McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
political correctness in the writting community
Tami Seven:
You can not please all readers all the time. You can only write to please yourself and hope that what you write resonates with many if not most of your readers. A well written story with an interesting plot and interesting characters is the most important thing to focus on. Trying to be PC to everyone is impossible and not worth the effort to worry about it.
The Deposed King:
My only caveat to this might be if you previously wrote something the audience loved and then changed and they fell off. Then just go back to what worked before!
I once read this author that did a great series with an alien adventure and exploration plot line. Loved-loved-loved it. The she changed, a new series came out the aliens were still in there but now it was all focused on illegal terra-forming destroying pristine worlds out in the galaxy and the need to save the planets by going green and my interest dropped like a rock. Go back to that amazing series you wrote in the beginning please! Alien culture and adventure and discovery! Not 'just and only' mankind is bad, fight the big corporations etc. Mic it up maybe 50/50?
The Deposed King
Tami Seven:
I know there have been very good stories that are, at their heart, parables about things like protecting the environment and so on. But, maybe it's just that they are done lightly, instead of heavy-handedly. I don't know many readers that enjoy reading books that seem to be preaching or sermonizing on a social topic.
trboturtle:
--- Quote from: Tami Seven on April 21, 2016, 03:48:08 AM ---I know there have been very good stories that are, at their heart, parables about things like protecting the environment and so on. But, maybe it's just that they are done lightly, instead of heavy-handedly. I don't know many readers that enjoy reading books that seem to be preaching or sermonizing on a social topic.
--- End quote ---
That's what has been the blow-up with the Hugos the last couple of years. A group of fans believe the awards are more about PC work than actual merit, and has resulted in a bitter fight over who is nominated and wins. A real nasty situation......
Craig
The Deposed King:
--- Quote from: Tami Seven on April 21, 2016, 03:48:08 AM ---I know there have been very good stories that are, at their heart, parables about things like protecting the environment and so on. But, maybe it's just that they are done lightly, instead of heavy-handedly. I don't know many readers that enjoy reading books that seem to be preaching or sermonizing on a social topic.
--- End quote ---
There are otherwise completely good and honest people on both sides of such issues as god, religion, human made global warming, politics etc. who don't want to hear that they're on the wrong headed destroyer of worlds side of the argument and thus need a college level lecture in the middle of their entertainment escapism novel. Not so many on the flat earth, gravity doesn't exist if you believe strongly enough/have pixie dust, aging can be reversed by yoga, the moon is made out of green cheese and other genuine adult believers in such things as santa clause and his reindeer.
Yet I think it is when exactly you try to treat people in the first group like they are members of the second while happily ignore the second that the real trouble begins.
For the most part people come to us for entertainment. saving a world from ecological collapse, racing against time and begging borrowing or stealing ancient elder tech terra-formers can be fun, being told that humanity did it and our current path of living in real life leads to total annihilation isn't. Having angels, magic and demons return to the earth is or can be really cool but writing that atheists are suddenly being dragged down to hell as a natural result of angelic activity is going to offend a lot of people. And honestly where's the fun in it?
The Deposed King
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