By T. M. Brown
According to recent
statistics, novels replete with explicit sex, violence, and vulgarity continue
to thrive as the flavor of the month in book sales. However, should authors
kowtow to earthy content to increase book numbers?
Good writers engage
their audience by communicating through the actions and attitudes of the
characters without using sex, violence, or vulgarity. Thus, allowing the story
to unfold without explicitly necessitating every sordid detail.
I believe an author’s
responsibility is not only to entertain but also engage readers, so they sense
they are witnessing the story as it unfolds.
What images race through
your mind that depicts anger and rage? Do you picture contorted faces and
threatening gestures, or do you need to be explicitly told? Consider this scene
from my book Sanctuary:
Hank gritted his teeth
as the veins on his neck swelled, and his eyes glared through me. “Well, I
think you’re putting your nose into places you’ve no business being.” He
uncrossed his arms and pointed at my chest. “I’m warning you. Stay away from me
and my wife!”You feel and sense his
anger and his rage.
“Hank, I’m sorry if I’ve
said or done anything to upset you. Have you spoken to your father?”
“This is between you and
me. Stay out of our lives.” Hank’s effort to be more composed fell apart.
… Hank pressed his
finger into my sternum. “This is all I’m going to say to you about Jessie or
John...” He thumped his finger against my chest adding emphasis to each word.
“I’m truly sorry about what happened to Jessie, but John got what he deserved.
And you can quote me on that. Now back off! I’m warning you.”
Pete stepped out from
the shadows, unceremoniously interrupting Hank’s exchange with me.
“Mister P, is everything
okay?” Pete asked as he glared at Hank. “Hank, who’re you warning about what?”
Hank surveyed Pete and
the four remaining shadows just out of the light. His finger fell to his side,
but his distended veins on his neck swelled even more. “Pete, this has nothing
to do with you or any of you guys!”
…Pete extended his
finger just shy of Hank’s chest. “How in the blue blazes do you know it don't
involve us? If you think you can flex your muscles and intimidate one of my
friends, you just made it my business.” His stern warning and unflinching stare
froze Hank.
Granted a few expletives
could’ve been heard, but did the scene work anyway?
John Grisham achieved
his decades-long success capitalizing on his uncanny knack of drawing his
audience’s attention upon his colorful characters and settings. Doing so, he
exited scenes involving sex, violence or vulgarity using innuendo. In fact,
Grisham’s Theodore Boone YA mysteries found a broad new audience without much
of an adjustment in his storytelling to do so. Neither should we to reach a
wider audience to sell more books.
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T. M. Brown is a Southern boy at heart,
although he’s lived and traveled in many states far removed from his beloved
boyhood roots in Georgia and Florida. He returned to his Southern roots several
years ago while his two sons were still in school and regularly traveled
throughout the South before returning to college shortly after his youngest son
graduated. In the last fifteen years he has preached, taught and coached in
Alabama, Georgia and Florida until his wife and he moved outside of Atlanta and
retired to write, travel, and spoil grandchildren. His first book is Sanctuary. His social media links
include: Website
http://www.coachbrown.org
and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TMBrownauthor/
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