Into the Fire

When a racehorse with talent begins to decline in performance, sometimes the term used to describe their behavior is “sour”. Horses without talent get that way too, but it’s far more noticeable with those who’ve been consistent performers than with those whose ability is hard to track.

“Sour” means the horse is no longer enjoying his work, the scene, and racing overall. This can be due to multiple causes, but really it’s mostly due to fatigue brought on by those multiple causes. His personality changes slightly, noticeable to those who truly observe and care about the animal, and those who do will give that horse a break. Take him/her to the farm for awhile. Stop training the horse. Give him a different regimen to freshen him up.

I’m approaching that description (sans the talent self-application). Recently I disagreed somewhat strongly with a professional on a blog where everyone else gushed about the “valuable” information being handed down to them even though it’s old news and has been stated innumerable times on nearly every other professional’s blog at one time or another for years! The reply was polite but reiterated the truth of the conclusion citing another current example of plying just such a novel to publishers without success.

So. I’m sick of it. All of the platitudes, the locked-in, vision-less approach to Christian fiction which keeps it barely able to climb over the sides of the big box like some free kittens inside cardboard the size of a washing machine. We get limited exceptions of wonderful writing and innovative stories, styles, and voices, but, it seems, only in certain genres.

This champion of Christian fiction, this fan of Christian fiction, this encourager of published and pre-published Christian fiction authors is borderline mad. Sour. Not frustrated as my words were interpreted. Maybe nauseated. Maybe irritated. Maybe dissatisfied and disgusted. But really not frustrated.

Frustration is not the answer. Call me stupid, but I believe in variety and good business practices. I believe in the various publishers’ rights to choose their criteria for producing books. It’s their money, time, energy, and resources. However, just because it’s been said that the publishing industry moves like a big s l o w ship of old not a jet ski doesn’t mean that sometimes those old ships don’t need to be dry-docked.

I’m weary of the warnings of what it’s alright to say because the publishing world is small, and it can all come back to bite you. Well . . . bite me then. With some reasonable new outlook(s), explanations, something. Please.

I suppose this falls into the complaint department, but it has little to do with me. It has to do with the overall approach to this industry. How many years have I been reading the exact same responses to readers and writers seeking more from the CBA? And the answers haven’t changed! Haven’t changed in all these years!

And just to make sure I’m understood here: This is not a rant about any of the CBA authors who’ve been blessed in the industry, worked hard on their craft and persevered to get published. No. You’ve earned your places in the publishing world. No argument. No criticism. This is about the expansion and imagination for a bigger, less restrictive, less vision-less, more vision-ary, less tried-and-true, more bold-and-brave world of Christian publishing. Less platitudes. More truth. 

Sour. Yeah.

I don’t expect comments to this post. I don’t want anyone who aspires to gain publishing status “to get in trouble”. Not that many professionals check in on this site. Not much worry there. Anyway, it’s one of those “Comment at your own risk” situations. And you certainly don’t have to agree. Unless you’re “sour” too.

Lord, you know me. You restore my soul. You make sense out of nonsense. You're all I'm livin' for . . . In the Name of Jesus, Amen.