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In “The Yearbook Series: Gina and Mike” there’s a brutal rape
scene. After reading the scene, a reader contacted me, wanting to make sure
that what she was reading was fiction. I assured her that it was.
But it got me thinking about that scene. Was it too raw?
Should I tone it down? To be honest, after I wrote it I was shocked that
something so horrible came out of my mind. I was also a bit embarrassed. And
yet, writing it was easier than writing the romantic scenes. To me, it seems
like it should have been the opposite, but it wasn’t.
In the end, I felt the rape scene needed to be what it was.
It was the moment that changed Gina’s life – her relationship with Mike, her
career path, etc.
I’ve always been amazed by how one moment can change a
person’s life forever. They stop instead of go, turn right instead of left, say
yes instead of no.
And it’s how we react to these moments that determine the
future. In this case, Gina’s silence affects not only her life but also the
lives of others.
One reader told me that after reading the scene, she had to take
a deep breath and pause before reading on. After I wrote it, I had to pause,
too.
[I'm a male btw) I am a believer in freedom of speech / expression and I do not believe that someone should ever be brought up on charges or has his/her background questioned based on the thoughts that go through their head or thoughts they put on paper / computer, etc.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, if a male wrote what you wrote regarding the rape scene, would that raise an eyebrow with you, would that raise concern, would you see him differently (ie: a threat, perverted, etc.)?
I'm just curious where this fall for you and others. Again I do not have a problem with male or females thinking or writing about these subjects but many may have a problem with it if males were to write about it. Kind of like blacks can throw around the "N" word as much as they like but whites get in trouble for it. For me, it is either RIGHT for both or it is WRONG for both...I despise double standards.