Triggered by a friend's comments about the way that inappropriate television drama desensitizes us to evil, I considered again how I handle such matters in my own fiction. Ever more often now television dramas portray generally 'good' or at least heroic people doing questionable things, engaging in immoral behavior. And that is portraying a fact of real life. But the tone of our age is to portray certain immoral behavior as normal, okay, and victimless, allowing us to be more accepting of it as 'normal' aspects of life. This is particularly true with respect to the evils that are enjoyable such as sexual pleasures.
Thus, for decades now, that medium, novels, and the cinema have painted the heroic person as a sexual adventurer during their down time, or even on the job. Bond always tops off a successful death defying mission with a cocktail and a girl, leading us to believe it is just a deserved, relaxing perk of the job for both of them.
I'm not against scenes that depict evil (if they are pertinent to the story). To ignore evil in fiction reduces the teaching of the dangers of it. But a writer or videographer can do those tastefully and without romanticising. To leave such aspects of life out out would reduce the effect like leaving out the scourging at the pillar scene in THE PASSION.
Finally (by the 4th. of five books), when it was ever so logical and within an otherwise already tender moment, I alluded to my married protagonists having a graphically romantic moment. All I did was just set it up; readers knew what was going to happen. For me to describe it could not only have been crude, but unnecessary. But I had developed these unique two people through three previous novels (revealing great tenderness between them, two people locked for life), without suggesting that their marital relations mattered. It was the perfect time to at least allude to it. It could be argued by the most prudent of us that the reader's act of imagining what happened in that room next is a sin. I would argue that if they do dwell on the next few moment in my wedded characters' life together, for that moment, they are at least seeing a loving Christian couple engaging in God's plan for them. Let's face it, people will naturally think of these things. The role of a Christian author is to make sure the admirable, role model type of characters are admirable role models because they are moral. If such a fictional character slips up, the author should makes sure the character is aware that they did so and are remorseful and repentant. If the character (though heroic) is not remorseful because they are a somewhat flawed person (because of some personality quirk), that should be made clear to readers. But wherever the plot goes, the graphic aspects are not needed. If they are there, it is for unnecessary and immoral titillation.
Creative people of character and faith do not really even have to get to the religious aspects of their stories or of life itself (of which they write) to know not to be too graphic. Besides being moral in one's work, it is just plain good taste.
Click for the allusion to normal marital relations in East & West From Texas.
Chapter 1, "Comanche Moon" [Series: Sunny of the Old Southwest]
Thus, for decades now, that medium, novels, and the cinema have painted the heroic person as a sexual adventurer during their down time, or even on the job. Bond always tops off a successful death defying mission with a cocktail and a girl, leading us to believe it is just a deserved, relaxing perk of the job for both of them.
I'm not against scenes that depict evil (if they are pertinent to the story). To ignore evil in fiction reduces the teaching of the dangers of it. But a writer or videographer can do those tastefully and without romanticising. To leave such aspects of life out out would reduce the effect like leaving out the scourging at the pillar scene in THE PASSION.
Finally (by the 4th. of five books), when it was ever so logical and within an otherwise already tender moment, I alluded to my married protagonists having a graphically romantic moment. All I did was just set it up; readers knew what was going to happen. For me to describe it could not only have been crude, but unnecessary. But I had developed these unique two people through three previous novels (revealing great tenderness between them, two people locked for life), without suggesting that their marital relations mattered. It was the perfect time to at least allude to it. It could be argued by the most prudent of us that the reader's act of imagining what happened in that room next is a sin. I would argue that if they do dwell on the next few moment in my wedded characters' life together, for that moment, they are at least seeing a loving Christian couple engaging in God's plan for them. Let's face it, people will naturally think of these things. The role of a Christian author is to make sure the admirable, role model type of characters are admirable role models because they are moral. If such a fictional character slips up, the author should makes sure the character is aware that they did so and are remorseful and repentant. If the character (though heroic) is not remorseful because they are a somewhat flawed person (because of some personality quirk), that should be made clear to readers. But wherever the plot goes, the graphic aspects are not needed. If they are there, it is for unnecessary and immoral titillation.
Creative people of character and faith do not really even have to get to the religious aspects of their stories or of life itself (of which they write) to know not to be too graphic. Besides being moral in one's work, it is just plain good taste.
Click for the allusion to normal marital relations in East & West From Texas.
Chapter 1, "Comanche Moon" [Series: Sunny of the Old Southwest]