Are there any subjects that you wouldn't write about, or
want your favourite authors to write about?
I ask because I've recently read a story that started out as
a 'normal' (whatever that means) soap opera-style family drama but took a
dramatic twist halfway through. It was a very dark twist that I felt very
uncomfortable reading and certainly won't be discussing on my own website. You
never know what keywords Google is searching for. Suffice to say that it
involved the very unpleasant demise of a minor. Now I know that horror stories involving
children have been around for generations, certainly since the days of Wilkie
Collins and his unforgettable, brilliant 'Turn of the Screw', but this
particular story has lodged itself in my brain and keeps popping back into my
consciousness to disturb me anew. This is, I guess, a kind of compliment to the
author. I could never write something as affective as that. Of course I could also
never write something like 'Fifty Shades of Grey' or anything in the formulaic style
of D*n Br*wn but this was different. The writing was excellent for starters and
the characters were engaging to the point where I was actually upset when the
bad things happened to them. I'd love to write with that kind of intensity and
conviction and yet I could no more create a story containing that kind of
medically graphic horror than I could convincingly write about…
Well, I don't know really. I try to tell myself that no
subject is off limits to a good author, that they should be able to turn their
hand to any writing style - especially if the pay is good enough. I don't like
to pretend. I write because I love it, certainly, but also I do it to pay the
bills (or at least as many of them as it allows me to). I could even discover a
hitherto deeply hidden love of tennis, Lancashire or D*n Br*wn if you put
enough noughts on the cheque to make me write about these things.
That's the beauty of being a writer. Our imaginations allow
us to visit situations as diverse as euphoria and death without ever having to
actually experience them. Assuming that we've done our research well enough -
and that means more than a quick scan through Wikipedia - then we could
theoretically commit any crime ever invented. We could even, if we're good
enough, create a completely fresh original sin. We're confined only by the strength
of the voices in our heads and the way we react to them. How closely do we want
to sail towards the boundaries of our society's taboos?
But we're also guided by our readers. We can write whatever
dark fantasies we desire but if the people who normally read our work are used
to us producing happy tales of fluffy bunnies and unicorns then we'll turn them
away in droves. Or, in my case, tens. Whether we like it or not, writing is a
business like any other. We have to stay within our target audience's tolerances.
And for me, the guy whose book I recently read crossed the
line. Although it was an excellent book, I won't be back for the sequel.
And one final thing. Please don't ask what the novel that
kick-started this blog was. I'm trying to forget it.
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