Thursday, January 1, 2009

When Mosters Walk Among Us

WARNING: Scarlet is going on a rant today and is in a very, very foul mood. So beware reader. You enter at your own risk.

As a writer, when I work on my antagonist (the bad guy), I try to make him as evil as I can. If he is a thief, he not only robs the bank, but he takes the money, all the free pens, and the entire fish tank with him. He needs to be REALLY evil to make my book.

Let’s face it, if my bad guy is saving kitties from trees, eating pink cotton candy as he skips down the sidewalk with his school uniform on, he isn’t going to seem like much of a bad guy.

In writing, your bad guy can do and be anything. He can stomp on all the new spring daffodils, eat the heads of cute gummy bears, or grow fifty feet and roar at oncoming traffic.

But in real life, such situations are disturbing. A close friend’s daughter has just left her husband, running away with her two small children. Not because her husband didn’t make enough money or because he squeezed the toothpaste in the middle of the tube, but because he was hurting her and her children. The details are horrifying, which I dare not pass on. This week he has taken the children hostage in his own home. There is nothing the mother or the police can do…yet. It breaks my heart to see any child placed in such danger and sit helplessly by.

This is one of the reasons I am so pleased that Linda & Brandilyn’s book is coming out to help people in certain abusive situations. They deserve a medal! They are heroes.

So, as I sit here writing out of frustration, because in real life - retaliation is not a good thing, I can’t help contemplating what I can do to him with my pen and paper. I can make him the next victim in my book; run him over with a steamroller, place him in Hell with flaming pokers coming out of his eyes, or make him eat one of Mrs. Linthall’s casserole dishes with the buttery corn flaked topping. That’s sure to do him in.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love all these wicked suggestions for doing in a character, especially the casserole!

I am sorry for the friend. It is a cruel truth that some monsters are allowed to roam free. I hope there will be justice for those children.

I love reading your posts, Scarlet. Keep it up!

Carolyn V. said...

Hey, Thanks =) Yeah, the moster thing is more frustrating than burning a pan of fudge on the stove. And that my friend, is a sad, sad thing.
Thanks for reading my rant! =) By the way, love your posts too!

Rachel said...

Battered women need a voice. My heart goes out to this family. Thank you Scarlet for being brave enough to voice it. I could give you even MORE ideas to destory mean, evil bad men... :)

Carolyn V. said...

Sweet! The more ideas the better =)
Ooooo, that sounds so mean!

Linda Garner said...

Abuse has many faces, and none of them are okay. I love that you are standing up for your friend. She needs your love and support. LG

Anonymous said...

I don't think you really had any reason to apologize at the beginning of this post. Battered women DO need a voice and your rant is entirely justified. I am grateful that you are standing up against such abuses and will not tolerate them in the slightest.

Carolyn V. said...

Thanks Nasty Butler =) Makes me feel better about the whole thing. It is the most frustrating thing to see, and just not have the power to do anything. But as to date, things are getting better -- I won't say anymore, but thank goodness things are moving in the right direction!