Wednesday, April 13, 2011

L is for.... Lust

Lust is one of the most basic and primal emotions. It's wanting writ large. It's desire with a hungry, obsessive edge. Lust can get people into huge trouble.

While lust tends to be used primarily to describe the desperate hunger two people can have for one another, it is possible to have a lust for power or money as well. Lust is generally considered a bad emotion, but it doesn't have to be in every case. Although, in saying that, lust implies a kind of tunnel vision, and that can never be a good thing.

I've been thinking about lust a lot in the past couple of weeks. I've just started a new novel (one chapter done so far) and lust plays an important role in it. It's about a boy experiencing lust, perhaps not for the first time, but it's the first time he acts on it. And the consequences for himself and his family are devastating. Finding this angle to the story has been incredible. This is a book I've written twice before and never managed to make it work. I think I've finally found the right POV to tell it from, and the second thread to the story that will make it that much more heartbreaking and honest.

Lust is the key. It's messy and complicated and physical as well as being a driving force for many people, especially teenaged boys.

Does lust rear its head in your work? And does it turn out well for anyone involved?

3 comments:

  1. Great post. I think lust does play a part in my story, it works out surprisingly.

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  2. Love this post! Lust hasn't been kind to most of my characters. But, I think it's a great driver for a story. Any raw emotion that makes a character flawed adds realism to a story.

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  3. Lust plays an important part in one of my WIPs. It can be great for a story.

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