Personally, if someone is offended by what I write then I don't need them as "my reader". I'm not looking for money or recognition through my writing - I'm just having fun. I've had several works published -- non-fiction, short stories and poetry -- and the only direct complaint was from a thirteen-year-old who chose to neglect the age-rating (my work is not suitable for minors). I share my work for those who do want to read it but that doesn't mean I aim to please them.
what was the complaint about because as far as I know there is no such a thing as age rating in books that you buy in bookshops. I agree that you are not there to please but you do want them to read your work and in so in a way isn't it better to understand your readers in order for you not to lose them?
The complaint was that the story was "wrong" and disgusting; it was a homoerotic story. If I lose readers then that doesn't bother me. It's only by chance I found some in the first place. I began writing for me and this is how I will continue. If people like it then that's great; if people are offended and don't want to read anymore then that's fine too.
Ah. This is adult material and I can understand would react in this way...maybe..but not signalling/warning your readers then more and more incidents of this kind would happen which would put a strain to the context of homoerotic story. which essentially is nothing wrong with it. These kind of incidents would affect your style long term so I think in order for you to go on writing the way you wish and keep your story as the norms or as natural if you like you must give plenty of warnings. You do not wish the wrong type to pick it up again and starting making afuss and portraying it as wrong. Hence what I said about knowing your reader.
There were warnings and the blurb was very specific. She chose to ignore it so it was her own fault. For one, she shouldn't have been reading any of the content available from that publisher's website and to even get onto the homepage she would have had to clicked a box saying she was of age. As I've said, this is the only time something like this has happened. I don't actively try to advertise myself - hence why I don't even share my penname on here. Writing is my hobby, not something I want to make a career out of (tried it with non-fic and my inspiration for fiction suffered). I don't censor what I write and if that turns people away then that's fine. However, it's also something that can draw other people in. I'd rather write for ten people who want to read the same type of stories that I do than for a thousand people who want to read something safer.
I think it would depend on the story and what point you're trying to make. Is the point "Racism =\= Evil"? Then it wouldn't make much sense to be 'correct.' Is correctness not a big theme of your story, yet it's set in incorrect times? It would, again, not make much sense to be correct. I'm not saying you should make the characters so racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. that your reader hates them. It's all about balance. ...at least that's what I think.
That is what kids do best break the rules. I cannot blame for reading material that was easily gotten to them via internet. The reality is the signing of the box means nothing because it does/cannot check against your age. I see. I would much prefer it if it was the other way round for me. I want a bigger audience because I want everyone to read. Reading is literacy and is important for the intellect.
I agree totally balance is everything. You put your finger on it. with balance comes understanding and the need to understand more.
I doubt very much that reading your efforts would improve anyone's literacy... unless you have a beta reader who catches all your spelling/grammar errors?
It's possible to please some people all of the time. It's possible to please all people some of the time. It's impossible to please all people all of the time. My writing fits the characters and the story. I don't care about political correctness. I only care if the writing is correct for the characters and the story. And I don't care about the political ramifications of my suspense fiction.
How do you know that reading does not improve one's literacy. Reading my efforts of course is not what I was refering to. Don't forget I am not a native English speaker and therefore would not refer to me when I was talking about literacy. Don't put down too much, as I would like to see you do the same in another langauge. I am a qualified language teacher(French/Spanish/Arabic) andhave taught for several years primary/secondary and A levels and I can tell you without a doubt that reading has everything to do with literacy and intellect.
that poster was referring only to reading your writings in english, as they're so thoroughly flawed, despite your fluency in other languages... it was not a nice thing to say... and i would take exception to the truth of the statement, as well, since to read and study poor writing can improve one's literacy, if only by being able to spot all the mistakes and thus become a more discerning reader... so, i'd say reading and assessing your garbled grammar and scrambled syntax could be a good learning tool, cacian... i hope you can get as much help in improving your english from reading/studying the proper grammar and sensible syntax of some of our more accomplished members... hugs, m
No, I write what I want, when I want. It doesn't bother me if my books don't sell. Writing isn't my job, it's something I do because I enjoy it and because I love the stories that I tell. (Hopefully that doesn't sound too arrogant. . .)
