Splitters

I joined in a conversation that happened to spread into a multi-site debate over incorporating violence, sex, language, etc., into literature. Are these necessary in order to propel a story? 
 
My questionable answer: Sometimes yes sometimes no. It depends on the plot and the subject matter. I don’t embrace pointless inclusion of such acts, but at times graphic nature is called for.
 
Every individual has their own meter of sensitivity, and it’s our responsibility to listen to that gauge within and decide what’s right for us. For every book there is an audience, but they’re not all shared. No matter what you do in life, somebody will be unhappy.
 
To follow through and finish a story I feel spiritually compelled to write which has the ingredients that might shock or offend certain readers certainly deserves a thorough consideration. At the same time, I don't want to fall completely captive to binding standards if taking specific points out of a story waters down the depth of forgiveness in its message. 

​Anyway, maybe if I had focused on my manuscripts over the past few days, being attentive to my own niche, perhaps I would have accomplished more than, say, try to redirect pointed answers that led nowhere.

It was fun. For about a minute.