Cross the line..or annihilate it?

The only audience I keep in mind is myself. I write stuff I like and if other people read it - it's a bonus. On that note - I tend to not even notice the line.

But if you're worried about offending people, just change the name of the cult and a few other minor things.

There is no such thing as a 'line'. Completely ignore it. Go there, don't try to be nice, wright what would make the story great. Besides you can always refuse to appear on Oprah.

The only time I ever notice the line is when family is involved.

I should just drop my morals, I'll be a better writer. Ha.

Alright but I am going to hold you personally responsible.

Use a pen name, no one has to know it was you who wrote it. I think you should just be true to the story you want told. People will always find a reason to be offended, you shouldn't sacrifice your vision of what happened because you are worried about certain people getting offended.

deciding where to draw the line is the editor's job. yours is just to write it.

Yeah just write it out and don't look back. Never second guess yourself.

Or I worry, my main characters are seedy fucks for the most part. Drugs, sex, violence, stealing, etc... Pretty much all the things I would do if there were no rules. But then I worry that my family will think that I do those things when they read my stories. Like I'm the main character or something.

Just got to get over it and write it anyway.

I thought long and hard about using a pen name. I decided I didn't want to hide behind something. I guess it's hard to explain it to you guys but if you ever read my story then you will understand why I am worried.

I guess it's just a matter of sucking it up and writing it now. The people that follow in the "cult" are constantly in fear of what other people think of them (thanks to some of the teachings, but I'll leave all that to my story) so I just worry about the gossip that will ensue. Not for my own sake, I could care less about that. But for my families.

If you don't want to hide behind something then you should definitely not hide your initial vision of your story, because then you're just hiding behind the alterations you make to appease those you are talking about.

I totally understand the whole why you would be worried regardless of what the story is about. I figure why try to write something real if you are afraid of the reality that will follow it?

I had a professor who wrote books revealing cults/cult leaders basically for the past 20 years and sure he's received death threats, people have hacked his emails, ransacked his house, but that hasn't stopped him from writing what he knows.

Not everyone is going to enjoy your book but i don't think that is the point. You obviously want to write this story for yourself with the possibility of it reaching out to someone else.

I think that if the inspiration is there, then the story is already written. If you compromise your vision, even if your audience is completely thrilled with your story, you'll always know that it wasn't your story. I know that would drive me crazy.

Agreed. Thank you.

Yeah you should just write it and let the story take you where it may. There shouldn't be a line besides if it's over board people will just eat it up!

Write it. Make it as true as you can and say what you need to. People that would be offended by it aren't the true audience, which is to say, no matter what you say about the cult, they are going to be offended.

The true audience, the rest of us, want to gain your perspective on it and demand as honest of a telling as possible.

balls to the wall, baby...that's all there is...i was writing once, a story about my childhood and the years of sexual abuse at the hands of my father...it was ugly an it was real, and it hurt a few people who read it, but it had to be written...it screamed to come out...

I feel that. My story feels like an alien inside of me waiting to burst out. I've done my research and I found one book. Just ONE, touching the subject somewhat in the light I am going to. It looks like it didn't much publicity. It's called "I'm Perfect, You're Doomed". I was also only able to dig up 6 memoirs on the subject. I want to write it as if I had let it consume me. So I guess what would have happened if I hadn't of got "therapy". All the thoughts that plague me but I don't act out on. My character acts on them all. It'd be fiction based on fact.

Keeping it inside would be unhealthy anyway if you really feel a longing to get it out there. Everything about everything comes out eventually. Don't know why i'm chipping in, sorry to be nosey

i think it will def help you deal with and even heal faster to be as brutally honest as you can...

have you read chuck's survivor?

Yes and naturally it ended up being my favorite because of the relation. Hopefully that won't get thrown in my face. Ha.

I thought I posted something in here. It was relevant to the research, why was it deleted? Moot point now.

I've only deleted one post in Research in over a week. I'm pretty sure it wasn't yours Mike...

Maybe you didn't post it?

Or was it something that was really off topic?

No, it was a suggestion about substituting place/incident to disguise real life as fiction. Unless I'm crazy and posted it somewhere else, but I thought this was the thread. Odd.

Yeah I distinctly remember reading that. I don't know if it was in here.

If you did post it in here and I accidentally deleted it, I apologize. I remember the post and definitely don't think it needed to be deleted.

i've read everything of chuck's save his non fiction, and i think that survivor was def one of my favorites...

I don't recall having seen it in here either. Curiouser and curiouser.

I felt kind of silly when I met him and got him to sign my beat up copy of it. I had just read it so many times in High school.

If there is as much crazy shit that goes on in this "cult" as you say, then just tell the truth and they'll run from that as much as they run from anything else and not have the ability to nay-say it. Also, if you are just being honest your family wouldn't have any logical reason be mad at you. However, logic has never been in any religion's core set of values. Guess I'm not saying anything different than any one else when it comes down to it; you have to be true to yourself and your writing no matter what happens. That's the only thing that can't really ever be taken away from you as long as you don't take it from yourself

Better to write and edit later than not write at all.... Get it written first.