On the eve of the launch of Power Play, the second story in the Sapphire Angel series, it is time for me to discuss an issue I’ve always struggled with — violence when the main character is a woman. If you read the first Sapphire Angel story, you know there are some violent scenes in the book, and that the protagonist is on the giving and receiving end of the violence. I wouldn’t consider these scenes sexual in any way, but they are violent.
I won’t try pretend that these scenes are difficult to write, because, truth be told, they are both hard and easy. They are hard in the sense that writing and reading them sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable, but easy in the sense that certain combat scenes flow easier for me than other scenes.
This gives me pause. With all the wrongs in society today, and all the violence toward women, should I avoid such content? Am I chipping away, in some small manner, at the progress we’ve made, however much that is, in addressing violence toward women? Does the occasional ease of writing these scenes, or the fact that I’m writing them at all, say something about me?
I don’t know the answer to these questions. I know I only have my perspective, which is far from perfect and far from complete. Compared to many people, I’ve lived a pretty sheltered life. I hope my thoughts and understanding of this sort of issue is evolving.
In the upcoming story, there is a scene — spanning several chapters — that almost didn’t make the cut. After writing it and proofreading it, it made me really, really squeamish, and I ended up cutting it from the story. But in my subsequent proofread, the story felt incomplete without it. It felt as if I had cut a crucial scene, and I wasn’t sure if I did it for myself (to make myself feel better about who I was), or if I was doing it for some better reason. In the end, I put the scene back into the story. Was it the right call? I don’t know.
In the end, I decided to stay true to how I view the world I’ve created. In a world with one element defying belief — a hero with superhuman abilities — I want the rest of the world to be “normal” and realistic. And the real world has some pretty horrible people who act in horrible ways. A protagonist would face some of those people, and be put to the test. Should I have my protagonist face lesser or different challenges because she is female? I decided against this.
For now, my stories will continue to include violence. It might be as simple as the fact that it would be hard to write a superhero story without violence. But I say “for now,” because, as I mentioned, I don’t think my thoughts are done evolving on this issue.
I don't think that you are including anything inappropriate. But the thing you do well is not to add gratuitous violence. This plugs a lot of media elements today. So, I don't think you need ask yourself if "it is too much". I don't think it is. I think it is always just enough. And the devleopment of your character in the contest of a "real person", is very good. I've always wondered what goes through the mind of "heroes", as they discover themselves and accept the mantle of who they've become. Keep exploring, keep writing. If you have a Patreon, plus let us know. Best regards!