Taking risks with your writing

[J M]

Hi Philip,
Somethings I just can't write about. One of them is cancer. I know we can't turn a blind eye to these things. But for both actors and writers,we all become so involved with our characters. In 'Stalking Aidan' Aidan's 18 year old sister paid with her life because someone wanted revenge on her brother.
I cried a lot while writing that. But the story called for that particular scene,and the trauma enacted by her family after her death.

[Gary]

My wife and I had many a discussion in which we did not see eye to eye in the end while I was writing Fallen Angel Of The Highway. Although written as a "Fiction" novel, the storyline does follow my own life experiences in several ways, thus the cause of the before mentioned discussions.

For me as an author, I draw from whats inside me and around me, which is the reality world and real life. Then I may chose to write it in a fiction or nonfiction format. But other than writing say Science Fiction, I for one feel that to make a nonfiction novel such as Fallen Angel feel real and be believable as a story, its roots must come from reality and things the reader has either experienced themselves or seen others experience in their lives. Then you add the spin to the story to create the nonfiction side of it to separate yourself as the author.

So, is that more the norm for most writers, or is it such a dangerous path I follow in writing so closely to myself, and my experiences in a fictional format when I am not the named protagonist, nor are the characters actual people within my life, but rather personalities based upon one or multiple people known to me used to create each?

I have to admit, I do kind of like the idea of the reader having to chose what they believe is based on actual true life experiences and what is "made up" in the story, thus working one's imagination.

[J M]

How often do we, consciously, or even unconsciously depict people we know,or scenes played out from real life experiences? I have been known to use someone I don't particularly like as secondary villains. Maybe,deep down, although all my work is fiction, I sometimes find a small element of a past experience creeping in.
I take some risks with my writing, and probably would go completely mad and on a tangent. But I have a good proofreader to reel me in on these occasions.

[[deleted user]]

I brought up this subject a while back. Since than I have had confirmation, from some of my readers, that the scenes in my book "Spawn of Evil" were necessary to the story. This is one of the quotes from their reviews, "A very good read if a little gruesome in places but these gruesome descriptions are necessary to convey the brutality of what these young Nazis were capable of." The book received 4 stars. This was one of many reviews, which confirmed to me that I was correct in taking the risk.

[Alp]

Judy wrote: "So I received a less-than-favorable review on my latest book. This isn't going to be a rant about negative reviews or anything like that. Instead, points made in the review highlighted to me the fa..."

You have to take risks else what's the point of writing cereal box stuff ... good for you and don't stop taking risks 'cos the biggest risk takers are the most successful people on the planet - I hope you take risks in style too and not just the subject ... convert the risky scene/s into poetry ...

[Richard]

I just received editorial reviews from Blueink, Clarian,and Kurkus. The Blueink, Kurkus reviews were just so, so. Annie Peters of Clarian wrote a steller review and gave Light in the Darkness 5 out of 5 stars. It is confusing how Kurkus & Blueink are so different from Clarian. Kurkus felt I used too much explanation instead of relying on the characters to tell the story. I took a risk when I started writing the book. I wanted to not only tell a good story, but enlighten readers to these remarkable people. I understand the criticism but I will keep writing in a way I am comfortable with. If that is taking risks so be it.

[Christine]

Judy wrote: "...The book is being marketed as YA fantasy, because that seems to be the group most interested in it. And there are some very adult themes in the book. Mainly, the fourteen-year-old female protagonist is raped--sexually abused--on more than one occasion by the villain. ..."

I think if you research the definition of YA you will find it is geared to readers 13-18 and is NOT supposed to include sex (other than by implication) - let alone violent sex. I have been researching this category of books and find many contravene this requirement. Self-publishers seem to think anything is okay - as long as it sells the book.

You are marketing it this way because "that seems to be the group most interested in it". Does that mean we should be marketing "Hustler" and "Playboy" to 13 year old boys.

As for your question - writing isn't about risk - it's about art. If this is what you feel you need to write - then make sure it is marketed properly as Adult Fantasy - Not YA.

[Dennis]

I love taking writing risks and changing things up to see if I can use it to challenge myself more. For example, my first two books are in the same continuity, but I changed absolutely everything that I could - past tense to present, first person to third, more mystery to more action, a few characters to many characters, and so on. I think risks breeds creativity and as writers, or artists of any sort, isn't creativity what really fuels us?

