Into the Fire

It’s a dangerous place out here in the blogosphere, you know that?

This is a good-humored rant, so don’t be alarmed.

If all the acquisitions editors were so astute at picking out quality or great writing, why aren’t all the books produced bestsellers in their own genre? For once the question stands for both ABA and CBA. If the pub boards can systematically eliminate all the “bad” or lesser quality from their houses, then why aren’t they all producing books that sell to millions? In the ABA the reason for low sales might be termed “bad luck”. In the CBA it usually boils down to there’s “no market” for it when in actuality “it” wasn’t marketed well, hence no potential reader knew it existed, or it was a book which failed to create interest in its limited readership.

You know, I don’t do “fluff”. Don’t care to read it and even in real life I don’t care much for it. This is no slam on all the ladies and gentlemen who can spend hours discussing interior or exterior décor, current fashion trends (although I am a shoes-aholic when I can afford to be), classical music, and any other subjects I deem “fluff”. Wait! Wait! I acknowledge these topics warrant serious discussion, and I’m not minimizing their value. Okay? I just have next to no interest in them.

I’d rather talk serious films—there are few good comedies—football (if we don’t have to discuss my team), anything to do with spiritual awareness and growth in the Lord, people situations, and, of course, writing and books—and not necessarily in that order.

I think if we go back to types of writers, books, the consensus of what readers (and writers) want in novels, we can come to the conclusion there are myriad “opinions” on what is good literature. Maybe it’s the word “good” that is the problem. Or maybe it’s the word “quality”. Or maybe it’s just the stubborn assessments of certain individuals who simply can’t accept the fact that some people will never agree on what “quality” and “good” really are when assessing writing and stories. Is that so bad?

Why should anyone care? I mean if I think so-and-so is the best writer I’ve ever read, and you can’t stand their writing or their stories, what’s it to you? Or me? Why are you a better judge of what’s “good” than me? More years at the university? A big fat degree, a doctorate? And that qualifies you how to “decide” something is great literature because like-minded people have decided it to be? What if you like a novel and make the same claims I made about a book that I find boring? What if your like-minded people group agrees with me? What does that do to the “quality” and “good” literature rating? Anything?

Here’s what it boils down to. Some people (mostly writers) recognize craft achievements, certain exceptional skills, layered plots, seamless deliveries of theme within those plots, and the careful nuanced construction of characters. And some people don’t. Do I want to do away with or simplify or degrade the beauty of crafting words and stories? I do not. I want to read what I consider “good, quality” writing within a powerful story, but I also want to acknowledge here that just because I don’t assess someone’s work as “good, quality” literature doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. Nor does it mean it isn’t.

There’s a misleading concept that because a book has jumped through all the publishing hoops and appears in print by a reputable house that it’s worthy of the “good, quality” label. Well, there also appears to be a couple of sides to this premise. CBA novels have been criticized on the blogosphere for a lot longer than I’ve been participating in this maze of communication. However, many of these criticisms have been generated from individuals who’ve read exactly zero recent CBA fiction and few of older offerings. They’ve just decided it’s beneath them based on their limited exposure so it all fails to qualify as “good, quality” writing.

Most of us who write, and of course read, Christian fiction know there are “good, quality” writers and novels in the current CBA. There are also “good, quality” writers who have yet to be published—and you’ve seen a few here on “Saturday Sample . . .”

This whole post is merely saying, much like Jesus queried Peter when Peter asked the Lord about John’s fate, what’s it to you? You like who you like, I like who I like, and let’s not diss writers and writing in the CBA. You don’t have to like certain writers, you don’t have to like their styles or their voices or even their stories. In fact, you won’t like everyone—maybe you won’t even like anyone, which would sit you on a pretty high horse—but don’t demean a group of writers just because in your limited estimation you feel they’re inferior. Chances are you’re wrong. And even if you’re right, who cares?

Father, you are the true and lasting judge of quality. We submit to your glory, and we thank you that we even get the pleasure and privilege of putting words together on a page. Thank you for your generosity, your inspiration, your incredible patience, and your loving kindness. May I always write to honor you, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.