This proclamation sparked a string of questions inside me:
- Standards vary, even among Christians, from those wearing Mennonite denim jumpers to Mainline mini skirts. Who determines what is allowed?
- Do I read primarily to escape? Am I looking to live vicariously through heroines able to go to places I'll never go, see things I'll never see, and achieve goals beyond my abilities?
- And, more to the point, will my novel meet the requirements?
Ultimately, it is the publishing house that determines what is allowed. It's their business to know their readers. No publisher wants books returned, or never leaving the shelves, because readers find them offensive. I also suspect that they occasionally take risks, but certainly only when the story is brilliantly written and important to their overall goals and standards.
It's the writer's job then, to write well and to know thy publisher.
And so, why do I read? Am I trying to escape, or is it something else?
More in the next blog.
Meanwhile: Why do you read? Please post and tell us.
1 comment:
I read for different reasons. Sometimes I read to escape and live vicariously through others who do things (good and bad) that I can never or will never do. In this sense, the author assists the reader to build a playground in the mind. It's a cooperative affair, requiring both participants. The author points the way, but the reader brings it to life in 3D, colorful, visual mental images. The author succeeds when the reader's imagination and sense of self are equally engaged. Can the reader relate to the protagonist. Is it in some way the reader's story? And then if the author can the reader on a journey that ends in self-discovery or inspiration or revelation or even satisfaction, then it doesn't matter what the setting or plot or characters or events are (or whether they've crossed any moral lines). Offensive and inoffensive material can both be fodder for new perspectives and understanding (and pure old entertainment)....
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