This. So much. I write what I want to see and can't find on the shelves. Some authors are too safe. As in it's obvious they're being careful so as not to upset anyone. However, that's possibly the only thing that offends me as a reader: having the writer censor or dumb things down for me because they think I -- or we, if you like -- can't understand/take it.
No of course not it doesn't. Of course it would be nice to think that one might be interested in what you write as well so I was only trying to get a broader spectrum on those who one day, when we are gone, would read our material and feel good about themselves. I would like to think that I had made someone happy or more confident about themsleves because they saw something of themselves in my stories and felt really good about themselves to the point where they want to be a writer too. Remember generations to come want to also be shown and enouraged to write too. That is the whole point of caring and thinking about those who will hopefully read the stories we write. It is a just thought for the futur.
One of the best comments I got on my writing is from someone who said I scared the sh*t out of her and she was glad I lived on the other side of the ocean...
Really? People said you would burn in hell for that? It's a crazy world we live in. . . all the more reason not to try to pay attention to every single person who could read your book. Write what you want, and write it the best you can. You can't do anything more, and I think that most people will understand and respect your point of view, even if they don't share it.
I suppose I do care what others think, to a degree. Not so much about the subject matter, but about grammar and technical details, at least. I thought about it since my last post, and I realized that I'll often wonder "would person X like this?" And of course, I feel great whenever I get positive feedback.
I think that it is somewhat important to note that many black people honestly believe that there is a difference between "nigger" and "nigga." The latter is the word that is used in the black community as a "Term of endearment." Personally, as a black person, I don't use either word because you can't escape the fact that "Nigga" is derived from "Nigger" and it is, imo, a very ugly, vile word. I also think that it is somewhat ridiculous to get upset at people who SAY the word, while not actually using it as an insult, if they aren't black. With that said, I think that what is missing from all of this is CONTEXT. As others have said, if you are writing a racist character, that racist character is going to use racial slurs. You may even write a naive or clueless character, say... a young white boy who listens to rap music and recites the lyric word for word, including "nigga" only to be labeled a racist because of it, even if he didn't mean it in a derogatory way. But, it's all about context. If you write a book and the entire premise of the book is how black people, or any group of people, are inherently bad because they are black, then you are traveling down the road of being a racist. But, simply writing characters that are true to themselves, is not, imo, a problem. IMO, it shouldn't be hard to be "PC" in real life. What some may consider PC, I personal consider respectful. I am sure that most people do not like being called things that they find offensive. Be it Italians hating the term Guido, or women hating the word bitch or cunt, a little person hating midget, or gay person hating fag. If you know that there are people who hate those words, then it should be easy enough for you to edit your own language out of respect. I find that it's best to use offensive terminology only with people you are closest with, who know your character. If you call that being PC, then oh well. I guess I am PC. I just want to respect people's wishes.
As far as my personal story writing goes, I lean towards fantasy and my races can be anything I want them to be. My characters tend to be range from brown to white, but some may be blue or some strange hue of pink. It just depends on what I am writing at the time. In fantasy, I think describing actual physical attributes is important. If I am done non fantasy writing, I definitely don't put the time into mentioning the characters features beyond hair and eye color, and perhaps a general idea of their skin tone. Bronze can be a black character or a tanned white character.
In my suspense fiction I aim to stay as close to reality as possible, which is challenging considering my main character is a freelance assassin renowned for masquerading murder. Evidently, to this reader, the fictional exploits of my assassin were so realistic and scary that she was glad not to live so close to someone who could write something so devious.
I would just write it with a moderate level of respect for every different group, and then if anybody complains, just say you tried.
