Kurt Vonnegut Jr.Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of."[ From the preface.]
About This Quote
Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of. This is a quote from the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, where being a sadist is said to be a good thing. The idea here is that it is a good thing to be able to inflict pain on others so that the readers can see how strong they are. In this case, it seems that it is okay for the writer to draw out the drama from the readers.
Source: Bagombo Snuff Box
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