Do You Vent Your Spleen with Revenge Writing?

You know, I’m glad we no longer believe that the body is filled with 4 different fluids that can become imbalanced and affect our mood (Humorism, anyone?). I gotta say, though, that the ancients had a point when it came venting negatives instead of bottling them inside. But to vent your spleen with revenge writing? It doesn’t seem worth it.

Vent Your Spleen with Revenge Writing: Y/N?

There are plenty of ways that writing can help get some anger and bitterness out of your system (not to mention frustration, jealousy, and any other negative emotion you can think of). IMHO, however, revenge writing isn’t the best way.

What Is Revenge Writing?

That may not be an actual term. What I mean when I say it is using your writing in spiteful ways. Like putting someone you dislike into a book as a murder victim.

Have you ever heard of that? I’ve never met an author who did it, but I’ve definitely read books where one of the characters is an author who’s done that.

In a book, it adds a bit of humor and makes the author seem human (since who hasn’t pictured getting petty revenge on someone we don’t like?). But what is it like in real life?

Using Your Writing for Revenge:
Pros & Cons

The way I see it, and you’re not required to agree, revenge writing has a handful of benefits that don’t measure up agains the detriments.

The Pros

Here are the upsides of this tactic:

• It’s not illegal (as opposed to actual killing someone).
• You can do it multiple times (not possible in real life).
• A certain amount of spiteful glee

The Cons

On the downside, we have…

• A person you dislike getting to say he/she is in your book(s) (The more famous you are, the bigger a downside this becomes.)
• Possible social fallout if people recognize the person
• Having to think about that person to write the character
• Associating someone you dislike with your writing project

The first two could simply add to whatever aggravation you’re already feeling. Imagine listening to a jerk you can’t stand taking credit for a character in your book (Argh!!!). Or people giving you a hard time because you were mean enough to write such an “unrealistic version” of him/her for “no reason.”

Just picturing either scenario is frustrating. But it’s the last two points that make me really think revenge writing isn’t worth it.

Because I’m assuming you like to write.

Am I right? I figure I must be. After all, writing is hard work, so why would you choose to write books if you don’t like it?

So let me ask you: why would you choose to associate your writing with someone you can’t stand?

Venting your spleen is all well and good, but don’t do it in a way that makes yourself hate writing. Don’t ruin an idea or creative project to feel better – there are better ways.

If You Want to Vent through Writing

Here are a couple of tips:

• Write it down in a private journal. You won’t get much revenge that way (except for a better chance at keeping your cool when the person tries to make you mad again). It is good for venting though.
• Limit revenge writing to shorter projects like poems and short stories. If you really want to kill your nemesis off, you don’t want to have to think about him/her for a full novel (ick). A short story is better because you can finish it fairly quickly and be done with the person. They also have the potential to be more emotionally charged, so you can really push out all those negative emotions.
• Don’t make the character recognizable. If you’re going to do it, avoid any social fallout or dealing with your foe taking credit. Use key characteristics from the jerk but nothing so specific that it has to be him/her. Even better, make the character unflattering enough that the person wouldn’t want to take credit.
• Don’t make the character a big part of the plot. Anyone who’s been awful enough to you to deserve revenge doesn’t deserve to have that much power over your story. And 9 times out of 10, it’ll be a person who wants to be important or thinks he/she is, so making this character both unflattering and unimportant? That’s better revenge than simply murdering the character.

Of course, even better revenge would be never having the person in your writing at all. “What? No. You’re not in my book. I only put important people in my books.”

-Em