Continuing Controversy....... Sunday, March 04, 2007

It seems that "taboo" topics in literature seems to go through phases. There's the whole male/male/female scenes that make some people a little squirky. There's the debate going on about using the word "scrotum" in a Young Adult book (to describe a DOG body part). There's uses of certain words that turn a lot of us off. The funny thing is that my editor worried about the use of the word "violently" when describing the hero yanking the heroine to him. She was concerned that readers might be turned off by that.
It seems there was a time when a menage, or BDSM, or other things were considered "off limits". With the popularity of erotic literature, some of those taboos have changed. In honor of Dayna's religion workshop, what do you avoid in books? For me, politics are a big no no. There's no way I can write something involving politics without revealing my opinions and alienating readers.
This is important, since I'm writing a romantic suspense about the wilderness near my home that has been "ground zero" for some very divisive political battles. Do I leave it out? Do I put it in and hope it doesn't make some readers angry? I haven't decided. Would leaving it out change the whole flavor of the area I'm trying to convey with my words?
What do you think?