Easy Writer

Torture Porn, animal cruelty, misogyny: my personal trifecta of “OH HELL NO!” Aren’t you tired, dear friends, of reading about women too stupid/too drunk/too weak to know they’re in danger of The Big Bad? And aren’t you tired of reading about defenseless creatures meeting their end at the hands of The Big Bad With A Case Of The Animal Cruelties?

It’s no secret I love all things dark – horror, thrillers, even true crime. BUT within that love is an abiding need for smart, complex characters who have a ton of options and more than one potential destiny. I’m going to pick on one of my favorite Dark Masters, Stephen King, because I think he does this particularly well…with some exceptions.

In THE STAND Stu Redman doesn’t wear the proverbial pants in the mutually-respectful relationship he has with Frannie Goldsmith. Instead, King wrote Stu and Frannie as equals, both reliant on the other to survive. On the other hand, what was up with Nadine Cross? Born and bred to the be the Dark Man’s bride? (Patting self on back for all that alluring alliteration!) You could argue Nadine had free will, that her choice was agonizing, but when you’re moving toward a specific outcome your entire life, how do make a different choice and still be credible? I wanted to see more options for Nadine. I wanted to see Old Randy NOT use his Bad Boy Mojo Powers to sway her decision.

Ok, you know that part in APT PUPIL where Dussander starts in on the kitties and doggies? I would argue it was completely unnecessary and, in fact, gratuitous (sorry, Mr. King). By the time Todd and Dussander are in the thick of it, we know the old SS officer is dark and twisted. I really REALLY don’t need furry evidence to further prove this fact. IMO, these scenes are some of the worst I’ve skimmed in any book. Awful stuff. If you haven’t “gone there” yet and animal cruelty sticks with you (like it does with me), just don’t.

Even with the Easies King chose in the two examples above, he created some amazingly memorable characters. But you know what made Dussander and Flagg fascinating for me? It wasn’t their arrogance, though they certainly had that. It wasn’t their cruelty, though they both engaged in some really awful stuff. It was how their arrogance and cruelty destroyed them.

Here’s my point: we can use Easy Memes without becoming Easy Writers. Let’s plump our MC’s so they’re full of roundy goodness, yes? Complexify our casts, I say! Give them more to do! And can we take a hiatus on misogyny for misogyny’s sake and animal cruelty for animal cruelty’s sake? Okay? OKAY!

And let's not forget Le R's Important Words Of Wisdom: "I think that it is useful to remember that what makes crime and thriller novels compelling is not necessarily THE MOST GROSS DISMEMBERMENT EVER WITH SEXUAL TORTURES OF ALL THE LADIES...Also, NO MORE ANIMALS IN ORIFICES. I seriously do not want to read that ever again as long as I live."

Any Easies on your shit-list, friends?

Bonus: I got my rant on over at my blog today too and posted two of the MOST AWESOME VIDEOS EVER.