Into the Fire

Yesterday I said: “Personally, I value disclaimers, or I should say I would value them by an author for a very simple reason: honesty.”

We can always hope that a reader who scans general genres for valuable reading, but focuses on specific genres, might land upon our work and venture into our stories resulting in “Hallelujah” praise at the experience. But the horrible reverse of that is also a possibility.

I’ve learned that certain readers of Christian fiction are easily offended by characters or plot elements that experience or depict the sinful conduct of the world in any other way than general references. That important factor eliminates my novels from their prospective book lists. And I want that elimination—because I would rather not suffer outrage from readers for portraying the lost without judgment. In order to do that, my approach conveys the attitudes of the heart and the conditions of the soul. Not always pretty, certainly not fluff, and without graphic circumstances but with a certain level of ugliness exposed, some characters experience life without Jesus.

I’m not a fan of the “edgy” description for writing. It’s overused in writing circles in an attempt to explain or perhaps warn readers that a book contains any number of potentially offensive items. The term is broad and unspecific and has become trendy in some cases. Although it alerts readers such as myself that the novel isn’t meant to be fluff, I’ve written about the “one reader’s/writer’s edgy is another’s . . .” fill in the blanks. At least it’s an attempt to keep fragile readers from picking up a book they might find offensive.

All that to say this: I tend to give disclaimers concerning my novels. I want those who read them to know they are not stepping into a sweet little romance. They will meet characters who don’t know the Lord and live accordingly. They will encounter the motives behind conduct in sinful lifestyles. They will observe the contrasts between the lost and the found in story form.

In today’s publishing circles I’ve noticed a heightened level of hype. Overdone. Over the top. Too much for some of the products to live up to in an appeal to reach readers who won’t appreciate the type of book being promoted. In the practice of writing queries and proposals, the question asks the obvious: Who is your audience? Authors can wish for a large audience from Karen Kingsbury’s readers to Ted Dekker’s readers, but will their books truly appeal to those readers? And will the ability to market to those groups exist in real time, authentic and effective strategies?

Any thoughts?

Father, help me to tell the truth about the stories you’ve given me to write. I couldn’t write one word without you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.