Writing something you hate

[Flaviosky]

Hello!

Working on my story, I stomp on chapters or parts of chapters when the POV is on the villain, and a particularily nasty one, and I can feel this drain of enthusiasm to keep on writing scenes that will involve bad thoughts, dialogue filled with contempt and evil decisions.

Have you encountered this situation when you need to write unpleasant things in order to move forward?

I'm eager to know your thoughts.

 

[Astro Pen]

Not something I hate per se, but I balk at writing sex scenes. It is hard to do without feeling that you are exposing a bit of yourself. I have to be in a very cavalier frame of mind or it comes out stilted and awkward.

 

[Flaviosky]

Not something I hate per se, but I balk at writing sex scenes. It is hard to do without feeling that you are exposing a bit of yourself. I have to be in a very cavalier frame of mind or it comes out stilted and awkward.

That sensation of vulnerability in sex scenes is very interesting. You can reflect inner fantasies or drift away from them on purpose.

It is the only context when this sense of exposure comes alive or there are other parts of writing when this is an issue?

 

[AnRoinnUltra]

I'm far from an expert @Flaviosky , but if the thing is draining your energy to write then it might be a subconscious clue to take the story off in another direction for a bit -have never needed to write unpleasant things though.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I write a lot of dark scenes. These days I mostly love them as I do atmospherics and what not but in mu first series I took it very close and damaging to characters I love. I reminded myself why I was writing it and ensured empathy was front and centre of what I was writing

 

[Flaviosky]

I write a lot of dark scenes. These days I mostly love them as I do atmospherics and what not but in mu first series I took it very close and damaging to characters I love. I reminded myself why I was writing it and ensured empathy was front and centre of what I was writing

Yah, empathy is key to remain on the side of the victim, sort of say, and reflect the tension that is intended.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

If you hate what you are writing then it is quite possible that is your subconscious mind telling you have made a serious mistake somewhere in your conception of those scenes and that character (perhaps, for instance your villain is too over-the-top). While most of your brain is concentrating on getting those scenes written so that the story can proceed in the way that you have planned, another part of your mind might be shouting, "Stop! Go back! Rethink! There is a much better way you could be doing this and if you give yourself a chance to think about it you will find it."

At least that is what I have found to be the case in my own writing when I hate what I am doing and can't make it come out in a satisfactory manner.

 

[HareBrain]

I balk at writing sex scenes. It is hard to do without feeling that you are exposing a bit of yourself.

You know you don't have to act them out, right?

To the OP, if you feel bad writing the nasty stuff, don't. Have it happen "off-screen". Many readers will thank you for it.

 

[AllanR]

Are there examples of writters who pull scenes like these off in a way you like?

Is the pov of the villain needed? (We never, for example, see Sauron in lotr, only his influence.)

Keep out of the pov of the villian and show the nastyness by the protagonists disgust or other reactions.

 

[Wayne Mack]

I will second @Teresa Edgerton's advice and suggest understanding the character's motivation. The villain should have a (some what) justified reason for his or her actions. I think that if you find a rationale for the villain, then writing his or her perspective becomes an interesting task when you attempt to have the character rationalize bad actions with his or her good intents. A Brandon Sanderson quote that describes this is (paraphrase), each character is the hero of his or her own story.

 

[Emphasis]

Hello!

Working on my story, I stomp on chapters or parts of chapters when the POV is on the villain, and a particularily nasty one, and I can feel this drain of enthusiasm to keep on writing scenes that will involve bad thoughts, dialogue filled with contempt and evil decisions.

Have you encountered this situation when you need to write unpleasant things in order to move forward?

I'm eager to know your thoughts.

Yeah, for sure. I didn't even write from the villain's perspective in my first book. I stayed with the protagonists the whole time as that felt like a realistic point of view. The heroes don't have any idea what their adversaries are thinking, feeling, or what their motivations are. I thought that the pro point of view was way more important to follow than the internal perspectives of nasty dark matter beasts. Then it became important in the second book to show what the pros were up against, why they needed to make excruciating decisions, and why the villains were so hurtful/harmful/hateful. I stayed with those feelings, like you have, and they affect me poorly. I get uncomfortable in their negative states of mind. But that can be fun. Until it's not. So I give myself breaks while writing villain pov scenes, then offset my feelings with treats or exercise or something heartwarming. I found myself becoming more punishing to the main antagonist as time went on, because I don't like being in their state of mind. So I humiliate and just wreck them all the time. It's pretty hilarious to me. Might even be entertaining to the audience. I would say, know your motives when writing the villain's pov scenes. That has help me.

