Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Walking the Obscenity Line + AN ANNOUNCEMENT! (#IWSG October 2021)

 October Question - In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

This is a fun one. Not too long ago, I was pretty adamant about writing whatever the fuck I wanted. In fact, when I used to write for a role-playing game site, I purposefully wrote a vulgar and inflammatory style, which I look back on now and cringe. It was mostly me just trying to be edgy for edgy's sake.


As I get older, I've mellowed out a little. Not that I think my writing should be "clean" by any means - anyone who's read my "Werebear vs Landopus" stories know that they're grotesquely obscene. Hell Comes to Hogtown was pretty graphic and vulgar, too. But with Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space, I made a conscious decision to tone it down a little, mostly because I wanted it to reach a wider audience. Since it's set in Newfoundland, I figured my parents and relatives might actually read this one, and if I wanted them to recommend it to their friends (which they did), I had to hit a more "PG-13" level of language, sex and gore. Some beta readers actually suggested toning it down further, to a more traditional "YA" level, but I balked at that. As it was, I had to edit the teen character's voices quite a bit. Those of you who used to be 12- and 13-year old-kids know that they swear a lot around their friends, which I had to trim out in my effort to be less salacious. Probably the least believable part (in a book about aliens and undead witches) is that my teen characters don't use a cuss-word or slur in every other sentence. Especially since this was set in a rural town in the 90s.

I have recently wondered about changing some of the marketing around my stories, maybe even using a different pen name for some of them. If my great-aunt who liked my odd little book about kids fighting monsters in Newfoundland accidentally picks up The Gun Nun, it might give her a heart attack. Then there's a my Gussy Saint stories - the one that appeared in the IWSG Anthology is relatively tame, but for the one that appeared in Mardi Gras Mysteries, the editor asked me to tone down the graphic sex. If I ever write enough of those stories to make a collection, fitting them all together is going to problematic.

Me, trying to mash story elements together. And yes, any sexual innuendo is indeed intended.

Anyway, suffice to say, I certainly do think about where to draw the line, even if I often hop rigtht over it. 

Oh, one last thing...

Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space came out a year ago last week. I was really bummed because I wanted the sequel to be out by now, and it would have been nice symmetry if it came out exactly one year after book one. Alas, that was not the case. However, I am finally able to confidently announce that book 2 is on the horizon. I can even share the title with you:

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wait for it...

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any minute now...

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Here it is:

Totally worth the wait.

I don't have the exact release date yet, but it will likely be in early 2022. I don't want to share too much of the plot yet (and my blurb is currently terrible) but I can share with you some feedback that I received from a beta reader:

I think that's a pretty good endorsement!

Watch this space for more info! 

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/




12 comments:

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats on moving along the release of your next book, even if it isn't on the schedule you planned. If you are writing for kids, it's probably good to tone down the language some, though I agree MG and YA kids do swear.

Steph W. said...

A nauseating endorsement. That is a first! I am intrigued, yet afraid :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

What an awesome title!
What you put in your stories fits the flavor, and that's cool.

Marie Sexton said...

Nauseating butt monkeys are also strangely intriguing. lol

Loni Townsend said...

Grats on getting the second book done! Butt monkeys. That sounds frightful.

Pat Garcia said...

Hi.
I do know some authors who used different pen names for stories because of the content. I have been thinking about that lately. I don't know yet because I am still thinking.
all the best.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Anonymous said...

I thought Hose Beast was hilarious! Congrats on closing in on the next book.

I don't use a lot of profanity in my writing because it's not welcome in my genre. But I am entertained by good vulgar writing, like The Hitman's Bodyguard. Samuel L. Jackson has perfected cursing to an art.🤣

Sadira Stone said...

Can't wait for the butt monkeys!

Rebecca M. Douglass said...

Congrats on progress with the new book! And good luck negotiating the language and style issues between your different books and stories!

Fundy Blue said...

I'll be getting your book when it comes out, CD! I laughed so much reading "Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space." I didn't find the language offensive; but then I lived in Westport on White Bay and worked in St. Lawrence. Newfies can be "earthy." I also found your Gussy Saint story in the anthology hilarious. You're unique ~ Don't tone yourself down too much!

Chrys Fey said...

Nauseating butt monkies. That’s a good little heads-up. lol

Chrys Fey said...

AutoCorrect. Sigh. *Butt monkeys.

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