Wednesday, October 6, 2021

My October IWSG Post and taboo topics

 


2021 is drawing to a close. Just 3 months more before we wish it goodbye. It has been a sad year with the Covid19 second wave wrecking havoc. To distract myself from all that was happening around me, I wrote and wrote and wrote. I also slowed down the pace of my life, spending time watching the clouds, sunset, talking to friends and cousins on the phone, played card games and bingo with family (as with the pandemic protocol we were in an enforced lockdown for several months.

And before I realized September merged in October and it was time for another IWSG post. IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group) is an online group of writers posting on the first Wednesday of the month.

IWSG was started by Alex J Cavanaugh. Alex is the author of Amazon Bestsellers: CassaStar, CassaStorm, CassaFire and Dragon of the Stars, and several more on the way. Do visit the IWSG website for more information on this wonderful group and some writing related posts. Don’t forget to visit Amazing Alex’s blog.

October 6 question - In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

The awesome co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pitt, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Mary Aalgaard.

As I write middle grade, I pay special attention to language, no swear words, no four-letter words. There are certain topics I keep away from: molestation, rape, sex and murder. I ensure there is no kissing scene (I even deleted a kissing scene from one of my middle grade novels, though two adults were kissing, but they were being watched by my main character. Didn’t want the parents to create a ruckus over it.

But for the adult novel I’ve written, I had no qualms about adding them!

What about you all? Where do you all draw the line with the topics and language.

 

 

 

 

 

19 comments:

  1. That's cool you keep your kids' books clean.

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  2. Indeed, it's better kids books are kept clean.
    Otherwise, these subjective issues, especially in the creative arena, nothing very right or wrong about it.

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  3. I tend to feel like the year drags in the summer, but once we get to October it seems to fly.

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  4. Genre and age group definitely affect the hard lines in the sand!

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  5. I avoid all your negative situations in all my books. They can happen off-stage, but I don't need to describe them. Too much violence is real life, anyway.

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  6. You wrote to cope with covid. I'm sorry to say, I did the opposite. I just seem unable to put words on the page for the past year. Hoping my muse returns soon though. LOL

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  7. I think knowing our audience is important and it sounds like you're making great choices.

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  8. I agree with your limits for MG. I write YA fantasy so I think I can write about some of things you can't in MG, but I would tone it down more than for adults.

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  9. It's refreshing to hear you say there are certain topics you don't write about. Nowadays, it seems kids...and some as early as kindergarten... are introduced to topics in school that are meant for teens an adults. Thankfully, I see that many parents are protesting.

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  10. Oh, yes. MG lit has special rules about how much can be said or even implied. And I find those vary around the world, which often isn't noticed by authors. I must write a post about it sometime (if I haven't already).
    Great post. Happy IWSG day :)
    Jemima

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  11. You're so right. It's all about the intended audience.

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  12. Some things little kids just don't need to know about yet.

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  13. Glad you used your lockdown time to share special times with family and close friends. Once this is all over, who knows when we will have that chance again...

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  14. My books all fall somewhere between "clean and wholesome" and XXX-rated. I'm happy being middle of the road.

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  15. Sounds like you know how to put lockdown to good use. I don't think swearing in MG books would be cool.

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  16. 2021 and about as difficult as 2020... But we've muddled through it.

    And I agree, keep children's books sweet, clean, and tidy and save the grittier stuff for the adults. After all, kids only have a few years to be kids while being an adult lasts the whole rest of one's life!

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  17. Writers definitely need to be more mindful on what they include in stories for kids.

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  18. The Cozy mysteries I write don’t have any overt violence, sex or language either. It’s pretty much like writing middle grade. LOL.

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  19. I think the pandemic has made me appreciate the small things in life. When it first started, I had serious doubts that it could be contained and imagined all the people we might lose. That gave me a whole new perspective on what really matters most on this earth.

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