Trigger warnings are great– especially for those who have experienced trauma. It’s a way for helping readers safeguard their own mental health.
What I’m talking about doesn’t necessarily always pop up on trigger warnings. Such as… I don’t do cheaters. As in, stepping out on a significant other and/or a spouse. I also don’t do drug use and definitely not when the author has a Male Main Character drug the Female lead. I’m going to nope right out of those.
I just found another boundary within one of my favorite authors. Adult children who leave their parents behind for no discernable reason. My recent history probably has a lot to do with that but still. It broke my ability to read someone whose prose just sings to me.
I read a lot of romance. I quit reading a favorite romance author way back in the day, many many moons ago, because of a rape scene of the Female Lead where the hero was basically her… Kidnapper/rapist. This was way back before Trigger Warnings. I just did what we did back then– I threw the book across the room and quit reading that author. It offended me so badly that the book ended up in the trash, not passed along or donated or taken to a used book shop.
Oddly enough, if it’s done right, a stalker doesn’t bother me. I’ll talk more about the character that made me love a certain type of psychopath in our next meetup.
I know there’s a faction of people who look down on trigger warnings. I implore all my writing buddies– please use them if they are necessary. It’s a gift we give our readers. We want them to enjoy our stories, to know that we are a safe space for them to come enjoy our worlds. Will we push boundaries? Yes. That’s our job. To push both our boundaries and theirs. But at the same time, we need to keep them safe. Quite frankly, until recently it would have wrecked me to read something about a parent dying. Still might, but I’d like the option to know about what I’m getting into before starting the book.
TA my Lovelies! Hope all is well for you!
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