I just finished a wonderful ebook that now has me thinking about the limits we push as writers. I have author friends who push the limits in their genres but what are the limits? Are there any out there?
For me yes, I may write an erotic book that brieflyexplores a threesome but it turns back quickly to a monogamous relationship between two characters. The ebook I just finished did not. It ended like it was Grand Central Station in this woman’s bedroom, and it wasn’t just men buying a ticket to ride that train! I felt a little awkward after reading the story however much I eventually cared for the characters and respected the authors daringness.
But again what are our limits as writers? I’m not just talking about sexual limits either, have you written a character that pushed the limit in what society accepts as normal, or what about relationships between characters.
Kim Harrison and her characters Rachel an Ivy skirt a very thin line on what we(society) believe as friendship. They aren’t lovers but yet they are more than friends. If Ms. Harrison was to take their relationship to the next level of intimacy would we reject that? Would that be past the limits we’ve set as a society?
My personal opinion is that yes we have limits but those limits are to BE pushed. I want readers to think about what has just happened to my characters, put themselves in their positions and wonder. I love the character Ivy and hope that one day Rachel falls in love with her the way Ivy loves her. Does that make me an outcast or a bad person? I don’t think so I think I’m a good person for wanting someone to be loved.
Tell me what your limits are and what a character has to do before they push past that limit.