Ick Factor

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One of the things fiction writers hear from the publishing industry is that our stories should not have too great and “ick factor”. By that they mean scenes that are likely to turn readers off because of the emotional response to them.

This could mean anything from unsavory relationships in a love story to graphic details of the squicky kind. Mind you, some is allowed, provided it doesn’t go beyond odd and into ugh.

Unluckily for me, I tend to be an Earthy sort. I have a natural inclination towards ick factors. I have included everything from a heroine cutting her way out of a sea serpent to a serial killer dropping a body in someone’s front yard and calling it a lawn ornament.

Help me figure out what I can and can’t get away with.

Are you willing to read a book that features a tarantula? Are you willing to read about a girl who’s in love with her step brother? Can I describe a rotten watermelon in revolting detail? How about a dead body on a crime scene? What makes you go “ick”, and is it enough to make you give up on a book?

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BTW, the comic strips are in reference to a display called Body Works. More on that later.

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