This month's question is a goodie: In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?
Interesting question. I don't think I draw the line anywhere, with either subject matter or language. I tend to follow my characters through their stories and sometimes that takes me places I wouldn't necessarily be comfortable. But if that's where the character's journey takes them, I have to go along too. And sometimes that means researching things I'd rather not know too much about.
Research is key if your character is taking you into a space you know very little about. If what they are experiencing doesn't feel authentic, you'll lose the reader.
There is certainly no language I wouldn't use. Some people use foul language all the time. Others don't. Some of my characters swear all the time while others barely let a bad word pass over their lips. Allowing them to speak the way they feel comfortable speaking makes them more real.
As a YA writer, maybe I should draw the line somewhere, but I feel like the stories I write are realistic to the experiences teens have. They swear. They have sex. They do stuff without really considering the consequences. They get into situations they can't understand or handle. Sometimes they get hurt or damaged in the process. I like to dive into these messy, challenging situations with my characters and hope like hell they'll learn something important in the process.
Do you have a line you won't cross in your writing? Where is it?
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