"What's that, my book upset you?"

Reminds me of the moment my daughters figured out where we keep the snacks! 🤣 It's all downhill from here now haha

This one terrified me as a kid. It's about kids dying on farms. I didn't even live deep in the countryside, I lived in the Valleys which were quite dense towns. youtu.be/YLAfDrFUBkA?...

Yeah I don't get that. I think it's because America has water fountains everywhere, whereas in UK or Europe, there are just taps, and you can just ask for it

Or even something as simple as Americans reacting to the "how it works" of the UK plug and socket. They're like "wait, there's a switch to turn it off and on?"

And I do!!

One I enjoy seeing is watching Americans react to Football chants Vs American football chants. The difference is astounding and the UK fans say the wildest stuff. Not a fan of either sport, but I do love seeing the American reactions anyway hah

That's awesome, thank you!! Really helpful.

That'd be awesome if you wouldn't mind. Because I want the executioner's instruction to be technical in a way that demonstrates he has an objective distance, yet the explanation should be morbid in an almost funny way. I need to know the correct way, so I can adapt it to the character

Since I started writing a years ago, there have been numerous points I've looked at my search history and got genuinely worried I've been flagged in some database somewhere 🤣

Ah damn, maybe I'd best try a few keyword searches to find it! That sounds ideal. It's definitely for my writing, definitely definitely I swear.

I still want to make my readers uncomfortable, just as much as I want them to laugh, or cry, or throw their fists in the sky in victory. But, I don't want to make my readers fall into psychological distress. I write for my readers, and whilst I want to challenge them, I don't want to harm them.

So, I've revised both The Great Leap to include content warnings, and made sure they're included in the initial release of Stone Cold Blood.

Even with this, I'm unlikely to get things right on the first pass, so I wanted this thread to show a willingness to learn and adapt.

So, my view has flipped. I'm pro-trigger warning, pro-content warning. This isn't a reluctant adjustment of my view, this is a passionate flip. I think all media should have an easily accessible list of triggers.

Once I understand this, my other argument about the trigger warnings being spoilers completely evaporates. Spoiler or not, I want to make sure that I protect my readers as much as possible - it's my duty as a writer to prevent unneeded psychological harm.

In understanding this, you can probably see why I would want to protect my readers. I may be okay with making someone uncomfortable, but I am 100% not okay with making people experience full blown psychological distress.

Trigger symptoms are intense: Flashbacks (reliving the event), severe panic attacks, and physical distress like a racing heart or shaking. There's a strong, overwhelming urge to flee or hide. Your body is signalling danger.

A trauma trigger causes an involuntary reaction. It's the brain's "fight/flight/freeze" survival system activating, bypassing conscious thought. It feels like you're reliving the trauma right now, even when you're safe. This is often a core sign of PTSD.

My thinking was entirely flawed. I believe this is because of the prevalence of the word "triggered" by those who didn't really understand it. People get "triggered" about an incorrect coffee order, or people being "triggered" by someone having different political views to them.