[Karl]

A real piece of writing is one in which the writer has tried to enrich not only the book, but also his understanding of the words. The words themselves have to be open to new ideas and suggestions, and the writer himself must have the audacity to attempt new things and to risk failure. Every one of the big breakthroughs in the art of literature has possibly started as what many would call a ludicrous or even laughable idea as the writer occasionally balances a routine piece with an investment in the eccentric and untried. Over time, the reward is usually worth the risk.

[Alp]

Every breakthrough in everything was as a result of someone taking a risk; whether being first, being laughed at, being vilified, being brave and being so without the safety net ... if you don't take risks, nothing changes.

[Jane]

Alp wrote: "Every breakthrough in everything was as a result of someone taking a risk; whether being first, being laughed at, being vilified, being brave and being so without the safety net ... if you don't ta..."
Agree!

[Roger]

Part of the joy of writing is taking risks. Sometimes people "get" what you're trying to say, other times they don't. I get excited when I receive a review from someone who gets it.

[Harini]

I don't take risks as to content, though I do admire those who do, provided it isn't gratuitous. This is a reflection of my reading habits I guess -- I prefer 'comfort reads' like the Victorians. But I try to be adventurous in narrative technique, and will try out a story in several POVS, voices, tenses, etc before deciding what suits the material.

[Gabriel]

Sometimes taking risks just means getting away from the comfort zone of writing in a genre in which I'm familiar, or about things that I know. (Like every other writer, before I put down my first word I was told to write what I know. This is good advice to start writing, but it also becomes very limiting if you want to explore new ideas). I spent a quarter century as a defence attorney in Montreal and when I wrote my first novel, The Guilty, it was about, you guessed it, a defence attorney in Montreal. Despite several reviewers saying they'd like to read more stories involving my main character, for my next book I had to get as far away as possible from what I'd already done. The idea of writing another legal thriller just didn't appeal to me at the time. So I'm about to release a dystopian drama called Face/Mask. It's not about anything I ever came across in my professional experience, or problems I dealt with in my personal life. It was just me and what little imagination I have, trying to write something that I had never done before, and also trying to write it in a way that was as different as possible from the many other books in this growing genre. Will it be so different from what people expect when they hear "dystopian" that nobody will like it? That remains to be seen. It's the chance we all take when we decide to break away from any constraints, self-imposed or otherwise, on our writing.

[Mary]

Richard wrote: "I just received editorial reviews from Blueink, Clarian,and Kurkus. The Blueink, Kurkus reviews were just so, so. Annie Peters of Clarian wrote a steller review and gave Light in the Darkness 5 out..."
Richard, I may sound picky, but if you are a new writer, you should be careful to spell check everything you post anywhere. KIRKUS would be less than pleased to see their Review Co. misspelled, as would CLARION. Lastly, the word STELLAR is a fine word to use, but it was also misspelled.

[Adriaan]

When I think of taking risks in my writing, I tend to think of writing from the viewpoint of a character with life experiences far outside of mine, or writing in a style or genre that I’m unfamiliar with. I don’t worry too much about who will dislike my content.

I would agree that it’s very important when pushing boundaries to make sure your cover and other marketing materials reflect it. Too many readers have tastes that cut across publisher defined ‘genre’. As authors we need to find out how to signal true genre in ways that have nothing to do with which bookstore shelf it would have landed on.

With one of my books, I was surprised to find that many first readers found a scene featuring the attempted drowning of an animal far more disturbing that several instances of violence against women. This is common, apparently, from some posts I've read here. I can't help but think that reflects very poorly on society.

[Alp]

Philip wrote: "I just met up with an acquaintance who commented he did not like the sex in my first book. He admitted that this was probably because he knew me and my wife rather than the sex itself!

I think we ..."

Sometimes a story takes you places; some of those places are not nice places ... but there is a choice - what stays on page and what happens off page - yes to pushing boundaries and taking risks ... no to just shocking people because you couldn't think of what else to say ...

[Alp]

Richard wrote: "I just received editorial reviews from Blueink, Clarian,and Kurkus. The Blueink, Kurkus reviews were just so, so. Annie Peters of Clarian wrote a steller review and gave Light in the Darkness 5 out..."

Writing in a way you are comfortable with is not in my opinion - taking a risk - listen to your detractors with a keener ear would be my suggestion.

[Paul]

Philip wrote: "I just met up with an acquaintance who commented he did not like the sex in my first book. He admitted that this was probably because he knew me and my wife rather than the sex itself!

I think we ..."

Yes, I've also noticed that, some people seem to be far more accepting of a reasonable amount of violence, but when it comes to describing one of the most natural behaviours in the world, people seem less able to submit to it. It's like it being a form of Taboo. I suppose that's all part of being human. :)

[Siobhan]

Ann wrote: "Truth? I write what I want, how I want, and ask my editor to make sure all the commas are in the right place, there are no plot holes, and the characters are solid. End of story.

