Does anyone write out of revenge?

[moderntimes]

Hm. What happens when you simply sit down to write a "regular" story without any baggage?

[TrishaAnn92]

I kind of slip into a zone I guess you could call it and just let the words flow until it stops. When I have to start really thinking about what I want to write, I take a break go read a book, watch tv, or listen to music. That is what I have been doing with my NanoWriMo novel and it has gone every well. It was kind of an experiment for me this time. I'm up to almost 4k words in two days and am actually taking a break now from my writing.

[moderntimes]

Good luck. About a month ago on my 4th novel I had about 4000 words. Now I'm up to about 15,000.

Of course it's very tenuous as yet and there will be lots of revision.

[TrishaAnn92]

Thank you. I am making my best attempt at the 50k word count goal and even with missing the first day I am confident I will come at least close to the 50k.

Good Luck with your 4th novel!

[raccoonballoon]

Well, many people write out of revenge. I am one of that group of writers. Often, when somebody gets mad at me, they end up in my current writing piece. They may suffer a horrible death or a lot of pain... Oh well. I guess they deserve it. Every time you write, essentially you are showing a piece of yourself to the reader. Very few books are purely all imagination, and have no experiences that the author experienced. Writing out of revenge is quite common, and a good way to make a scene more real.

[1ChiGeek]

I'm agree with moderntimes. I think the majority of authors kill off people who wronged them and never tell anyone about it.

[moderntimes]

Well, it's unwise to declare exactly who you've "murdered" -- you don't want to be defending a libel suit. Best to disguise that real person, change the physical characteristics and then stab 'em in the back! heh heh

Want a good example? Here's a "newspaper story" from my 2nd novel (my protagonist is private detective Mitch King) --

-----

911 Call Reveals Possible Homicide

EMT technicians arrived at the 11000 block of Mission Vista in Memorial late Wednesday evening, responding to a 911 call, but Houston police were soon dispatched as backup. The nude body of the homeowner, Theresa Bartlett, 24, was found in the outdoor whirlpool spa. She had apparently drowned after being thrown into the water unconscious. Indications were that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Police arrested Bradley Chilton, 27, at the scene. Chilton identified himself as a fitness counselor and Bartlett’s boyfriend and said that he lived with her. Chilton at first denied harming Bartlett but later admitted “grabbing” her and pushing her into the whirlpool after a bout of rough sex and an argument. Harris County prosecutors said that Chilton would be charged with homicide. A quantity of cocaine and marijuana was also seized at the residence.

This is not the first time that violence has visited this address. Last June, police found the body of homeowner Lawrence Trevillian at the same poolside, reportedly shot by an intruder. Theresa Bartlett, Trevillian’s girlfriend at the time, was present at the shooting and briefly considered a suspect, then cleared.

In tabloid-style circumstances, Trevillian’s alleged killer, Victor Allison, was later shot and killed by Houston private investigator Mitchell King. King had been hired to protect Bartlett during the investigation of the Trevillian murder and the two were rumored to be having an affair. Although initially detained for questioning about the Allison shooting, King was released and no charges were filed. When contacted regarding the death of Bartlett, King declined comment.

-- 30 --

[Pectabyte]

I think there is a touch of "hey ill show them." in my writing but other than that I tend to write things in hopes of giving tragic things that have happened to me a new perspective. That and in some cases I try to live vicariously through my characters and have them NOT make the mistakes that I have... Wishful thinking I guess.

[moderntimes]

Pec, that's an excellent thought. I do occasionally incorporate the threads of some mistake I made years ago and use that for the impetus to a story or a theme. My first novel had some of this.

But of course, I'm not writing a confessional or exegesis. I'm writing mystery novels. So personal experiences, good and bad, are just occasional mood setters for a scene, perhaps.

[Wanton_Wordsmith]

Hi! This is Wanton again. Thank you everyone who responded to this post. I didn't think I had such good company! Thank you all for re-assuring me that I'm not a literary weirdo who can't get over old issues. I don't only write out of revenge, of course. Mostly I just write fiction for therapy. It helps me make sense of a crazy world. Thank you all for answering this post!

[lily_kh87]

I think most people who love writing write based on personal experiences and especially if they had painful events in their life. I wrote some unpublished work and in all of them I used characters from my real life.

[Mys]

I have never thought of writing something in retaliation over something that happened to me in real life.
The closest thing I have done is rethinking situations and wishing that they happened differently.

This does give me ideas though.

[Diving doc]

I'm quite relieved I'm not the only one.

Most of my writing is based on what I've thought about doing, but haven't through fear of being caught, and the knowledge that my personal guilt-meter means I would never get over it, even if the "victim" would.

I plan on publishing under a pen name in case anyone from my real life recognises themselves.

[Erik]

I suppose I have... but I have never attempted to publish any of these little mental-health exercises. I just use them as a means of delivering a fictional poetic justice that sad, mundane reality has so far failed at.
I have also created characters based on certain people from my past and written them into situations that would have the real individual going mad with panic.. an inveterate social climber facing a disastrous, humiliating public social gaffe, for example. How can one not? It is fun, the 'victim' never finds out (and even if you do publish, and they read it, they often won't see themselves in an unlikable character anyway!), and it gives the writer a little peace.
When I was a kid, I'd draw caricatures of the people who tormented me. This is not very different. Just a slightly more grown-up and humorous way to deal with the uncomfortable memories of nasty people.

[Corinnethereader]

Omg this is FUNNY!

The first book that I ever completed was about an ex who ended up getting brutally murdered.

So... yes