Not many writers dabble in transgressive fiction. The genre deals extensively with taboo subjects and characters that fall under the antisocial spectrum. I once had a chat with a bookworm who told me that she isn’t particularly thrilled with reading this genre because it depresses her. In the same breath, she added that she respects transgressive fiction authors and wonders where they get the energy and stomach to write about extreme issues. She concluded that such writers have a very creative vision for turning the perverse into art.

Writers are fascinated by the theme of transgressive fiction, but they opt to write something more appealing to a general audience. For those who choose to write about the transgressive, they are aware that they are taking a considerable risk. Unless you’re a famous writer, dipping your toes into transgressive fiction would be difficult in finding an audience and a traditional publisher. In most occasions, you’re on your own, and it’s difficult to find other authors writing in the same genre. 

But that was before. The good thing about writing in today’s digital age is that you are no longer confined to writing for only the people that you know, who may not be thrilled at the idea of you writing about something that many would rather pass on. You can ask your friends and family to read your work, and they might try to be nice and offer you constructive feedback. If you have a blog or a website, the best audience to test your work is people you don’t know.

So if this is one good reason not to shy away from transgressive fiction anymore, then that’s good news. But the issue is not with the audience alone. From the term “transgressive” itself,  this genre deals with themes that are bitter pills to swallow--sex, drugs, alcohol, crime, and violence all have their places in this genre, but not to the sensitivities of many readers who have been raised and conditioned to avoid hurt and have been exposed to many happily ever afters. Transgressive fiction makes us face reflections of reality to which we choose to close our eyes, but it would still be there. Realities may be harsh, but it must be expressed.  

Writers have a need to challenge their readers’ sensitivities. This is an affirmation that freedom to express is an essential component of art. Challenging others to face bitter truths in a way could help them come to terms with their selves, and this is a byproduct of what art strives to achieve.

Let’s say that you write a story about a concierge who is up to his neck in alimony and mortgage payments. He decides to bug every hotel room with miniature cameras to blackmail customers about their sexual affairs that will go live on the internet if they don’t pay up. You tell this story from the protagonist’s first-person narration filled with existential angst. This kind of story has a huge possibility of getting branded as “creepy” and “perverted,” but it could happen. People could even accuse you of being sick. But there is also that possibility that one or two out of your ten audiences will find your fiction to be rather bold in telling something that other writers tried to avoid.