Thanks. Yeah the story got away with me and I wasnt think it was about violence at all - it was more about being understood and heard in a world where preference is given to the powerful or indeed liked.
I went and read the post on violence - there's parts I baulked at. For example, as violence is inevitably a part of life, there is indeed NEED sometimes to write about it, like, say, The Zookeepers Wife, The Kiterunner and any number of books that pop into my mind. The central act enables us to explore other themes such as power and oppression. However, I imagine that in your roles, you would often read more gratuitous violence, which I also loathe, and it's very hard to explain to people the difference. I also feel it's a bit limiting as it removes a lot of the human experience, as this is who we ARE - we can't simply pretend this isn't part of the human experience.
But I just went in the direction the story took me - and I have very little control of that as I give in to whatever stands in for a muse.
Totally get that you'd hate reading about violence - that point made sense. And I didn't think about this being a community for children either. You guys have to sift through a lot of mud and gems, so I get it. A curators job is not easy, and I wouldn't be an Inkwell curator for squids! So I get that, don't get me wrong, and I wasn't blatantly breaking the rules .. I never do.
I hope you haven't gone as far to mute my story! That would be a shame. But I do understand where you are coming from. I very rarely, if ever, write about this stuff, but as I said, I didn't see it as a story about that anyway, it was about how the character sees herself, or constructs herself, and how others see her.
Who am I talking to here? ❤️
Hello @riverflows,
I will confess. I wrote that. It does not surprise me that you understand the essential problem here: How do we explain to potential authors the difference between violence that exploits and violence that explores the human condition sensitively and in a way that offers us insight into ourselves? Stories that were coming across our desks were horrendous. Actually disgusting. So, we had to set a rule that all could understand and we have to apply it across the board.
The story is wonderful, from beginning to end. I say this as an individual, not a curator 😇.
Thanks so much @agmoore, it's reallllly nice to speak to a person - although the Inkwell (I presume it's different curators?) does a fab job as well. I can only imagine what you have to read. There's a lot of people having fun with writing which is fabulous, but also many who may not understand the nuances of the writing craft. I'd like to think I know a little bit, right - not coming across as arrogant - so it's nice to have this conversation about your reasoning and say again, oh boy, I totally get it! :) I can't even imagine the horror you've had to read! Thanks for your support and for coming back to me, it's appreciated more than you could possibly know. Keep up the tremendous work.
🌟🌟🌟