CWatson
Not in a band.
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2003
- Posts
- 1,653
For example, what if your story about your ex trying to convert you involved pulling you into a cult-like atmosphere where you were slowly cut off from your friends, family, etc. If you were only interacting with other converts trying to get you onboard morning, noon and night. What if your ex and takes you to see the guru of this group often and he impresses the religion on you. What if eventually you're told you have to have sex with him?
Would any such story with a compromise ending have seemed reasonable to you? Understanding the passion of religious fanatic--of any fanatic--doesn't mean forgiving or ignoring when someone is crossing a dangerous line---one that insists you see the world their way, period, rather than attempting on their side, to understand you and be equally compromising.
Perhaps this was why you got such strong reactions to your character compromising --because the ex character did not do the same, and why should a reader forgive a character for not asking for the same that she is giving to the other, especially if the story is a romance rather than a horror story?
Hmm. That's a viewpoint I had never considered.
Part of it is that the whole point of the story was the importance of compromise; religion, and to a lesser extent sex, was merely where it was all played out. Part of it was that I was taking a fairly radical stance for the times and for this website--that being a Christian isn't, in itself, inherently bad. But yes, it could easily have just been Bad Writing--not making things seem equal or not playing out the compromises well.