Okay, I really don't like to get into these types of discussions. For one, not much bothers me. I always try to have the attitude that "to each their own." But these last few posts did make me pause.
You act as if this is all a big gray area, but both readers and authors alike know when they're treading on shaky ground: deathfics, on-screen sex, rape, and other emotional issue.
As a newbie author, I must admit that reading this thread is a little discouraging. I'm starting to feel like I need to keep a list of different warnings for all the things that might end up in one of my stories. I completely understand that there are things that people feel strongly about--their morals, ideals, and beliefs.
But does this mean that if I don't add a warning that the characters in my story might have sex before marriage, or that a character will die, or that a character will be a vampire, or that a character will lie or steal, or that a character will commit adultery, or that a character will get drunk, or that a character will...
As you can see, that list can become really long.
I'm becoming worried that anytime I post a story, or a part to a story, I might unknowingly step on someone's toes, because for me, there are plenty of gray areas--what I see as treading on shaky ground could be a completely different concept for someone else.
Another point that I'd like to make is that an author might not always know where their story is going when they first start writing it. An example would be my story, Exposure. I've pretty much made most of it up as I went along, even going so far as to write scenes way toward the end. And in this story, I do have an ending scene where Lois and Clark make love before they are married. I hadn't planned for it to end that way back in the beginning, but as I wrote even further into the story, my muse struck again with another idea and it just seemed to work.
I'd also like to point out that on the issue of immorality, not everyone will view it in the same light. I used to view sex as something that was completely off limits until marriage. But my past experiences--ones that I won't even begin to go into--has shaped that belief into something different--something involving gray areas.
I sincerely hope that I've expressed myself clearly enough. Another main reason I stay out of these types of discussions is because I feel that I have a difficult time putting into words what I'm trying to get across.
And this post is in no way implying that readers shouldn't feel strongly about certain themes or genres. I'm only pointing out that what one reader might feel strongly about, another author might not even think twice about. It doesn't necessarily mean that the author was being rude not to include the warning, it just might mean that the author has different ideas, beliefs, and morals than the reader, and maybe the author didn't think a warning was necessary.
And I can't speak on behalf of all authors, but I know that I wouldn't be offended if a reader emailed me and asked some questions regarding a story I was posting. I'd rather give away the plot to the reader and have them quit reading, rather than step on any toes in the future.
Because there are so many different readers with so many different tastes, that how can we, as authors, really know what kinds of warnings to put up? Furthermore, should we start posting the first part of our stories with the title "warnings page?"
I'll quit my rambling now. This is my 10 cents (I couldn't possibly keep it to 2
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