I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what you’re asking about. In my character’s case, though, I describe his life. And life is detailed. But I’ve taken pains to balance description with readers’ potential squeamishness. Admittedly that’s a tough balancing act, and I’m not sure I’ve pulled it off, but, hey, I gave it the old collegiate try.
Thanks for the honesty, btw.
Thanks for reading! I’m sending you the opening chapter now. I appreciate your help. I put “Straight Dope Novel” in the subject line so that you’ll know it’s from me.
That’s how I believe I used it. It’s part of the story and an important one. I just didn’t know if people would object to its relevance to the story.
If it was integral or germane to the story, sure. I might skip over a paragraph or two if it was getting especially graphic and hideous, though.
I might get turned off the story if it felt like the author was just exaggerating for pathos, or indulging some kind of fetish, though. Or if the story was using bowel disease for some kind of transgressive art, magical-realism scatological metaphysical allegory, or something. But that’s mostly because it’s not exactly my favorite form of fiction, anyway, so it’d be nothing personal.
No, I have enough of bowel problems in caring for my mother. She’s my mother and I love her, so I listen to her problems and help her through them. I have no such ties to a character in a book. I read mysteries as an escape and intellectual stimulus. I do not want to wallow in a character’s physical ailments, I have enough of my own, thank you. If it’s a disability like blindness, or deafness, that might lead the character to be more perceptive in some other way, fine, you can make plot points out of that. If your aim is to attract readers to your book, I’d leave out discussions of bowel problems.
Yeah, I’d be ok with it. Might temporarily switch to something else for lunchtime reading.
Stephen King often describes his characters’ bodily functions in graphic detail and he seems to have a fairly large readership (the bowel issues some people have in Dreamcatcher make IBS seem like just a little tummy trouble in comparison).
Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate the responses. And a special thanks to Lynn Bodoni, Cartooniverse, and kayT for offering to read my stuff.
If anyone else wants to chime in with an opinion or wants to read a sample, then I’ll be much obliged.
If it’s relevant to the story, I’d be okay with it, to a degree. I’m happy to read all sorts of gross things, but I have a hard time seeing how diarrhea has a place in a crime drama, especially if it’s brought up a lot or in graphic detail.
I’d like to read the sample chapter. My email address is in my profile.
Whether it would bother me or not really depends on context. I read Stephen King and Graham Masterton regularly (both authors known for their gross-out ability) so it probably wouldn’t bother me.
A character with IBD would not be off-putting to me, depending on how graphically his/her problems were described.
It might be a refreshing change from those novels where no one ever seems to have to go to the bathroom. For instance, Jack Reacher drinks a helluva lot of black coffee, but does he ever need to pee? Nope.
But I’ve taken pains to balance description with readers’ potential squeamishness. Admittedly that’s a tough balancing act, and I’m not sure I’ve pulled it off, but, hey, I gave it the old collegiate try.