Predisposition about subject

               In our city, it is well known among the junior high and high school students that if you are in “just a bit of trouble”, you may have to do community service as a consequence.  Most of the time this requires approximately one hundred hours of doing duties around one of the schools, parking lots which the city owns, graveyard mowing and trimming – just something to wake the students up a bit before they get into real trouble.  This seems to work very well among the students.

In addition, a lot of our junior and senior high schools also offer legitimate jobs to outstanding students who need a few bucks a week for spending money.  They are usually employed after school doing a variety of custodial duties.

My son is adopted.  He is also not Caucasian.  This has never been an issue in our home, as we have several adopted children.  Our home is a melting pot of ethnicities, races and creeds.  However, we sometimes forget that this is still an issue with society – even today.

Case in point:  During parent teacher conferences, he was approached while doing is custodial job after school.  A woman stopped him to ask him how many hours he had yet to complete on his community service.  My son, always the gentleman, smiled and explained he was employed by the school district as a student custodian.  This did not dissuade the woman.  She patted him on the back and rephrased the question.  He clarified his answer.  Finally, she patted him on the back and said, “Of course you are,” and walked away.

How does this relate to writing?  Each one of us has a predisposition about most subject matter.  In some cases, a little knowledge can be dangerous, as in the scenario above.  Therefore, it is imperative to make sure your subject matter is clear and concise.  If it requires hours of research – so be it; after all you’re the one who picked it.  Also, be careful not to be offensive.  The last thing you want to do is be categorized as prejudiced in some manner.  Instead, concentrate on character relations.  If you have an offensive character, that’s okay.  People understand that it’s part of the story line.  Just make sure you’re consistent with the character as it builds in the story.

When will you cross the line?  Most writers know when enough is enough.  If their character has a change of heart (one way or the other) the story line will lead the reader there.  Just remember, changes are usually traumatic.  It’s not like the protagonist suddenly looks at a puppy and becomes the “good guy”.   

Just like the lady who attended the parent teacher conference, when faced with the truth, she made up her own mind about it and made it “fit” to her liking.  There is a fine line between character definition and the “wiggle room” you give your characters.  Think positive and deep, and remember that there will always be those who have a solid opinion and can never be swayed, whether they’re the reader or the character that you develop.