to leave something encouraging or inspiring. Tragic events, in any country, always remind me of that.

Guess I'm just thinking out loud. Thanks for participating, everyone.

 

[Boneman]

I assumed from your avatar that you were already well beyond your deathbed.....

You were wrong... I'm just resting... waiting for inspiration....

 

[Galacticdefender]

The people who are considering efforts to restrict violence in video games honestly scare me. If you censor one form of art (Yes, Video Games are art. Mass Effect, for instance, has better characterization than a lot of books out there), where do you stop? Couldn't the government then try to censor violence in books as well? When officials talk about putting restrictions on art, it scares the heck out of me. There is absolutely no excuse for that.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I think offending people is a separate issue. People don't go out and do horrible things simply because you offend them - with some obvious, unfortunate exceptions of late.

It's for me about whether your work exhorts, encourages or makes attractive immoral acts and crimes like murder. That's where you need to start looking at drawing a line.

Anyone can be offended for any reason, and while I would not expect anyone to go out and deliberately try and offend people, neither do I believe that there is a general duty of care not to.

Consider the game Carmageddon. I'm sure it offended the sensibilities of many people, but that's not a reason for censorship. The question is, did it make it seem attractive to impresionably minded people, that running people over in their car was an attractive, fun thing to do? (Are nuns on bikes an endangered species because of it?)

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Gumboot]

A famous filmmaker once said that filmmakers are more than just entertainers; they're society's conscience; they hold a mirror up to the world and by their fictional stories reveal a greater truth.

I think this is true of all storytellers, which means it's equally true of writers. Nothing would make me rethink the subjects of my writing, nor would I ever avoid a topic because it was "sensitive"; if anything those are the issues we should most embrace.

But what I do, constantly, ask myself is how I am portraying the issue. I think important storytelling does more than entertain; it delivers a message, and I often ask myself what message it is I am delivering in my writing, and whether that's a message I want to deliver.

Media of all sorts does more than influence people. It directly informs the very moral fabric of society. Those who boil that down to "movies make people kill people" are naive, failing to appreciate the complexity and scope of society's relationship with art and media, but those who deny any relationship are equally ignorant.

As a nobody writer who will probably never even be read my the overwhelming majority of people, my contribution to the vast pool of human culture is fairly miniscule, but nonetheless I am making a contribution, and I personally want to make my contribution meaningful and productive to society, even if its influence is non-existent.

The problem, I think, is irresponsible content makers who hide behind the claim they're just producing content, and don't acknowledge that the body of human art has an enormous influence on human culture. We are all just tiny, tiny bricks, but collectively we produce a very big wall.

 

[Peter Graham]

A famous filmmaker once said that filmmakers are more than just entertainers; they're society's conscience; they hold a mirror up to the world and by their fictional stories reveal a greater truth.

I'm sure that many of them would like to think that, because it lifts what they do from providing entertainment to some form of Noble Purpose. It might be different for investigative journos or documentary makers, but I don't think it's true of film makers per se.

I think this is true of all storytellers, which means it's equally true of writers.

Nah. Storytelling in it's various forms is about entertainment. It might not have been that way in the dim and distant past, but nowadays, most writers are just playing to the choir - especially if they are writing genre. I can't remember who said it (probably Goldwyn or Capote or someone of that ilk), but there is a quote along the lines of "if you want to send a message, use Western Union". If you want to change the world, get into public life, investigative journalism, law, scienntific invention, charity work etc etc. Writing trilogies about sword-swinging heores isn't really the way to go.

But what I do, constantly, ask myself is how I am portraying the issue. I think important storytelling does more than entertain; it delivers a message, and I often ask myself what message it is I am delivering in my writing, and whether that's a message I want to deliver.

The message in literature is usually one of the following well-worn points:-

1. Good triumphs over evil
2. Good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.
3. Be excellent to each other
4. There is someone for everyone
5. Life is tough, but there is always hope

nonetheless I am making a contribution, and I personally want to make my contribution meaningful and productive to society, even if its influence is non-existent.

As above. If making a meaningful contribution to society is what you strive to do - and fair play to you if you do - there are very many better, easier and quicker ways of doing it than writing fiction.

Let's not give our writing too many airs and graces. Let's not fall for all this artistic hype. First and foremost, we are seeking to entertain. If we free ourselves from the shackles of all this assumed and presumed responsibility to our fellow sufferers, we might find our job a little easier....

Regards,

Peter

 

[Fishbowl Helmet]

People who prefer one means of expression often denounce other means as less relevant. Your use if the phrase "Be excellent to each other" is telling. If it where a quote from a poorly written trashy 90s SF novella no one would recognize the quote, but because it's from a poorly written trashy 90s SF film something like 1/3 to 1/2 of a generation of the western world recognizes the line. Whether we want to accept it or not, films do have a huge impact.

 

[Gumboot]

I'm sure that many of them would like to think that, because it lifts what they do from providing entertainment to some form of Noble Purpose. It might be different for investigative journos or documentary makers, but I don't think it's true of film makers per se.

Actually I think the opposite is true. The majority of them would like to think they're just producing meaningless entertainment, because it frees them of any responsibility. The reality is their work does influence people.

Nah. Storytelling in it's various forms is about entertainment. It might not have been that way in the dim and distant past, but nowadays, most writers are just playing to the choir - especially if they are writing genre.

Again, most writers might like to believe this, but it's just not true. The practical reality is that our work does have an influence.

The message in literature is usually one of the following well-worn points:-

1. Good triumphs over evil
2. Good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.
3. Be excellent to each other
4. There is someone for everyone
5. Life is tough, but there is always hope

The message in good literature is seldom so simple. If anything, these simplistic messages are a perfect example of my point; as the "message" of popular storytelling has become increasingly simplistic people have developed an increasingly simplistic view of the world, a view that has permeated all levels of our society to the point that it's used as political rhetoric by the people who run our countries. The problem is the real world is seldom so black and white, and these simplistic views tend to do more harm than good.

As above. If making a meaningful contribution to society is what you strive to do - and fair play to you if you do - there are very many better, easier and quicker ways of doing it than writing fiction.

Let's not give our writing too many airs and graces. Let's not fall for all this artistic hype. First and foremost, we are seeking to entertain. If we free ourselves from the shackles of all this assumed and presumed responsibility to our fellow sufferers, we might find our job a little easier....

No disrespect, but I think you may have entirely missed my point.