Young Writers Society

When I'm writing I feel like torturing a particular character a lot.

For an example I'm writing a book called Shape shifters and there's a character called Lara.

I like to torture her a lot.

For another example one of my friend who have not registered or even heard of YWS. He likes to torture one of his characters named Sally.

Two questions
1 Why do i like to torture characters, is it normal or not
2 Do any of you torture your characters?

I wouldn't say I enjoy it, I need to keep reminding myself it'll make a better story. Anyway no I don't enjoy it, I hate hurting my characters. So not as far as i know if you like torturing your characters. If you do it to make the story better it's okay. Anyway that's my thoughts.

Like i said before i only like to torture one character. When hurting the other characters it not only hurts them, but me too.

I don't like to torture characters too much. The nice thing about doing it is that they're not a living person, and you can do whatever you want to them.

That is, until they take over...

hahaha.


Well, I have to ask, do you mean emotional torture, or physical torture?

I have two examples of this...

But as for 1, I do it because it usually also creates good conflict. My character ends up hating me [I treat them as real people..] because I'm putting them through a lot of pain, but it is lovely for the story.

As for two, I'm certainly torturing the heck out of Clive, he's so romantically shy. And Rosen, I'm putting him through hell. I've managed to force him into a, ah... not so good situation? He isn't happy about it. (These characters are from my novel, Speakeasy)

Then one story I wrote consisted of physical torture upon the other character xD So... Yes. Certainly that one. Poor Lucas. (This is a short story, which I will not name so no one can find it ^_^)

Hee hee

I used to think torture was the only want to create conflict and some of my old, old characters are messed up to an unbelievable degree. I don't torture my characters as much now, though there is a lot of emotional and some physical torture in Flames and Tears. My rule is that I don't torture a character unless it does something to further their change throughout the story.

For instance, at the end of Flames, Strick almost dies from the Queen's torture, but all that pain was used to push him to a breaking point so other characters and I can finally pry open his shell and bring some changes about.

Torturing characters makes me sad though. I love them.

I've never tortured a character just because I wanted to but my characters receive their share of pain, both physically and emotionally.

I do both emotional and physical torture, often, and horribly, to my MC. It's not (just) because I enjoy it, I think it improves the story to have the reader go *gasp* frequently.

A lot of the time it depends on the character.

I have put my characters through grief, like Rica from when I was twelve (I am a sick writer) who was tortured emotionally by her little sister for forever.......

I usually don't like to torture my characters, but I had this one cartoon hippie when I was 14 that I tortured almost every panel that he was in. It wasn't anything really bad or anything, but he was convinced that I hated him by the end of the first page I drew with him. Actually, he was one of my favorites from that comic world, but I never took it seriously.

On the other hand, some of the main characters that I do take seriously pretty much have it way too easy to make an interesting character. They could definitely stand to have some more hardship in their lives...

I love torturing characters! It's fun! Do I do it often? In writing, no. Not really. Though emotional abuse is always fun (hahah, this sounds bad) because then you have a shimmering ray of hope and then BAM! EVERYONE DIES! Or, better yet, you HOPE that everybody dies because life would be so much better if they were all dead because the torment and stuff is so intense.

I mean, sometimes I feel sorry, like when I decided to make this one character really really really effed up, because she didn't seem to deservce it that much, but when I had this one character's arm basically disintergrate with gangrene, I didn't really bat an eye.

Though... I might be a little strange.

The only character that's constantly in a state of limbo would probably be Mr. Smart- though I don't torture him intentionally. It's all Adelais' fault.

I think just putting your characters in situations that you know they're going to hate or are uncomfortable with qualifies as torture. For them, anyway- paper people are a lot easier to break than the real ones.

But, yeah- doing character dialogue with him, I told Tilly that I wanted to wipe my tongue on the carpet. Everything he feels is just so nasty and melancholy that you can't really help it. XD

Finally some one agrees with me

*Claps for Snoink*

Eh, when I think of the term torture, I assume a "torture chamber." XD I have them locked in a tiny room, and they're helpless.

But actually, "torture" to me is assigning hardships. That can be emotional, physical or mental. Emotional and mental hardships are so much more entertaining because those wounds are usually deep, and they do not always heal quickly. I have one character that would be a nice candiadate for the modern Ward. Too bad he was born in 1709, LOL! Colonal America shunned the "loonies."

I tend to torture my characters just because it makes a better story. The more pain and suffering they go through, the better the story. Also if you make them go through a lot then it takes more to pull them out. That means that you add new levels to your story and you make it more interesting.

Also, i just like torturing them!