Story ideas that make me, the writer, uncomfortable...

[badkitty21]

Myself, I think there is a difference between a writer who is writing something they are uncomfortable with, and writing something as a challenge. I think the true difference is the mindset they have when writing it.

If a writer is writing something uncomfortable because they have an idea for a story, I think they will slog through it without much interest. I am not sure that is a great reason to write because writers often forget, not all story ideas are good. But if they are writing to challenge themselves to grow, to get out of the same-story-rut, or try a new character perspective, then dabbling in the unknown can be powerful.

Overall, I just try and follow a story idea to where it leads me. Some end up sitting in my "Unfinished Story" file... for years. Others? Well I once wrote a novel outside of my typical genre that for a mainstream novel was rather vile considering. Yet a retired teacher book club gave it really high reviews!

That’s hilarious and amazing and rather inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

 

[badkitty21]

Yes, it's pretty simple really. Ok, the OP is conflicted but I'm not sure what they want here. Sympathy?

Was just mostly asking if anyone experienced something similar when writing and how or if they got past the ick factor when writing.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

There used to be a Survivor Writer's Challenge on the site - a year-long contest where you were awarded points for posting in as many different categories as you could for the year. Early on, I thought that was a fun challenge for getting out of my writing ruts. I struggled writing anything for the Interracial and Incest categories. Once I got past my mental roadblocks, I discovered those categories were fun, too. Go for it. Stretch yourself.

Also, I've seen where several writers on this site have multiple profiles - and they will post stories of a certain kind under one profile or another. I never cared about that - but it might matter to your followers. As for me? Sometimes, I'll write about a topic that any individual reader might not like. We're all different.

 

[AchtungNight]

All my stories have made me a bit uncomfortable at times, when I think about it. As writers of certain subject matter, we are socially conditioned to approach that subject matter with certain attitudes. And when we don’t want to share those attitudes or be seen as sharing them…

Basically I’m saying I don’t want to be seen as a slimy misogynist pervert even though I write porn. Maybe I’m just in a paranoid depression phase. No one who’s actually read and appreciated my stories has ever put out the impression they think that of me, and I have been writing such stories for over twenty years at varying degrees of prolific interest. Still, it only takes one, and I’ve had plenty of other conflicts over it. I’m lonely in my current circumstances too. :sigh:

Well, I can keep writing to stave off depression, right? And I will, and hopefully the good feedback will continue to flow. In time, my other fortunes will improve also. A new year is on the horizon and it can be good as well as otherwise. And if I haven’t become a negative pervert already, I can keep up the trend. Right?

 

[SteelPoint]

Right.

Writing is our hobby, pure and simple... and there are plenty of women who both write and enjoy erotica. Call it "porn" if you must, but the sex drive is an integral and vitally important part of the human condition - and to attribute any kind of unpleasantness to musing about or describing it is downright wrong. People have always pondered and speculated about important parts of life, and quite rightly.

Keep up said "trend", for sure.

 

[CuttingEdge]

All my stories have made me a bit uncomfortable at times, when I think about it. As writers of certain subject matter, we are socially conditioned to approach that subject matter with certain attitudes. And when we don’t want to share those attitudes or be seen as sharing them…

Basically I’m saying I don’t want to be seen as a slimy misogynist pervert even though I write porn. Maybe I’m just in a paranoid depression phase. No one who’s actually read and appreciated my stories has ever put out the impression they think that of me, and I have been writing such stories for over twenty years at varying degrees of prolific interest. Still, it only takes one, and I’ve had plenty of other conflicts over it. I’m lonely in my current circumstances too. :sigh:

Well, I can keep writing to stave off depression, right? And I will, and hopefully the good feedback will continue to flow. In time, my other fortunes will improve also. A new year is on the horizon and it can be good as well as otherwise. And if I haven’t become a negative pervert already, I can keep up the trend. Right?

I am not sure.

I think writing by and of itself injects some of the writer into the story. I think our tastes, experiences and interactions with others all get put into our writing, but it is so jumbled up that there is no way to parse fact from fiction. Nor should anyone who reads it conclude that is fully us. An example might be, I have written a sex scene that I once did, but as a writer, I MUST right what THE CHARACTER would say, think, feel and do. That will be slightly different than what I did at the moment. Only I could say what parts happened and which are conjured up.

I admit, I have thought of complete stories to write, but never did because they are too immoral for me to write.
And I admit I have written stories that NO ONE will ever read because of how immoral they are
And others I have written boldly with surprising appreciation from readers

But writing as a whole is safe. An example might be an older gentleman who has strong sexual feeling for his daughter in law. It is far safer for him to write a story about him and her being together sexually, than to actually do it. With sex, prisons are filled with people who thought with their sexual organs instead of their brains, so in this case, if they acted upon their feelings they could get divorced, cause a divorce, displace their grandkids, have strained relations with their children, etc. A lot of damage could stem from that. But to live vicariously through the written word? Enjoy the moment as they write, I say. It is safe to do that.

Write without guilt my friend!

 

[DoctorSmith8]

I have an idea for a story that I desperately want to write and share, but it includes lots of themes honestly that make me uncomfortable...

Has anyone ever written a story and shared it that made them uncomfortable personally but you also knew others might enjoy?

I truly don't even understand how I can come up with a story that makes me uncomfortable but also under the right circumstances, (i.e. not the circumstances in my story idea) would normally turn me on.

Themes that would be included that also make me uncomfortable are step-incest, religion (Catholicism), and coercion (eventually the priest gets involved). Should I just try to write it anyway and try to ignore the aspects that make me uncomfortable, or should I just shut it all down and keep it to myself... What would you do?

I wrote one about an alien invasion where humanity is turned into the principal food supply just to explore humans getting eaten. it turned out very hot.

 

[EchoBlue]

Was just mostly asking if anyone experienced something similar when writing and how or if they got past the ick factor when writing.

I have a story I'm considering that... doesn't make me uncomfortable, that's a tall mountain, but it is extremely outside of what I normally consider writing, stuff that I don't have a taste for. Elements of horror, very few redeeming character qualities all around, a dour ending. And I'm going to try and write it for reasons I'm going to suggest you do the same.

I think it's important to try for a couple of reasons.

1) You've got this story inside of you. There's a reason it's inside you, and there's something you can probably learn about yourself by pursuing it. I think this is also a kind of fuel that can lead to the most amazing stories. If you hit a point where you just can't go on, that's fine, there's no shame in having boundaries. You've probably accomplished something just in the trying.

2) Give me a sec. The cats ripped open a covid test and started batting the vial of solution around, I've lost my train of thought.

Er... forget it. Probably the more practical, skill-building side of what I've already said.

You've got some heavy themes you're considering, and I would encourage you to explore them. Like I said, there's no shame in stopping short, I think going halfway has value because it's both skill-building and self-exploratory.

 

[Lumiere_Amie]

I wrote a daddy/daughter incest scene in one of my series. For some reason, I'd left an opening for it mid-series, and when I got several more episodes into it, I revisited the episode in question. It felt right for the characters, and there aren't many daddy/daughter incest stories. I felt I needed to stretch myself. It was tough to even start. To make matters worse, the dad called his daughter by the same nickname I use for mine. Ick!. To get the story moving I made it where the daughter was the aggressor. That helped a lot. The episode currently has a score of 4.6, so I guess it turned out okay.