Sunday 14th

I've inserted a warning on the 'FICTION' link before visitors can access my story 'Indebted'. It reads:- 

The following story contains material that may be offensive to some readers.

It contains content that deliberately depicts racism and outdated racist stereotypes for the purposes of fiction.

If you accept this caution and wish to proceed, please click here*. The story will open in a new window.

If you prefer not to please return to the previous menu by clicking here.

And then the disclaimer:

* I aim to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for everyone. I want to challenge all forms of oppression including those based on race, ethnicity, nationality, creed, gender, sex, class, sexuality, gender reassignment, learning ability, physical impairment, mental illness, HIV status, age, occupation, income, wealth and unrelated criminal conviction.

I aim to design my activities, services, and decision-making processes specifically to encourage and support participation from people who face disadvantages in society, including women, BME people, disabled people, LGBTQ people, and people on low incomes.

I felt that I should insert this step so that readers may find parts of 'Indebted' offensive and racist in parts, although it works out alright in the end.

I submitted it to a competition run by the 'Slough Writers Group' of which I'm a member. It wasn't placed, but this is what the judge had to say about it: "The narrative arc is strong and contains dramatic surprises, the character is consistent, well developed the dramatic "shift" in realisation and insight is well handled."