 

[paranoid marvin]

You could always give him a particularly nasty comeuppance to compensate.


But as mentioned above, you don't want (or need) your villain to be too villainous and risk them becoming parodies (eg Dick Dastardley or the Wicked Witch).

If you think of some of the most villainous characters (Dolores Umbridge, Randall Flagg) coat their evil deeds in sugar to make themselves seem more appealing.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I know that when Jo was speaking of writing with empathy she was referring to the horrible things that her protagonists have been known to endure, but I do believe that having a certain amount of empathy even for the antagonists can be important, too. It certainly makes writing from their POV easier and the writing go better. I'm not talking about excusing or justifying the awful things they do, but about understanding how they excuse or justify their own actions. (Most bad acts come from emotions or motivations we have felt ourselves, if not at the same intensity, and can therefore to some degree identify with: anger, fear, envy, greed, revenge, etc.) It can help in making them more rounded characters that are more interesting to write about and to read about, instead of cardboard villains whose viewpoints can be a drudgery to write and predictable and boring to read.

And if the antagonists are inhuman (as can happen in SFF and horror) and totally inhumane, then leaving out their POV entirely may add to their mystery, making them both more terrifying and more compelling. Good writing, after all, is not just about what authors include but also about what they choose to leave out.

 

[Flaviosky]

But that can be fun. Until it's not

Know that feel bro XD

 

[worldofmutes]

I hate garbage day.
I hate taking all of the soda cans piled up in my room to the sink and pouring them out every week.

 

[Flaviosky]

You could always give him a particularly nasty comeuppance to compensate.

More than nasty, a satisfying one, but now that you mention it, his demise could be a little more harsh to get that balance.

 

[paranoid marvin]

More than nasty, a satisfying one, but now that you mention it, his demise could be a little more harsh to get that balance.

I always felt quite disappointed with Umbridge's fate in Harry Potter. Throwing her in Azkaban seemed a bit too easy and 'cheap' an ending for her. Writers like Roald Dahl seemed to have much more appropriate - more satisfying - endings for their villains when they were (always) finally brought to justice.

I think you have it right there with a satisfying fate for your baddie.

 

[The Big Peat]

To take Teresa's advice a step further, hating writing a character dynamic or a PoV is usually my cue to simply cut those things out of the book. There's too many things in life I want to write to get bogged down in things I don't and if I'm not enjoying myself at all, am I really going to produce my best work in doing so?

Unpleasant scenes, sure, soldier through, but whole PoVs? Does one really need them to progress?

 

[HareBrain]

I know that when Jo was speaking of writing with empathy she was referring to the horrible things that her protagonists have been known to endure, but I do believe that having a certain amount of empathy even for the antagonists can be important, too. It certainly makes writing from their POV easier and the writing go better. I'm not talking about excusing or justifying the awful things they do, but about understanding how they excuse or justify their own actions. (Most bad acts come from emotions or motivations we have felt ourselves, if not at the same intensity, and can therefore to some degree identify with: anger, fear, envy, greed, revenge, etc.) It can help in making them more rounded characters that are more interesting to write about and to read about, instead of cardboard villains whose viewpoints can be a drudgery to write and predictable and boring to read.

And if the antagonists are inhuman (as can happen in SFF and horror) and totally inhumane, then leaving out their POV entirely may add to their mystery, making them both more terrifying and more compelling. Good writing, after all, is not just about what authors include but also about what they choose to leave out.

All great advice.

 

[Flaviosky]

Unpleasant scenes, sure, soldier through, but whole PoVs? Does one really need them to progress?

Yeah, and following everyone's seemingly consensus here, maybe the POV may not be necessary, although the events are key elements to some character arcs.