Your true fans ..."

As a debut self-published author I must say I find your words, Ann, very inspiring! I've been working my butt off building an audience for my fantasy/horror stories, while continuing to create new works, and I'm constantly questioning whether I should focus my writing on popular appeal of my target audience or write what comes naturally and let the chips fall where they may.

[Paul]

Siobhan wrote: "Ann wrote: "Truth? I write what I want, how I want, and ask my editor to make sure all the commas are in the right place, there are no plot holes, and the characters are solid. End of story.

You..."
This is a difficult one to answer because it's so individual. You may just have to weigh it up and determine how comfortable you are with a point of view.
I suppose it all comes down to; do you allow yourself to write for a known, but sometimes fickle market, or express what you feel is a must. Can you afford to take a chance, or not. What happens to your writing if you continually write what you think the public are asking for. Will it eventually bog you down and leave you feeling somewhat depleted. I think that it's a good question.

[Gabriel]

Paul wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Ann wrote: "Truth? I write what I want, how I want, and ask my editor to make sure all the commas are in the right place, there are no plot holes, and the characters are solid. En..."

To be very cynical (or practical) about it, if you are making enough money to live off your books, or have a serious expectation that you can do so, then you might want to make sure you write what your readers want and are willing to pay for. This is because you have a strong financial incentive to make sure that what you write sells. However, if you are writing for the sheer joy of telling a story, or because you have a cathartic need to tell a story, and maybe you dream of great success but you don't really worry about it because you have another "real" job to pay your bills, then you can write whatever your muse leads you to.
I am someone who writes whatever makes me happy, and while I would love it if my books were wildly popular I don't write while worrying about how many book sales I'm going to get. But that's because, as much time and effort as I put into my writing, I've come to grips with the fact that it is unlikely to ever be more than a sideline for me. If writing was all I had, if it was what I made my living off, I don't know if I could so easily leave behind a genre or series or character that was successful for me. I think in such a case I'd be more concerned with the demands of the marketplace than with satisfying my creative urges. For those of you who are willing to take such risks while having nothing else to fall back on, I tip my hat to you.

[Harold]

The risk I took was to attempt to use dialogue to reflect the class and educational level of each of my historical novel's characters. British officers at the time of the American Revolution spoke differently than commoners of the ranks and educated Americans in Boston spoke differently than artisans, farmers, and laborers. Some reviewers were put off by this; others liked it.

[Siobhan]

Gabriel wrote: "Paul wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Ann wrote: "Truth? I write what I want, how I want, and ask my editor to make sure all the commas are in the right place, there are no plot holes, and the characters a..."

I completely understand your point of view. At present I'm greatly concerned with marketing and readership of my books as I am just starting out and would like to make a good go of being an author. However, I don't expect to live off my writing and once I build up a satisfactory following, will write for the pure joy it brings me, more then profit.

[Siobhan]

Harold wrote: "The risk I took was to attempt to use dialogue to reflect the class and educational level of each of my historical novel's characters. British officers at the time of the American Revolution spoke..."

I honestly love when authors go into that much detail for their books!

[Siobhan]

Paul wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Ann wrote: "Truth? I write what I want, how I want, and ask my editor to make sure all the commas are in the right place, there are no plot holes, and the characters are solid. En..."

I'm thinking at this stage of my career since I'm just starting out, it would be best to remain in the guidelines of what other popular authors of my genre write until I build a following and then venture out. Does that sound like I'm being to safe?

[Gabriel]

Siobhan wrote: "Paul wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Ann wrote: "Truth? I write what I want, how I want, and ask my editor to make sure all the commas are in the right place, there are no plot holes, and the characters a..."

Siobhan,

If you're getting whatever joy or fulfillment you need from "drawing inside the lines" then I don't think others would be in a position to criticize. We all have to be able to look in the mirror, whether it comes to more prosaic matters, like making sure the bills are paid, or in being true to our creative urges. And there's nothing wrong with following guidelines set by popular authors in a genre, especially if you put something that's uniquely your own into story.

[Paul]

Siobhan wrote: "Paul wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Ann wrote: "Truth? I write what I want, how I want, and ask my editor to make sure all the commas are in the right place, there are no plot holes, and the characters a..."

Hi Siobhan, I believe as long as you feel comfortable with that approach, and it isn't negatively reflected in either your style or happiness in writing - maybe safe works for you. If you find one day that it's no longer working, then you may well want to take a chance at that time. I think it really is a personal thing. :)

[Siobhan]

Thanks Paul and Gabriel :). I think safe is better for my current standing, but I'm sure as I improve and grow as a writer I will branch out and test my limits.

