I want you to be nice, Until it's time to not be nice...

I got 99 problems

Let’s talk about problematic content in writing, whether it be literature or script.

Recently, I workshopped some work that was…problematic. I’ve looked at work from this author before (no names here) and I’ve had similar conversations before. There shouldn’t be more than one conversation before the author gets it. For my part, after that first time I asked, and received advice from a friend of mine. The award nominated editor David Thomas Moore. Someone who last I saw in person, kept giving me tequila until I had to leave or become more tequila than man. I blame him for having to buy a new tent before this LARP season.

When problematic content first arrives I like to assume that the author is genuinely unaware of its issues. This can be for whatever reason, be it cultural, class related, or just general assumptions on how to write. Lot’s of people seem to think you need shocking, problematic scenes to be relevant. You do not. I like to give people a chance if I can.

Initial feedback was politely challenging. Lead them up the path, and hope they understand what’s acceptable.

The second time it arrived I had to get some help from Mr Moore (which ironically is the name of the protagonist from my WIP). He suggested that I give feedback from the point of view of an external presence, in this case a reader. So all feedback given is along the lines of “a reader may see this as…” or “this may be seen as X by a reader.”

The third time though, all goodwill was gone, though professionalism remains. I mentioned a couple of specifics but left it with the following,

“As writers, we are responsible for constantly interrogating out work and challenging our biases and choices. We must always ask ourselves why did I write this? The answer to which must always be of service to the narrative as a whole, and our own conscience.”

I do this all the time. I ask myself questions such as “Why have I written this character male/female?” and if the answer isn’t satisfactory I do better. When it comes to problematic content I have hard lines. I will never use sexual violence in fiction. I don’t think it is ever necessary. There are different, better, and more creative ways to show a character or a situation is dangerous.

I also don’t hold with the excuses often thrown around by Game of Thrones (the tv series) cheerleaders of such scenes as being “what it was like back then.” There is no “back then,” it’s all make-believe. In historical fictional cases, you know what was also around back then? Suddenly waking up deathly ill with any number of plagues or illnesses. I don’t remember a scene in Lord of the Rings where Aragorn wakes up with pustules under his armpit and the local healer comes round to look at his shit in a jar. To be fair though, I would watch that.

My point is that just because something existed or was more prevalent (and there is no way to really say so) it doesn’t have to be in literate or tv/film. As authors we must also acknowledge and own our narrative choices, rather than fob it off on historical authenticity.

I won’t use this to go down the nerd fandom rabbit hole, but this is also the reason why retconning or just changing the lore of games, books etc is fine. You own that the original choices made were for shit reasons (or worse, without thinking at all), and you want to change that. Go change!

So many good and foundational Science Fiction works have been written to subvert problematic content of classic works. William Gibson wrote the way he wrote because he hated the tropes common to science fiction at the time. Tropes of touch, hard bitten men, and damsels in distress. Tropes of colonialism and barely disguised fascism hiding behind veneers of adventure.

I wrote a while back about Ringworld by Larry Niven. Check out my review, I’ll wait.

Ready?

In one book you have human exceptionalism, female characters being basically sex objects, and full-on eugenics being accepted (after a token argument) and actually a force for good in the adventure. I don’t know about you but after reading, I’d like to subvert the hell out of it.

And now for something completely different

What I’m Writing

Two five thousand-word assignments to round of my MA.

One is a choose your own adventure story, one is about scientists and a table that suddenly becomes sentient.

I’ve also added some extra dialogue to the closing chapter of my WIP Joy-Land. I can’t remember where I read this recently, but it was someone saying that readers like a good ending scene that wraps up things as best it can. Like the ending of a Poirot mystery where everyone is in the parlour, and everyone talks it out and the murderer is revealed. I want to blame Chuck Palahniuk, but it might not be him.

Anyway I realise my current ending was cinematic but not literary. It ended with the screen fading out (my protagonist falling unconscious) which may look good in a film, but in a book? Nah. So I wrote some extra dialogue with his estranged former partner that wraps things up nicely and gives us some idea of their friendship. It felt weird like they just dropped back into being friends after twenty years, but then that’s how it can work when you’ve got ADHD (something both I, and my protagonist have, though I don’t say explicitly).

I think its vastly improved and I say thanks to Chuck or whomever.

What I’m Reading

Just finished my first Conan book, Conan the Adventurer bought in a second-hand antique book shop. I enjoyed it, though some of it was a bit problematic (race depictions especially) though it’s nice to read Howard actually became better later in life.

Also my first Biggles, Biggles Learns to Fly. A rip-roaring adventure (sorry) which quite literally flies over the class disparity of the British armed forces. Good fun though. Might read another.

Also, as many Choose Your Own Adventure books as I can handle. For research!