tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post8905706834744630154..comments2023-12-19T09:50:44.504-08:00Comments on Write First, Clean Later: Writing Action Is Like Writing Sex—Advice from Novelist Mark PhillipsL.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-13159964147800690962013-06-01T09:34:24.914-07:002013-06-01T09:34:24.914-07:00Hi, this weekend is fastidious in support of me, b...Hi, this weekend is fastidious in support of me, because this time i am reading this fantastic <br />educational article here at my residence.<br /><br />Also visit my web blog - <a href="http://cheapnfljerseys.wsmisports.com" rel="nofollow">Cheap Jerseys</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-78087316622038812672009-03-20T10:41:00.000-07:002009-03-20T10:41:00.000-07:00Have a great wreiting day, Joan.MarkHave a great wreiting day, Joan.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-5374154408764422512009-03-20T06:51:00.000-07:002009-03-20T06:51:00.000-07:00Hi Mark, Thanks for that incredible advice. I usua...Hi Mark, Thanks for that incredible advice. I usually struggle with writing action scenes, now I know how to fix it. Just slow it down.<BR/><BR/>Joan De La Haye<BR/>http://joandelahaye.wordpress.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-50170140537224237962009-03-19T15:27:00.000-07:002009-03-19T15:27:00.000-07:00Thanks Chester. A writer's instincts are precious ...Thanks Chester. A writer's instincts are precious things. Somtimes I feel like ananlyzing them may risk killing the goose that laid the golden egg, but so far, knock on wood, my ananlyses have allowed me to strengthen my writing. I'll be interested in your take on my three-part violence article next week. It's less a how-to as an analysis of when society will and won't approve of our use of violence in fiction. Hope to hear your reactions to that article.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-37079543318097864932009-03-19T14:51:00.000-07:002009-03-19T14:51:00.000-07:00Coming late to the party as usual, Mark, but I enj...Coming late to the party as usual, Mark, but I enjoyed your post. It's interesting to take a technical look at something you've been doing by instinct.Chester Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07155257451021065218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-11488531211649827192009-03-19T09:02:00.000-07:002009-03-19T09:02:00.000-07:00Kill Bill I and II are among my favorites too Autu...Kill Bill I and II are among my favorites too Autumn. Tarantino is one of the few directors who can get consistent laughs from the most gruesome violence. I'll have a lot more to say on the relationship between sex and viloence later on in the tour. Keep watching tour central at Char's Book Reviews for my three-part article on Violence next week.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-37249611687788269492009-03-19T08:49:00.000-07:002009-03-19T08:49:00.000-07:00I once heard the greatest thing about sex was the ...I once heard the greatest thing about sex was the anticipation, that of course can be applied to a lot of things. With that said one of my favorite movies would be the the Kill Bill series. Here Quentin Tarantino takes us into the world of a hit man and shows us that the end could very well justify the means.Autumn Stormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03190289792154640943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-37542763370324020052009-03-18T18:53:00.000-07:002009-03-18T18:53:00.000-07:00Tou're welcome Lynnette and Helen.Tou're welcome Lynnette and Helen.Mark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-49281840258037202272009-03-18T17:39:00.000-07:002009-03-18T17:39:00.000-07:00I think you did a great job of explaining the diff...I think you did a great job of explaining the difference between action and suspense scenes.<BR/>Thanks, Mark.<BR/><BR/>Helen<BR/>http://straightfromhel.blogspot.comHelen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-34859287078595631592009-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:002009-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:00Great post. Sanks.Lynnette Labellehttp://lynnette...Great post. Sanks.<BR/><BR/>Lynnette Labelle<BR/>http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.comLynnette Labellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-69554448455995480882009-03-18T09:27:00.000-07:002009-03-18T09:27:00.000-07:00You're welcome Bob.MarkYou're welcome Bob.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-3195413216813964432009-03-18T09:23:00.000-07:002009-03-18T09:23:00.000-07:00Your advice makes good sense, Mark. Thanks for the...Your advice makes good sense, Mark. Thanks for the excellent post.<BR/><BR/>Bob Sanchez<BR/>http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com<BR/>http://tinyurl.com/gettingluckyBob Sanchezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350825385315155962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-69323267966932297832009-03-17T18:16:00.000-07:002009-03-17T18:16:00.000-07:00You sound like a thorough craftsman yourself, Lisa...You sound like a thorough craftsman yourself, Lisa. Keep up the good work.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-29986254587598775042009-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:002009-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:00A very interesting and astute comparison, Mark. Se...A very interesting and astute comparison, Mark. Sex scenes require the careful pacing, suspense, buildup, and payoff of a dynamic action sequence. Appreciate the reminder!Lisa Loganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18259624498661417075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-33120183698206491432009-03-17T16:56:00.000-07:002009-03-17T16:56:00.000-07:00Thanks for the comment Heidi.Thanks for the comment Heidi.Mark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-75015332173193420422009-03-17T16:26:00.000-07:002009-03-17T16:26:00.000-07:00Great advice. Both good action and good sensual sc...Great advice. Both good action and good sensual scenes are difficult to write.