Walking the Line
So I’ve been thinking lately… If you read Dean’s blog about Episode 06 – Material Components then you’ll know I had some qualms about the story as he initially presented it to me. Not about the story itself, so much as putting it out there in this age when there are lawsuits over Facebook posts. I wasn’t sure about taking a risk putting something out I was nearly positive people would react badly to (the subject matter, not the story which I think is excellant). Now, the story changed some since his initial idea, but the seed of the school shooting is still there. And yet we didn’t get one outraged response. So maybe I was over-reacting over a particular taboo I have.
I was in high school when Columbine happened and our school’s reaction was much like a lot of schools at the time, I’d imagine. They went in to lock down. No one was allowed to leave school grounds and then return for any reason what-so-ever, once you were off campus you were gone for the day. Every door was monitored. Random locker and backpack searches were done.
I was part of a group of friends who wore a lot of black. We listened to heavy metal or prog rock. We read horror and scifi/fantasy. Some people were in to cutting, branding, drugs, paganism, Satanism… it was high school, for a lot of us it was all about finding things out and exploring what worked for us. To a lot of people, we were the ‘weirdos’. And after Columbine, the usual looks we got became more intense. Rumors flew. People were questioned. It was not a fun time, to put it mildly.
So, maybe Dean’s right and I’m a little extra touchy about that particular subject. Which he then brings up after reading what I’ve got written so far for the next story on Trickster Moon Presents… He finds it interesting that I was concerned about how people would receive Material Components, but it didn’t really occur to me anyone may be bothered by the contents of Sleep, Baby, Sleep.
When asked what I write, I tend to self-describe as someone who writes body horror. My stories are very often rooted in the physical, and try and answer the question ‘What do you do when the unknown, the monster, is you?’ As someone who’s struggled with body issues most of my life, a lot of this comes from a very personal place. There has been a particular issue, or fear, that I’ve wrestled with since long before it was an issue that needed wrestling… conception, childbirth, and babies. These things will crop up in my writing quite a bit. Never to the good, though.
So, I’m fine with writing about horrible things happening to people’s bodies, even to the bodies of children and babies, but I was touchy about mentioning the possibility of a school shooting. Dean had two comments after reading the rough draft of Sleep, Baby, Sleep – one was “Are you going to have someone else read this, since it’s so personal?” and the other was “People are going to loathe you for this one.”
The answer to the first part is no, I will be reading the story because it’s so personal. And to the second part, yes I suspect that there may be people who will loathe me once they hear the story. It’s not a pleasant one. Although I hope anyone listening to our podcast knows that given our subject matter, our movie does take place during a zombie apocalypse after all, they’re not likely to get a whole lot of pleasantness.
But given this discussion, and Jenny Hudock’s blog from earlier this week about writing from personal experience, I have been wondering… Where is the line? Is there a line? If there is a line, when if ever is it okay to cross it? As authors, or readers, or just people, where do you think writers shouldn’t go? Or does that place not exist? Is it okay to go wherever you need to go as long as you try and treat the subject with respect and gravity, or should some things just not be written about? We all have buttons that, when pushed, make us angry or uncomfortable and think ‘How could they? They should have just left that alone!’ So what are yours?
For many people, the ‘line’ is defined by what is accepted by society and what does or doesn’t make us twitch. The line you present with violence at school often causes such a reaction because, once upon a time, schools were supposed to be safe. You mention writing that deals with babies and childbirth; those two topics are my personal lines, and I have to detach if/when I’m asked to voice those sorts of stories because violence in those realms really does bother me. At the same time, if that situation best serves the purpose of the story and the intent of the author, then I think it’s the artist’s call.
Writers don’t look for universal acceptance; if we did that, we’d pen Coca-Cola jingles. We write to entertain and explore.
You’re talking fiction — there’s no such thing as “Too far.” There are things I’ll say “dude, not my speed” – though most of those are for lack of interest, rather than squick, and in either case, that’s the audience’s judgment. Write what you write – if Stephen King and V.C. Andrews can find a market, you will too. The notion that “decent people won’t read that” is bullshit promulgated by people who think ideas, discussed and debated in the open, are toxic if they don’t conform to a particular idealogical or moral agenda.
Me, I tend to think that having offensive, disturbing, awful shit in the open is far preferable to having it in secret, where it can do what it likes without fear of debate. Bring on the disturbing content, and fuck the lines.
-Dan
Just read the Inner Bean post for context, so must add:
On the other hand, autobiography is pretty boring. Draw from real life, by all means — but do a good job with it
In response to J. Daniel Sawyer’s comment, autobiography “can” be boring, absolutely, but then you have creative nonfiction autobiography like “The Liar’s Club.”
For me, the problem lies in drawing the inspiration from an event/group of people who would recognize the inspiration right away, and possibly even be offended. Do I press on, and not care if I offend? Or should I hold myself back and conform the content to reduce risks of ticking someone off? I think I’m going with option 1… because I believe I can put enough fiction into it as to be unrecognizable. Besides, the best part of the story is the fictional aspect itself, so I have to go with the muse on this one.
Like I said on your blog, Jenny, I think anyone who knows a writer better be expecting for aspects of themselves to turn up in stories… the same way if you’re friends with a comedian, you’d better be prepared to possibly turn up in their bits. Like comedians, writer’s are *always* on. We’re always culling information from our environment. Or at least, we should be. My question is really, what are your internal lines that you won’t cross (if you have any)? I know most of us aren’t willing to submit to external lines pressed on us by others… but do you have ones you impose on yourself like I apparently have with the school shooting. And speaking of that, since it’s something I’m apparently so touchy about, is it something perhaps I *should* try and write about? Just things that occured to me when realizing I had a self-imposed line.