This year for the A to Z Challenge, I'm investigating emotions and reactions and their use to in writing. So, I'll be talking about my first thoughts as a writer when I think about the words we use to describe emotions and my experience of their use in literature.
rage
rage: violent uncontrollable anger / a vehement desire or passion.
Note the word uncontrollable from the definition. Rage is not a little emotion, it's anger when you see red, when your passions take over. Rage is when rules and common sense go out the window.
Rage can take a moment, as when one character strikes another, or it can last a lifetime - Game of Thrones, need I say more? It can also be the making or the downfall of a character. That pique can save a character's life, be the impetus they need to turn the tables on their enemy, this is used to extremes in The Hulk. It can also be the loss of control that means someone else has a chance to step in and win the day.
I used rage in Curse of a Banshee, which is the book you can get for free by signing up to our newsletter below. In B, my protagonist, rage is a desperate emotion, one drawn from fear and protectiveness. It is the culmination of a lifetime of searching and a new need to keep another person safe. It does not come easily and it does not leave B unscathed. She suffers for her rage.
That is something I think is important about this emotion - rage costs. There is always a price to pay for such intensity, whether that is physical or mental. Rage is in the pulsing vein on a character's forehead, or the clenched jaw. It is in violence, in mind, or body. It is a devastating thing, even if the character doesn't know it.
Rage can be both a catalyst and an inhibitor, it is a versatile emotion, but one to be used sparingly.
QUESTION: Do you think loss of control is always a bad thing, or does it have its uses?
Rage can take a moment, as when one character strikes another, or it can last a lifetime - Game of Thrones, need I say more? It can also be the making or the downfall of a character. That pique can save a character's life, be the impetus they need to turn the tables on their enemy, this is used to extremes in The Hulk. It can also be the loss of control that means someone else has a chance to step in and win the day.
I used rage in Curse of a Banshee, which is the book you can get for free by signing up to our newsletter below. In B, my protagonist, rage is a desperate emotion, one drawn from fear and protectiveness. It is the culmination of a lifetime of searching and a new need to keep another person safe. It does not come easily and it does not leave B unscathed. She suffers for her rage.
That is something I think is important about this emotion - rage costs. There is always a price to pay for such intensity, whether that is physical or mental. Rage is in the pulsing vein on a character's forehead, or the clenched jaw. It is in violence, in mind, or body. It is a devastating thing, even if the character doesn't know it.
Rage can be both a catalyst and an inhibitor, it is a versatile emotion, but one to be used sparingly.
QUESTION: Do you think loss of control is always a bad thing, or does it have its uses?
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I think it is easy to lose control and end up saying things or doing things we might later regret. I think we can express displeasure about something, but not get to the point of rage, especially road rage.
ReplyDeletebetty
Yes, road rage is a strange phenomenon - put someone into a tin box and they lose all inhibitions, even immediately after they get out of that box - an odd statement on human reactions :(
DeleteAn easily-enraged character can be understandable, if it's the result of, say, growing up with an abusive parent. It's also easier to understand if a character flies into a rage under extenuating circumstances, like a loved one being threatened. I like to look beyond the surface and see what's causing a specific character trait. Then again, some people just never learnt how to express themselves appropriately, get easily frustrated, and have anger management issues not caused by anything deep-seated.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's all sorts to explore and you're right, the background to rage is important :)
DeleteI don't think rage is ever a good emotion, but it can be wonderful in stories! Game of Thrones is a perfect example :)
ReplyDeleteYes, where would that set of books be without rage! ;P
DeleteLoss of control can be useful and good t times. Depends to what extent the person reacts. Each of considers loss of control of ourselves on a different level. So, it depends one what happens when a specific person loses control.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is true.
DeleteI think of rage as an emotion that bursts out after being suppressed for too long. Rage has a price to pay, but it is also THE price for not dealing with something sooner...
ReplyDelete@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
Nice way of putting it.
DeleteRage is a fun one to explore with characters.
ReplyDeleteI read Curse of the Banshee a couple of weeks ago and LOVED it! :D
:D :D :D - I'm grinning all over my face now :D Thank you.
DeleteYou mentioned Game of Thrones. Yeah, there was this one scene that was just brutal. Way more brutal than anything I've seen in The Walking Dead TV show. LOL!
ReplyDeletePrecious Monsters
Now that's saying something :)
DeleteRage certainly has it's uses. Rage at a social injustice or atrocity is good. Sometimes the rage is fuel to get a fire going and to get others involved.
ReplyDelete--
Tim Brannan, The Other Side Blog
2015 A to Z of Vampires
http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/
Yes, you have a point. And then the rage needs a positived direction to go in.
DeleteI find rage one of the easier emotions to write. It's such a strong emotion that it seems to take few words to paint it.
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
I suppose you're right - it's powerful and easil recognised.
DeleteI think control certainly has it's uses. It can be excellent characterization, and then, when they finally do lose control and rage takes over, it makes it all the more powerful, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteLike lighting very long fuse and waiting...:)
DeleteRage can be positive or negative. It could be what makes a character finally rise up against whoever is oppressing them (could be a parent or a demonic overlord), or it could also be self-destructive. In whatever way, it'll make for powerful writing, like a punch in the gut, if used right.
ReplyDeleteNice analogy - it should be a punch in the gut.
DeleteHi Sophie - I don't think rage is a good idea ... but in a book setting I guess you'll get both ... if appropriate ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThere are character in life and books that deal with rage. It might be bad, but it can be normal.
ReplyDelete