Awkward themes are awkward.

[deviltales]

Writing about( If you write about):
Drugs( even legal ones), fight scenes, incest, sex, alcohol, thievery, murder, gore, cannibalism.
Soooo ?

[ShippoK]

Well, out all of these... I feel like 'Gore/Cannibalism' was the one that felt the more awkward of themes for me to write down.
Stuff like that is a big no-no to me and I try to ignore writing it down or visually draw it.
(To scary, make all the bad body parts go away).

But, when it comes down to 'Incest or Sex, etc', I feel much more comfortable writing these two down no problem.
I can describe as much as I want without feeling embarrassed or scared.
(Just a big old pervert, I am)

It comes down to what you like in general I believe.
Some people like heavy actions scenes, so they feel more comfortable to write very violent brawl matches with broken teeth and gushing blood coming from their head.
Some people love romance scenes and want to write down all the sappy, lewd, mwah-mwah kissy scenes with sexual tension... 'riseing up' Eh? Eh?
(That was bad, I apologize...)

I say if you just don't feel comfortable writing in-depth things like these, you should probably start smaller and work your way up. Or give up all together; some things are just not your thing to write.
Hey, if you must, maybe even brush them away or imply them out if they play such a big role for you.

[gekiganwing]

Before replying, I checked the archives of Writing Excuses. They have talked about topics such as violence, love scenes, and offending your readers. If you have a few minutes, listen to what they say about these topics.

[dramspringfeald]

It's not awkward it is Taboo. The thought of getting away with "x" draws us in. Incest has been taboo in most Western environments but is fairly common in a number of Asian ones. Drugs are different for different places in most places Opium is fine but Coca is not so much. It all depends on the people. Cannibalism is wrong in most of the world yet there are places all over where it is still common practice or still done.

Nothing is awkward for everyone but for others it is taboo.

[unknown5]

buttered corn.

edit: writing vegetables is intimidating. i can go as far as tomatoes, but only because they are technically fruit.

[BreakingMachines]

I've written a lot of taboo stuff over the years. The number one thing in writing anything taboo is emotion and the character's perception on it.
For topics like incest you would have to consider both sides, and how they would react to it, and how they view each other's feelings. Let's just say one sibling adores the other other in an more romantic manner. The person in love would obviously go through a lot of turmoil- they would feel denial, helplessness, and own denial through their feelings because of how their society views this topic. This goes for any taboo in writing. You consider your character's mental state, how society views this taboo, their emotions, and the opinions of others. I really have no problem describing anything because I'm looking at it from a different perspective.

Gore- I have no problem at all, I love horror movies and the horror genre. So I mix a bit of that knowledge and some reference image on what I'm actually writing about. What does it actually look like, and how much pain? Then you have to make sure your character isn't going overboard with the freaking out? Just like incest,everyone is different. People have different tolerance for blood and pain, so when you put a character through a violent scene you have to remember this.

Murder- Simple, four questions? Why did this person commit the murder? Did they enjoy committing the murder? Were they able to get away with it? Shit what genre am I writing? Once you consider this. This becomes a cake walk to write. Trust me, because there are a lot of consequences or lack of for these subjects. For me this is the easiest to write, because it's interesting and a lot of characters in entertainment either directly or indirectly kill others.

EX)
1. Because their victim looked particularly annoying, and our character is known for rage fits.
2. Yes, because of repressed violent tendencies.
3. No, people were suspicious, because he's known for his issues, and it's a really small town.
4. Fantasy- so punishments would be off the wall, and completely different from normal society. This murder might even be a really considerable plot point. Like the victim might've helped the heroes defeat an enemy or something.

Fighting Scenes- Don't write excessive thoughts of the character, or flashbacks. It's gets really confusing and tired. On the other hand don't go too crazy with description, and certainly don't describe your opponent's features, like their long luscious hair. That is the last thing anyone is thinking- and is just awkward. Think about what DO we think when we're punching someone? What becomes distinct in any fight, is what's my next move?, do I feel pain?, and what emotion am I feeling. Talk about the fight in simple terms, and let it flow. let it become an exchange, and practice writing until you become comfortable at writing fight scenes. Writing in third person is a lot easier with these kind of scenes, because people tend to let their characters ramble in first person which doesn't work.

Cannibalism- It comes to these questions- why, do they enjoy it, is it necessary, how does this affect other characters can they hide it? Just like any other taboo, it's based on emotion, society, and character's reaction. You have to consider also where this character lives and how easy this would be? ANd how does this character obtain humans? Murder, human trafficking, abduction? DOes the person commit the deed or let someone else do it? And were they raised to eat people, or did this taste for flesh somehow surfaced out of nowhere. Cannibalism is fun because you can interlace symbolism, psychology, and make a really interesting plot.

