Muse & the Marketplace 2018

Violence is a tool writers use to increase tension, inform character, force the moment to its crisis, and change the course of history. Like all tools, it must be deployed judiciously. If it's exploitative or over the top, it can alienate or offend readers, cheapen a story, and perpetuate damaging cultural stereotypes. In this session authors Kelly J. Ford, Stephanie Gayle, and Emily Ross will explore what we must consider when we write violence. They will discuss examples of violence in literature that work and that don't, and share techniques for writing violence that is earned and not gratuitous.