Note: this post discusses potentially sensitive subjects.
Based on my author’s picture, someone told me I looked like a writer of sweet romance. That was obviously before they read my novels, or found the erotic novellas I’ve published. And they’d never really talked with me. Because I’ll tell you a secret. I’m not sweet. I won’t melt in the rain and your glucose level is in no danger around me.
I rely on common sense and expect others to do the same. I’m not offended by much – my sense of humor tends to be rather dark, my commentary is straightforward, if you don’t want the honest answer to a question, don’t ask it.
There’s been an ongoing discussion in the #writingcommunity about content and trigger warnings on books, centered around when and how much an author should make the reader aware of potential topics of concern. Here’s the problem: everything is of concern to someone.
You’ve got topics that seem like a no-brainer on the sensitivity scale: sexual abuse/assault, abortion, violence, suicide, gore. Then there are those that skirt the line: religion, politics, death, sexual orientation, gender identity. I know people who wouldn’t bat an eye at the description of a gore-filled murder spree but would go ballistic over a character’s political-fueled rant from the wrong side of the aisle.
What about adult content? Should books come with a rating, like movies? If I’ve published a book in the erotic category, shouldn’t a savvy reader expect a fairly significant and explicit level of heat and sexual content?
And if we put a generic warning (This book may contain sensitive subject matter that readers will find objectionable) are we really doing a service to anyone?
That’s more questions than answers, however. I don’t know that we can protect our readers from everything they may find alarming or triggering or offensive, any more than they can be protected from these subjects while walking a public thoroughfare. Life is messy and dirty and you have to be prepared to deal with that. A book’s blurb should give you fair warning to the predominant content of a story and that should be enough warning for readers who may find certain content objectionable.
If there’s a hidden element to the story that could catch a reader off guard, potentially causing them harm or distress, I think we have a responsibility to give them a head’s up. If I was scared of clowns and I was about to walk into a room full of clowns, I’d want to know before I opened the door. Then I can choose to open the door or walk away.