Confronting Controversy

A few years ago, I wrote a manuscript for a novel with a controversial main character. The story was even more controversial. The intention was to open a window into a world that I spent many years in, but is little understood in the community I am currently in. My vision was not to condone the actions of the characters, but rather to explain the intentions behind those actions.

No one will publish it.

The worst part is, I don’t blame them. The problem is that when we open a window on the world outside our community, it is the perfect way to court with disaster. And being a relatively new member of my community, means that sometimes my “right/wrong” radar is slightly off. What I see as a window may be construed as a door and do we really want to open ourselves up to that?
As I see it, there are three options in this sort of situation:

1. Publish with a publisher outside my community

It isn’t a new story: Writer’s story is accepted by ABC publisher. ABC publisher liked the writing and the story but expected that Writer would make changes before publication. The changes are not in line with Writer’s original vision or values. But Writer is stuck. No one wants to be labelled as “Difficult to Work With” or “Intolerant.” Writer can either make the changes or cancel the contract. I have only ever heard of one author that found themselves in this situation and walked away. Although I would like to believe I am up to the task, I am not naive enough to think I wouldn’t cave under pressure given a large enough incentive.

2. Self-publish

I know that the world of DIY Publishing is growing in leaps and bounds, and maybe I’m old fashioned, but it still feels like Vanity Publishing to me. What if I wrongly assumed that the controversy in the story is why they won’t touch it? What if there is an issue with pacing, character development or plot that I missed and that is the true reason for rejection? Would an editor that I am paying be honest enough to make me fix it if they thought I couldn’t take the criticism? Aside from all that, what if I put in all the time and effort to get this story published only to find out there really was no market for it? Wouldn’t my time be better used writing something that will sell?

3. Trunk it

Maybe I should chalk this story up to being good practice. Perhaps, I am not really meant to put it out there. I learned a lot about my writing process by telling this story. For example, I discovered that my Canadian conflict avoidance tendencies mean that I often skip out early on high conflict scenes. During the editing stage, whenever a scene is high tension, I now ask myself if I ended it too early. I am a stronger writer and editor because I wrote this story. Maybe that is enough?

For now, I have decided to go with option three. Perhaps my story will get out there one day, but for now, I am moving on to other projects.

What would you do?