Let me throw even more awkward topics I've written: "Torture", "rape", "necrophilia", "mental disorders."
Dissecting the worse of human kind and how it affects others is always fun to write. My advice is keep your character's motivations and feelings when you're writing anything , and do your research beforehand.

[lemonscent]

sex is awkward for me. But I'm underage and stuff, so idk. And tbh I haven't even tried to write sex scenes, so hmm... But still, even if I haven't actually tried writing about it, I just know it will be super awkward. I'd just be like "uhhh they did it and then they did it some more...? and then they fell asleep... idk..."

I actually wrote a story about cannibals (who were on meth iirc) in fifth grade;; I felt no remorse about it, although the story was total crap.

I have problems writing genuine gore though. But that's just a matter of my incompetency with words, not a moral/ethical/etc. issue.

[trooper6]

I'd say, like others have said, the topics aren't awkward in and of themselves (though you could write the scene to be deliberately awkward, like the sex scene in The Tall Guy)...it is just the author who might be feeling awkward with writing on a particular topic (there is also the issue of an audience reacting to a topic with awkwardness, but you can't do anything about that).

So if you are an author and have some topics that you feel awkward about here is some advice and some thoughts:
1) Embrace it! Maybe you feel uncomfortable with sex...having it, talking about it, writing about it. If it makes you uncomfortable and you are happy with your discomfort, then don't write on the topic. You don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You may have a good reason to not want to deal with topic a, b, or c....so don't do it!
2) If you do want to write about sex, drugs, and Rock'n'Roll and want to figure out how to feel less uncomfortable, there are two approaches I can think on one internal, one external...feel free to mix and match:
2a) Internal: Do some serious introspection. Really try to confront your biases, insecurities, assumptions, etc. if the idea of two men holding hands really freaks you out...maybe you might want to explore what is going on with that. Or the idea of someone who isn't you having an alcoholic beverage seems just terribly awkward...perhaps ask yourself why...but really ask yourself and be honest. Exploring why you are feeling uncomfortable with a topic, what is behind those emotions may help you overcome them...talking through these topics with a therapist may also help if this is something that is really a problem for you. But all of that is a lot of work that lots of folks don't want to do. So there is the external option...
2b) External: If you don't have any internal reasons for you discomfort...but mostly you have insecurity based in not enough experience...then I recommend getting some experience! No, I'm not advocating engaging in sex, drugs, murder, and canibalism...what I am recommending is consuming classic media dealing with those topics so you can see how masters in the craft have done it. Learn from those who have come before to help you feel more comfortable writing it for yourself. And go for a wide range of topics. For sex, you can look at young adult novels. Victorian novels, romance novels, thrillers with sex scenes, etc. For incest you can go from ancient Greeks with Oedipus to more modern fare like Flowers in the Attic. For whatever topic you are thinking of there are myriad ways the topic has been covered in literature, film, music, art, etc. Immersing yourself in the art can help overcome resistance borne out of unfamiliarity.

But again...you don't have to have any of those topics in you work if you don't want to. And if you do have some of those topics, you can have them be vague or implied. If you don't want graphic things, you can check out Hollywood films from the 1930-1950s...which all complied with the Hayes Code...which basically said you can't show anything and bad people have to be punished.

[deviltales]

well, for others may be taboo, but these things happen in real life. I tend to include at least a fraction from them to make my stories more realistic. Of course, I mostly write medieval-fantasy-ish stories.. According to history, my opinion is that there was a lot more liberty, even for those who weren't noble-born. There was no puberty, but the direct pass between childhood and adulthood. Wars were excuses for murder. It is, after all, the world we live in.

[TsukiShima]

sex is awkward for me. But I'm underage and stuff, so idk. And tbh I haven't even tried to write sex scenes, so hmm... But still, even if I haven't actually tried writing about it, I just know it will be super awkward. I'd just be like "uhhh they did it and then they did it some more...? and then they fell asleep... idk..."

Haha, I remember my younger days when I 'accidentally' read a Naruto doujin, honestly I was just expecting a continuation of Naruto, since I never knew about doujin yet that time... And... well... You know, the first thing that I saw was Sasuke x Naruto. You can imagine how confused I was. It took me a day to realize that it was not the official Naruto series and so I was like "WTF DID I READ?!"

But now I guess it's a normal thing.

And so my message is, the extreme of the theme really needs to focus on a certain audience... Yeah.

[BreakingMachines]

sex is awkward for me. But I'm underage and stuff, so idk. And tbh I haven't even tried to write sex scenes, so hmm... But still, even if I haven't actually tried writing about it, I just know it will be super awkward. I'd just be like "uhhh they did it and then they did it some more...? and then they fell asleep... idk..."