[Bobbi]

Writing is an art, and as such, we artists should do whatever we feel our work requires. There will always be people who like it, don't like it, and don't care one way or another. I don't think we should think twice about accurately describing any event in our stories, whether they be sexual in nature, violent or in some other way non-PC. The "truth" of a story and the "truth" of its characters are our only responsibility, and if somebody out there doesn't like it, that's their problem. They have the choice to not read our work.

That said, I would never ever go out of my way to offend on purpose, or to depict events that only serve to shock, awe, offend or whatever beyond the needs of my plot. It's a bit of a balancing act, but I began my career writing for children, so I know how to balance very well. (Example — 90% of humor has a victim of some kind, the "boob" you make fun of in some way. Try writing good comedy for kids without offending ANYBODY in ANY way. It's danged near impossible! [And yes, I wrote "danged" instead of what I really wanted to write so as not to offend anyone reading this. Go fig.]}

[Paul]

Bobbi wrote: "Writing is an art, and as such, we artists should do whatever we feel our work requires. There will always be people who like it, don't like it, and don't care one way or another. I don't think we ..."

That's certainly another and interesting perspective. I hear this as expressing; write in truth, but possibly modify the delivery to suit the prospective audience. I can well see that as being an art of scribed dexterity.

[Jane]

Paul wrote: "Bobbi wrote: "Writing is an art, and as such, we artists should do whatever we feel our work requires. There will always be people who like it, don't like it, and don't care one way or another. I d..."
Or selling out?

[Gabriel]

I think what Bobbi is saying is that there is a difference between writing hard truths that may upset people, and merely going for the shock factor, which often doesn't rise above the level of puerile entertainment. If you're honestly writing about a subject that may be upsetting to some then it isn't a balancing act at all, because at that point ruffling feathers should be the least of your concerns.
At the same time, we've become such a PC world that we'd shackle ourselves if we had to make sure our work offended nobody.

[Paul]

Gabriel wrote: "I think what Bobbi is saying is that there is a difference between writing hard truths that may upset people, and merely going for the shock factor, which often doesn't rise above the level of puer..."

Thanks for that, Gabriel. This was most definitely an area I struggled with in a few parts of my book.
In coming to a decision, I remember vacillating and labouring with this very issue for what seemed like an eternity before deciding to amend parts of the story that enabled me to try and express what I wanted in a more palatable manner.

In retrospect, maybe this was a type of sell-out with great swathes of content either being amended or completely deleted, but equally, I feel that parts amended, if left in the original form wouldn't have added any great value to the story's intent.

I will say that there is much for me to learn but I did try and express myself in full and write with a straight bat. :)

[Grady]

One could argue that the inspiration I get from my current fantasy book is a bit extreme. In order to gain as much authentic inspiration and information as possible, I have been listening to medieval documentaries, tasting exotic food from the period, and participating in medieval reenactments. This summer, I intend to take my research even further by taking blacksmithing, archery, fencing, and horsemanship classes. One could argue that I will be risking life and limb to gain the inspiration I need for my fantasy book because some of these activities are potentially dangerous. Still, I will be able to get the right feel and sensation of performing these tasks and incorporate them into my fantasy book. I have never put this much effort in writing a book in my life!

[Philip]

Gabriel wrote: "I think what Bobbi is saying is that there is a difference between writing hard truths that may upset people, and merely going for the shock factor, which often doesn't rise above the level of puer..."

I have one short chapter in my latest work which deals with sexual abuse of two sisters - it's back story and not actually explicit my wife hates it and won't read anymore because she assumes the whole book is about it, rather than showing a reason why two teenage girls have run away. Nevertheless I have left it in because it is part of the story. I don't think those characters works without that scene.

Likewise in on of my spy thrillers I have a torture scene carried out by the lead character who I have spent one and a half books convincing everyone that he is really a good guy. This scene is explicit but I have not had one single comment about it (including my wife)

In the end I have to write what I want. It may limit my audience but its pretty limited anyway!

[Kristina]

I think addressing controversial themes in writing is imperative, because it creates talking points, and those talking points may well help people who've been through those issues. Just because it's YA that doesn't mean you shouldn't take risks.

I haven't taken any huge risks in my published writing, but I have written about controversial subjects for assignments when I was at university (I studied creative writing).

In terms of learning and growing as a writer, I think that taking risks is imperative - you never know what will pay off.