<BR/>Thanks,<BR/>Heidi<BR/>http://heidiwriter.wordpress.comHeidiwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593338979995203659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-89635319038037822772009-03-17T15:17:00.000-07:002009-03-17T15:17:00.000-07:00It is fun Kristen. Practice makes perfect. Keep at...It is fun Kristen. Practice makes perfect. Keep at it.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-39532072869810508602009-03-17T14:04:00.000-07:002009-03-17T14:04:00.000-07:00I'm sort of new to writing action scenes, but I re...I'm sort of new to writing action scenes, but I really enjoy crafting them. They take some work, but it's worth it in the end.Kristen Painterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07984459504977637298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-8094203333099411162009-03-17T13:07:00.000-07:002009-03-17T13:07:00.000-07:00Thanks for the comment Jean. I'm not sure those se...Thanks for the comment Jean. I'm not sure those seniors out there are as prim and proper as are commonly thought. I knew one who was certainly as bloodthirsty as they come. I was in a writing seminar at Rice U. down here in Houston with an octonegenarian named Mrs. Green. She has since left us, bless her soul, but at that time she was adamant about passing along to us youngsters her passion for detail. I made the mistake of writing a rather hasty passage involving an eye gouging. Mrs. Green lectured me for ten minutes on the need for graphic detail. She would not rest until I had inserted the requisite sound effects, sensations, etc. in rather gruesome detail. She was right. The scene is in Hacksaw and, in context, it is, I believe, a critical moment in the character development of the protagonist. Mrs. Green taught me a crucial lesson that has helped my writing.<BR/><BR/>All that said, thank goodness for cozies and their writers. I love a good cozy on a rainy afternoon.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-5261019049403420912009-03-17T12:27:00.000-07:002009-03-17T12:27:00.000-07:00You draw an interesting parallel between writing s...You draw an interesting parallel between writing sex scenes and violence, Mark. I don't read or write either one, which is probably why I write senior sleuth novels. :)<BR/><BR/>Jean<BR/>Jean Henry Mead<BR/>Diary of MurderJean Henry Meadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08146960738692672013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-68089480728292715892009-03-17T11:09:00.000-07:002009-03-17T11:09:00.000-07:00I like the way you descibe John Woo's handling of ...I like the way you descibe John Woo's handling of martial arts. He is a master of the genre. Some people look at me like I'm crazy when I describe the sheer beauty of what to them seems ugly brutality. But it can be beautiful. I grew up with Sam Peckinpah films. There are scenes in The Wild Bunch that are high art, especially some in very drawn out slow motion. John Milius' The Wind and the Lion has some action scenes that are awe-inspiringly lovely.<BR/>Thanks for your comment.<BR/>MarkMark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-71636492842303174632009-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:002009-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:00What do I think of the action/sex scene analogy?Uh...What do I think of the action/sex scene analogy?<BR/><BR/>Uh-oh.<BR/><BR/>:Dani<BR/>http://blogbooktours.blogspot.comDanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-23402399789349608412009-03-17T10:27:00.000-07:002009-03-17T10:27:00.000-07:00I don't have a problem writing either action or se...I don't have a problem writing either action or sex. But those scenes that go so fast in the reading often take a really long time to craft well. *G*<BR/><BR/>My favorite action scene in a movie is John Woo's HARD TARGET with Jean-Claude Van Damme. A martial arts fight that is slowed down to the point where every movement is as exquisite, perfect, and defined as any ballet. <BR/><BR/>It never fails to steal my breath when I'm watching it and I'd LOVE to be able to capture that ultra-violent, yet so fluidly beautiful animal essence of a fighting warrior in prose!Diana_Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13809691204387799582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-33396901150978524312009-03-17T09:36:00.000-07:002009-03-17T09:36:00.000-07:00Good observation Carl. Our society has some major ...Good observation Carl. Our society has some major issues about both sex and violence. During this tour I will be exploring these disturbing tensions in much more detail in my second series of articles, Wriing About Violence. It's a three part article. You'll find the dates and locations back at tour central at Char's Book Reviews http://charsbookreviews.blogspot.com/<BR/>Hope to get your reactions to those articles as well.<BR/>Mark<BR/><BR/>P.S. I just watched The new film adaptation of The Watchmen this last weekend. It explitly (forgive the pun) deals with the complex pychosexual relations in our culture between sex and violence. It did so with an unflinching eye. Several people I watched the movie with assumed that the sex and violence were meant to shock and were gratuitous, but I've read the original graphic novel many times and I'm convinced that it was not gratuitous, but key to one of the main themes of this complex and many layered work.Mark Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00601652717542654531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527790096547842654.post-17793844037206366062009-03-17T08:55:00.000-07:002009-03-17T08:55:00.000-07:00I agree with the whole premise, Mark, except in on...I agree with the whole premise, Mark, except in one not-so significant area. Hmm, that sounds like it could be dangerous. Anyway, I know several writers of really good action/suspense, thriller novels/scenes who can't and won't write sex scenes. They squirm and blush.<BR/><BR/>Too bad. I think it's the cultural attitudes. Society is okay with pretty graphic bloody violence, but almost never with explicit sex. Especially true if the scene involves actions considered unusual or perverted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com