SO, I have a backstory to fill out, and one of my characters was the son of a police officer who died. Which caused the following sentence to be created: "But you can't get fatherly advice from a bag of ashes and a flag."
My question is as follows: Is that too much? Is it rubbing salt in the wound? Is it too insensitive considering people in that kind of situation?
I'd like to open up questions like this to other writers. o we can check each other to keep everyone on the right side of the line.
So if anyone has any questions or answers about the moral borders we can or cannot cross, please post them below.
well, it depends on which character it's coming from, is it from the antagonist?
If the character that said it has no moral sense or just hates that character, it would make sense. It might be a touchy topic to some audiences, though.
It's unrealistic for a friend to say and excessive for a family member. Depends on who it's coming from, really. Doesn't have to be a heartless person –just someone who didn't think about what they were saying. If the character who says it regrets it right after and tries to scramble and apologize, it might work well. Or if it's an antagonist trying to get under your characters skin, it might work well.
I could see this line being used at a very high strung moment; say the son is having trouble in his life, everything is falling apart around him and someone just brings up his dad. He blows up on them saying the line. just a thoight :)
precisely what I was aiming at xD
I was actually thinking of having the character say it in a personal narration; 1st person POV. Sort-of a flashback, tbh. When I introduce him, I went a little into why he became a detective. This was part of it. And the part where the dad dies a really gruesome death is necessary for the plot, as it ties in to another character's story (as in that character, one of my main people, killed his dad).
So I was wondering if I, as a person with two living parents, am allowed to reference this kinda thing.
What do you mean “allowed”?
I don’t think referencing this sort of thing would be considered insensitive if you get the reactions and long-term effects on the character correct. Basically, as long as how you portray your character is accurate, you should be fine. Do your research and make it realistic.
What do you mean “allowed”?
I mean, would it be considered too insensitive? Or offensive, even. Would society look down upon me for presuming to write this, considering my lack of personal connection here?
Though I will do some more research and try to do the aftereffects of this kind of trauma justice.
