Betty (not her real name)

The editor suggested that readers of Christian novels mean to escape the harsh realities of our 21st Century world. Therefore, they don't want to read stories cluttered with things like suicides, alternative lifestyles, or graphic violence.

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.