Into the Fire

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Passionate: right or wrong. Writes love stories with a passion. Raw Romantic Redemptive

Enough of disclaimers already?

Had enough yet? I bet you have.

A singular event, combined with others of similar substance, and the thought processes which followed it prompted the past few posts on “disclaimers” in regard to writing.

Some of you might know or remember that my first novel Hope Of Glory is a comprehensive story about American horse racing written in the language, lifestyle, and culture of the track. Self-published and with a thoroughly Christian perspective contrasted to the worldliness of a typical racing community within its pages, this novel, as I’ve written here, is a genuine first effort in the technical aspects of writing. Not a good example of my much improved writing skills. Nevertheless, when I hear so specifically from the Lord, it’s at my peril to disobey. My first novel, of monster-size, was an act of obedience.

So, having said all that, when I give my first book away, I always qualify it with the stipulation or disclaimer that it’s a “first” novel and what all that means. Plus I explain there are some raw scenes and characters included in the story, very real examples and composites of actual people I’ve known.

I gave one to a lady at church with all my disclaimers because I didn’t know the woman very well and, as I said yesterday, I do not want to offend readers. The following Sunday she told me she was loving the book. I asked her how she was handling it, and she told me she preferred the realism. It made we wonder why I go to such lengths to explain my work to people.

But then I’m reminded of the hurtful comments made on this blog to me because I gave honest reviews of a couple of novels which either had particular characters, writing styles, skill sets, or plots I didn’t like.

Ah well. Such as I am . . .

You know me, Lord. Just keep workin’ on me, Jesus. Got a long way to go . . . In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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2 responses to “Enough of disclaimers already?”

  1. M. Michaels Avatar
    M. Michaels

    Maybe you don’t need to explain your work to people. Sometimes, no matter what you say to others about your books, your intentions can be misconstrued. I warned one person who was concerned about a book that I had already read. She was planning to buy it for her daughter. I pointed out that it dealt with alchoholism, so she would have to decide if her daughter was mature enough for that. Her decision was “No,” but then her daughter walked up with a Ted Dekker book that her mom thought was fine. Who knows what sensitivities people will have about your books? I would encourage you to write from your heart, share from your heart, and if someone doesn’t like it, then they don’t have to read it.
    And as for negative comments, they always hurt. I’m sorry to hear you have received some on your blog. But in all honesty, when we choose to give a book a negative review, should we not be able to accept negative comments in return? After all, a negative review IS a negative comment and in the Christian world it is always hurtful when another Christian comes across as unkind. Christian publishing does seem to be a small world and when you write a negative review, you still have to be aware that the author themselves, their beloved readers, or fellow authors will probably stumble upon your blog. People will be hurt, so you have to be ready and not surprised when a negative review begets negative comments.
    I’m all for healthy discussion, but I can also see how people feel when a review is particularly harsh. I don’t give negative reviews to books on Amazon or wherever, especially when it’s a newer author who I can guess is trying to get established. So you are a braver soul than I.
    Write bravely!

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  2. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I appreciate them.
    The comments I referred to in this post were regarding two separate posts and were directed at me personally, not my work. (I’m sure the particular commenter will not be reading my work. 😉 )
    I try to make sure my reviews stipulate exactly why I don’t care for a novel and always leave the door open to accentuate there will be readers who will like/love the book. The reason I do this is because I’ve been given the novel for review. I didn’t go out and buy the book. If I don’t care for a novel I buy, mum’s the word most of the time. I’m fairly sure readers can tell from the reviews if they’re going to enjoy the book even if I didn’t. And I have no objection to commenters who wish to tell me why they liked the book in question. I play nice so I expect them to do the same.
    Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post and add a comment. And for the encouragement.

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