What is taboo in a middle reader?

wurdwise · Mar 31, 2005

I have a question concerning what is taboo for a middle reader after a discussion in Share Your Work about words not to use.

My protagnist's best friend lives next door, and their parents are friends. Corey, the best friend, parents' both smoke like chimneys. His mother has a beauty shop built onto their house and I have a scene where she has a cigarette dangling from her lips as she fixes somebody's hair. Madge is a Peg Bundy type.

However, I do say in the novel that Maddy's Grandma hates cigarettes because her husband died of emphysema and she doesn't allow smoking in their house, and Maddy's daddy doesn't smoke.

But there is a scene where Maddy and her daddy go to the neighbors house and the grownups go in the kitchen and drink beer, smoke and play poker, no cursing, no party, but I have created blue collar characters, and though they also have endearing qualities, this is the way many people really are.

However, the talk today got me to thinking, would this be unacceptable to a publisher? I never thought a thing about it, since I figured I wasn't writing for a Christian market.

Thanks in advance for anyone's thoughts on this.

Denise

zeprosnepsid · Mar 31, 2005

i was listening to brad bird's commentary on the incredibles and he was saying that there's no point in hiding the truth from children. Better they learn what is right from artists than artists ignoring the reality. do you know how many times the parents fight in the incredibles? and that film did just fine.

don't think about the publisher, think about what is right for your story.

wurdwise · Mar 31, 2005

Thank you very much, that's exactly what I was thinking. I couldn't sugar coat things if I tried.

cwgranny · Apr 1, 2005

Although editors are touchy about the main character smoking in a middle grade, having a character smoke who would smoke in real life is not taboo.

For real humor you should check out an old first Curious George book -- EVERYONE smokes, the man in the yellow hat, a street vendor, the monkey. It's hysterical. Things have certainly changed.

gran

Inspired · Apr 1, 2005

I think that would be very acceptable. It, of course, depends how you handle it, but even the edgier side of blue collar life is a reality for a lot of children these days. While some publishers do like to stick to the gentle innocence of childhood, I see many asking for more reality-based stories.

wurdwise · Apr 1, 2005

Cool. Now I feel better. And the worst words I've used are "crap" and "butt" so I think I'm good to go. I had "friggin" but thankfully James Ritchey warned me off of that one. Ya'll were a great help, confirmed what I was thinking. Thanks.

cwgranny · Apr 1, 2005

In The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Patterson, Gilly says both hell and damn -- and the book is considered a great middle grade (though some parents did complain about Gilly's "foul mouth," but the publisher wasn't frightened by it. Of course, some libraries shelve Gilly in YA (because of the language) -- but they still buy it, and shelve it.

The moral of the story: Don't fret too much. Be true to your character and if a publisher has trouble with a WORD, you'll be asked to change it. No editor, ANYWHERE, will turn down an excellent book because you said "friggin." The key is to focus on making it an excellent book and leave the naughty words nerves to the editor -- it's just a kind of distraction from your real focus -- creating a compelling story with real characters that engages the reader and makes him/her care -- a lot.

gran

mdmkay · Apr 1, 2005

In some circles "friggin" in an accepted replacement for the more coarse word, however, in some its consider as vulgar as the word it replaces........its a case of picking your battles,(does the word add anything to the character or story........if not, replace it.)when it looks greener on the other side of the fence...remember what fertilized it.