Timidity in Writing

I’m reading James Frey’s “How to Write a Damn Good Novel II” and it is pretty damn good.

And hey, look, it’s 34% off! Yes!

I’ve been having a back and forth ‘conversation’ over email with another writer about the opening of one of his pieces. It’s pretty damn good. Damn, I’m really saying ‘damn’ a lot. Damn Frey, getting me to say damn all the time. Anyway, this guy I’ve been emailing is a great writer. He has a bit of a dilemma in that the opening scene of his piece reveals a murder. Soon to follow is the main character getting swept into the idea of solving the missing person mystery (who was murdered). So, do you let the reader know that the murder has happened and have them know that the search is futile? And let me tell you, there is some great stuff piled on the protagonist to ensure a great story. In fact, I would argue that because the reader knows that the missing person is dead, you are going to have a better, more unique story in the end. It will set this guy’s story apart in a pretty damn fine way. That is, if he can pull it off–which I think he can. It won’t be easy though and he’s going to have to ensure his nads have their brass coating on before he attempts it. Still, I have faith.

Anyway, we’ve been going back and forth a tiny bit about it today and then I come to this chapter about the seven deadly mistakes writers make in Frey’s book. I’m reading along about timidity. Interesting idea. And bam! There it is. He’s saying, “A writer can’t back away from what is strongly dramatic just because the fictional materials may offend someone or produce a lot of tension in the writer during the act of creation.” He goes on to say, “…if you want to make an emotional impact on your reader you must produce tragic situations. Tragic, or gory, or horrific, or whatever. You can’t pull back.”

Now I’m not sure if the writer I speak about has timidity issues, but I felt that this passage was more of a message at the right time saying, “Grab it by the damn balls and run for it.”

So, up for a run?