As an "technical" adult, I've always had difficulty writing sex. I'm comfortable reading it. I've read a lot of mature things over the year, just like anybody in any fandom. I don't usually write sex scenes to be honest. The closest I have ever done is implication, and stuff off screen, and basically any romantic action before sex. I personally was just never down with writing porn, I have no skill writing it and I don't want to really because I can achieve the same symbolism of the relationship in a number of other ways. I suppose this stems from a view in morality and a lack of practice in writing this topic.

[AquaEG]

Me, as a person who's seen so much varieties of topics and themes in my lifetime,

even experienced some harsh stuff

, I really don't have anything that I'm awkward with.

Fight scenes, murder, gore...Honestly, I squeal in delight every time I read those. I've always loved action and realism, though in my younger days, I was hesitant and a bit disgusted of them. But I really only started writing (gore especially) them when

my crush who's into that stuff inspired me.

Sometimes, you just need a really convincing push, yeah?

Sex? It's a part of life. I can't feel embarrassed by just reading or writing them, when one day, I'd have to actually do it. I love romance, too. I've always read YA books, and they delve really deep into the intricacies of sex and things that lead up to it. The first time I read a romance novel where two people fell in love, then did it, I got more comfortable approaching it in conversations and in writing, as I realized it was a natural thing that people do all around the world. >u>

Cannibalism? I'd consider that another branch in "Gore". Cannibalism is interesting. It's cool. It makes for a great plotline. I'm currently writing a book with cannibalism as a main theme. Yes, I know lots of people are disgusted by the thought of people eating people. But it happens. And think of how, in the big bad world out there, people are literally biting off each other's heads in competition, jealousy, for money, and lots of other things. I consider it as symbolism in a figurative sense. Literally, it explores human psyches and makes a good homicide movie. (And if it really bother you, check out the anime, Attack on Titan. It might help you get more comfortable with the whole concept. xD)

I haven't really approached the topic of drugs before, because one, I'm not interested in it, and two, I can't begin to comprehend the reasons behind drug abuse and all that. Therefore, writing about it is out of the question. Well, that's just me. ^^"

Being disgusted by incest requires just a manner of being grown up with the whole concept being either unknown to you or being shoved into your brain that's it's WRONG. Me, personally, being a romantic, have no qualms with LGBT or incest as I believe "Love has no boundaries." It's just that yes, too much of it, could ruin the world. Society has it's limits, and in a way, it's just like peer pressure. That's the only reason people feel disgusted by it in this era. Before it used to be a normal thing, marrying into the family. Now, you grow up learning that's it's taboo, and people push it into other people and so on. Incest is an interesting topic to tackle but looking at it from a completely impartial view, it's just based on people's emotions.

I'm going on, but to conclude, everyone of these "awkward" topics happen daily all the time. All over the world. I think most people just shy away from them or try to ignore them, you know? xD

[Semienigma]

Gore is something I just don't have the stomach for. I can't even look at my anime if its too bloody. ((looking at you RIN: Daughters of mnemosyne *twitch*)) even if i'm not watching it, if someone's talking about it in a little too much detail my stomach starts to roll over. Guh...and all my favorite stores are so violent -_- why!? Ahem...anyway.

Most other things I"m okay with if they are written in interesting ways and not just there for shock value. Because that's bland and a waste.

[ZeroExistence009]

Well, those themes are always connected with psychological genre.
Writing those themes are not awkward for me but I will having a hard time writing story with cannibalism, gore and fighting scene themes.
I write story based on what I know and writing cannibalism and gore will be hard for me since these themes have less resources than the other theme. It's important that you know what the character thinks when he do those things, and I'm having a hard time figuring that out because of the scarcity of the available resources.
But regarding the other themes, its more easier since it's more common now in the society.

You can only write about these awkward themes if you are really a open-minded person. If you are moral-minded, these themes will be really really awkward.

It really depends on the perspective and the guts of the writer.

[やまと]

Gore is something I just don't have the stomach for. I can't even look at my anime if its too bloody. ((looking at you RIN: Daughters of mnemosyne *twitch*)) even if i'm not watching it, if someone's talking about it in a little too much detail my stomach starts to roll over. Guh...and all my favorite stores are so violent -_- why!? Ahem...anyway.

Most other things I"m okay with if they are written in interesting ways and not just there for shock value. Because that's bland and a waste.

I don't have any problem with gore. Even if it is extreme gory images or vids. But I understand your point of view
So I think that VNs should have an option to deactivate scenes that can be visually offensive. The reader may be interested in the story, but can't stand the images. Maybe change the blod and flying body parts for something softer. Or maybe pixelizing things like in JP porn. I dunno, but it would be nice IMO.

If you don't like gore, you must see a japanese movie titled "Tokio Gore Police". It is a romantic movie ^_^