Young Writers Society

I have a question about a setting I have in a novel of mine. Basically, I'm worried I'll offend people.

The setting itself is a real place in England. I've done some research about this specific place, and in general, it's got a very bad reputation. I wanted the place I picked to have a bad reputation, so I thought that specific neighbourhood would be perfect. The problem though is that I'm worried it could be offensive or something because I do generally portray it as a bad neighbourhood. I don't go out and blatantly say that it's a horrible place, but I make it clear that a lot of crime happens there and such.

Do you think it isn't really much of a problem, so I should just leave it? Or do you think I should make up a neighbourhood name or something instead?

I think it depends on how you're using it. If you're portraying it as a slum or something, and that's realistic, then I think that's fine. But, if it could be taken in some other way that would be received as extremely offensive or anything, then you might consider changing it. I don't really know, but... there you go.

(Accidental rhymes are the best^^)

Hmmm... I definitely wouldn't say it's extreme or anything.

The most extreme thing that happens is that one of the characters gets stabbed there, but I don't think it comes across as though he gets stabbed because he's in that specific place... if that makes sense.

I'm pretty certain you wouldn't be offending anyone by giving the place a bad reputation in your novel if it truly has such a reputation in real life. Not as long as the place actually has the reputation and the crime rate or whatever is that bad, and it's not just a figment of the media's imagination. If it really bothers you, you could see if anyone from that area is on YWS (though that'll probably be unlikely).

And stabbings are not (unfortunately) extreme things in English society any longer; they don't denote whether a place is good or bad. The area I live in is good, and hasn't got a bad reputation, but the rise in knife crime has a led to a few stabbings recently.

Hehe, I don't think there'll be anyone from Tower Hamlets, Hackney on YWS. xD

Thanks for the advice though, guys. I'll definitely go and check some statistics for the area. I'm surprised I didn't bring up my common sense to do that already, actually...