1. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    Where's the compassion?

    Discussion in 'Revision and Editing' started by deadrats, Feb 8, 2017.

    What would you think if someone told you your writing lacked a certain level of compassion? These kind of comments always throw me for a loop.
     
  2. Number 7

    Number 7 Member

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    Not all souls write with the same conviction as others. Some throw themselves blindly onto the page, others are more conservative. Compassion is relative to everyone. Not everyone's compassion is shown the same.
     
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  3. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    I would feel the need for more context. That could mean all sorts of things. Do they really mean compassion or do they mean empathy? Are they complaining about you being mean to your characters, or about your narrator not having sympathy for the characters, or something entirely different? Are they complaining about your characters lacking empathy or lacking compassion? Are they complaining about you failing to spoonfeed them with guidance about how they should feel? Are they...

    Well, you see my confusion.
     
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  4. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    I'd stab them in both eyes and poop on their lawn. How's that for compassion?
     
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  5. izzybot

    izzybot (unspecified) Contributor

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    Yeah, I'd have to ask them what they meant by that as well, because at face value it means nothing to me and would be completely useless. If they were unable to explain I'd probably ignore it, to be honest.
     
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  6. Laurin Kelly

    Laurin Kelly Contributor Contributor

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    Like @ChickenFreak said, without context it's hard to tell. Just off the top of my head, I might use those words if I was describing:
    • Antagonists or weaker characters painted as "bad guys" with no acknowledgement of what might have led them to less than ideal acts
    • People like the poor, minorities or other disenfranchised groups written stereotypically and with little insight into their experiences with society
    • Characters who are overly cerebral and so the reader finds it hard to connect with them on an emotional level
     
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  7. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    I was asking you guys what you thought it could mean. It would not be appropriate for me to ask any follow-up questions in this situation. Thanks to those of you who weighed in on this. @Laurin Kelly -- I think everything on your list could be a potential problem. I think I handled this story and this situation in the story well. Editors seem to disagree. Maybe it just comes down to me being a shitty writer, a shitty writer writing stories that lack compassion.
     
  8. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    Do you love/like/feel affection for your characters?

    I know, they're fictional, but... do you? Do you feel like they're doing their best and just having a tough time, or do you feel like they're loser assholes who need to pull themselves together?

    I think that attitude can come through in writing. A lot of the reaction that readers have to a character will come from hints the writer drops, rather than the actual character actions. I guess it falls under the characterization heading, but it's quite subtle, or at least it can be.
     
  9. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    If your characters appear to lack compassion, that's not necessarily a bad thing, from a writing standpoint. If the lack of compassion in people is part of what makes your story 'go,' then you've achieved what you set out to do.

    Again, like others who have responded here, I think I'd need more context.

    I think the question to ask yourself is this: did I intend these characters to lack compassion? If this is what you wanted to do, then I wouldn't worry too much about what has been said. Of course, like anything else, you'll need to adjust your expectations of how other people will receive your stories. Some may be very turned off to the idea of reading about characters who lack compassion. That just goes with the territory. You can't please everybody.

    On the other hand, if you did NOT intend for your characters to be compassionless, then you might want to figure out why they seem to be, at least for some of your readers. Ask, if you can, for clarification. Not in a 'how dare you criticize my story' or 'omigod I'm so terrible why do I walk the earth' sort of way, but out of genuine interest. If your critique givers can pinpoint why they picked up this impression, it might help you sort the problem.
     
  10. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    My thoughts exactly, maybe that's what the critique means? The characters appear as strawmen for your protagonists to shred apart, or at the very least push around/ignore? There's no thought process on their own experiences in life?

    But yeah, it's confusing. At first I thought it was about the 'protagonist' who's a real scumbag and has no moral compass.
     
  11. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    In most circumstances, you cannot ask for clarification with any expectation of receiving it. If you can ask, that's not an inappropriate question. It's such a subjective remark it really has no vslue without elaboration.

    Assuming you cannot get clarification, re-examine your excerpt with the assumption that the perception is valid. After all, someone perceived it that way. So pre-bias yourself and see if you can dig out where compassion could be lacking. Maybe you will see what the critiquer saw, or maybe you'll find a completely different place. Maybe you'll find nothing. It could be a general feeling on the critiquer's part without specifics to back it up.

    Remember, you don't have to agree with every critique point, but you are cheating yourself if you don't make an honest effort to see through the critiquer's eyes.

    If you cannot find anything, admit failure. Own the failure, because nearly any comment can be put to use in some manner.
     
  12. Catrin Lewis

    Catrin Lewis Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Community Volunteer

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    Once I got over the "Huh?" moment (assuming I really had no clue), I'd ask them to define what they mean by compassion, and give specifics from my writing that show the lack of it.

    I learned long ago that, in any area of life, coming up with my own ideas about what other people might mean at times like this almost always leads to disaster.

    EDIT: I gather these aren't people you have regular interaction with and you'll have to use your imagination. So, yeah. What @Laurin Kelly and @Cogito said.
     

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