Wow, guys! It's October already!! Where has the year gone? Well, if you're reading this, today is the first Wednesday of the month and you know what that means!
Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog Hop!
This month's topic:
In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?
I tell you what, I'm kind of a no-holds-barred kind of girl. I don't sugarcoat the truth (which doesn't make many friends) and I tell it like it is.
I know there are a lot of taboo topics out there, mainly politics and religion. The two things that should end wars, but actually starts them instead. But I wouldn't touch on topics I know nothing about. I do see people putting a lot of topics into their writing that is more personal opinion, as if trying to change the minds of readers, but I won't do that.
If I don't know everything about a topic, I won't write on it. But if I know quite a bit about it and have the actual references to back up my words, I'll write about it. But if it isn't pertinent to the story, I'll leave it alone. I write about bullies, I write about abused women. Topics I am familiar with. But I also write about how to stand up or get away. To become stronger.
I once had a beta reader for my "Blood of my Sisters" story who had to stop reading because the bully triggered her. She didn't blame me for it, and I didn't feel a need to put a warning in there, but she just couldn't continue. She loved the story, but couldn't get past that character.
Will I stop putting in those scenes? Nope. I'm hoping it will connect with someone and they can see how they can stand up for themselves and not be bullied. Or maybe they're reading it and they are a bully, and can't stand the character. Who knows what I'll trigger or help with.
I do draw the line at sex scenes, rape scenes and things of that nature. If it is a sex scene, you'll get the idea well enough without me going into graphic detail. I'm not a prude, but I just feel that isn't appropriate in stories in order to tell the story. (Yeah, I'm going to get hate mail from romance authors.)
As far as language goes? I'm pretty flexible with it. Profanity, no matter who you are, will come out in certain situations. That's life. I know a lot of people who don't like to swear or read books with any curse words in there. But, if my characters are going to be true to life, I throw it in. However, I go along the same guideline of sex scenes, it isn't always appropriate in the story to tell the story. So I do limit it, even though in real life I could make a trucker blush.
All right, now it's your turn! Let's hop on to the next blog and see what that author thinks! Have a good rest of your week!
7 comments:
You have to write true to you.
Yes you do!
I appreciate that you know your limits and that you write what you know. Oftentimes I have seen people try to do that, but fail to research it.
I never heard of someone who will not read a book if someone swears in it. I feel like you do, there are people that curse a lot in life. I have heard of people who will turn away a book if the author wrote down a character's specific accent in dialogue rather than them writing regular dialogue and adding, "Awyn said in a Scottish accent," as the tag line. Quite interesting to write when it is supposed to be flipped.
My current series is about young teens, so people automatically assume it's YA, so some are a bit put off when they realize it's a schlocky horror-comedy. Is Stephen King's "IT" a YA book, just because the protagonists are young? ;-)
It's definitely important to do your research and really know what you're writing about.
With sex scenes, I think most are better left to the imagination.
I think it's important to be true to yourself in your writing and not necessarily edit for fear of offending, as long as what you write has passion and truth. I found your blog through the IWSG. Happy October and continue writing! dianeweidenbenner.com
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