It’s on the meetup site and on the “Upcoming” page of the blog, but I wanted to maximize the exposure to the topic for next Wednesday. I think it’s something all writers of any sort need to be thoughtful about.

Here’s the text for the session (which was originally booked for December, I think, or something) on meetup and the blog:.

In your writing these days, do you find yourself trying not to offend, or trigger? Ask yourself “Why?”

Avoiding offense? Not triggering anyone? What’s “correct,” (politically or otherwise)? What’s OK/Not OK?

We’re seeing a rise in concern among writers and publishers over work getting – if not “banned” – then proscribed, or warned against. Just the other day someone posted about some yokel lawmaker proposing legislation against the use of “bitch” to mean anything other than a female pooch, apparently.

So – censorship. Among the chestnuts and standbys for writers (and artists of any stripe, really) to whinge and philosophize about, censorship (“the C word”) is always good for some blather.

So therefore – at the suggestion and behest of a member – we’ll attempt to at least phumpher and bloviate a bit on the softer forms we see rising and falling from time to time. Ike special interest groups campaigning to have certain works de-listed and/or de-accessioned from library collections and school curricula, and the worst upshot, writers trying to make sure their work stays out of the crosshairs of the ideologically-driven “OK/Not OK” contingent among us. In other words (uh-oh) self-censorship.

DQ

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