Into the Fire

6 responses to “What exactly is it?”

1. 

   BK Jackson (@BKJacksonAZ)

   May 30, 2013

   Zane Grey was and is my favorite author. I can name two specific reasons.
   For one thing, he was a master at crafting his words in such a way that you were right there, wherever he was in the story. By today’s standards he would be considered too wordy and most people are too inattentive to read his sometimes lengthy descriptions, but if the writer knows what he is doing, you don’t think of it as wordiness. He was a master of description.
   Second, and far more important, he wrote in such a way that you didn’t mind reading the romance portion of his novels, because there was actually something else going on. For myself, I would say, something more IMPORTANT going on than Jack & Jill getting together.
   My favorite Zane Grey novel is Forlorn River. I never counted it up, but probably, if I counted page for page, the # of pages dealing with the romance probably outweighs the pages dealing with the rest of the storyline.
   BUT the single most crucial aspect of this storyline, despite the lesser pages being dedicated to it in bulk, is the friendship between two men, both trying to clear their name, and what happens to them both in the process. THAT is the heart of the story. And if you write a powerful enough story that grabs me that focuses on something besides sex and sexual attraction, I’ll even read (and like) the romance part of the book.
   But that’s where almost all books go wrong for me. They are written with the view, (and for me the mistaken view) that the romantic relationship is the only important relationship there is, and books are subsequently written with that blinder-focus. It is so frustrating. I want to scream, “Hey, can’t you see there are other things going on in the world?”
   That is why for the most part I don’t even bother trying any historical fiction and tend toward suspense or thrillers. Suspense and thrillers tend to be the only genre that does notice there’s something going on in the world besides sex and romance.
   And that last sentence is probably the single most important reason I write the stories I write. I know 99.99999% of the world is not going to take their focus off of sex and romance. That’s just the way folks are wired and they never tire of examining the romantic relationship. But I was given a different way of looking at things, & I want to write stuff that says “Hey, have you ever stopped to consider the importance of this relationship too?”
   Well my goodness, I must’ve been up for a rant this morning. Sorry about that. 😎

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2. 

   Nicole

   May 30, 2013

   You might be surprised to know I agree with you, Brenda. Part of what you said resonates with me because this usual rendition of sex and romance is so shallow and self-absorbed. The typical romance novel in the CBA skirts over the sexual attraction which is impossible to do in real life. However, the focus is then on the attraction and “consummation” of that attraction with peripheral plot points that interfere with it. But, this is the “definition” of the romance novel and the basis for your objection. In secular romance novels basically anything goes which only serves to potentially make the whole thing dirty.
   That’s why I prefer love stories which is what I think you described in your synopsis of Forlorn River. Love stories go beyond the sexual/attraction component and examine the individuals and their lives. I think I write love stories, and you’ve encouraged me, believe it or not, because you MIGHT actually like The Famous One – if you can stand the first half in the omniscient POV. And we’re working on getting the ebook conversion cleaned up.

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3. 

   Brenda Anderson

   May 30, 2013

   When I look at my favorite books, there are two similarities between most of them: they have a literary voice, and their characters are authentic. I know I’ve said it before how I love a musical voice in fiction. If the voice is beautiful, I don’t need much of a plot. 😉 But I do need characters who are more than skin deep; I need characters who are fallible & broken–like the rest of us. It makes it much easier to relate to them.

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4. 

   Nicole

   May 30, 2013

   Good analysis, Bren. I need real characters too. I appreciate various voices but do enjoy beautiful prose – but that prose better deliver a story too.

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5. 

   Kristen Torres-Toro

   June 9, 2013

   For me, it’s story telling and language… my favorite authors/books excel at both…

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6. 

   Nicole

   June 9, 2013

   That’s usually the case for our favorites: they meet our every standard.

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