Underlying Principle

I once explained the reason why my novels aren’t traditionally published was two-fold: trad publishers didn’t like it because it was Christian and Christian publishers didn’t like it because it was science fiction.  That’s a bit of an oversimplification, I admit, but there is still plenty of truth in it. It may also explain why the books themselves aren’t popular. There’s not enough sizzle for the secular audience and not enough “Christianity” for the religious side.

Let me explain: If I merely follow the social media crowd, the “popular” books have a few characteristics you’ll not find in my novels. You won’t find things like sex scenes, profanity, or a glorification of evil. There’s no disrespect of authority figures (whether law or parental) and you won’t find irreverent language or behaviour, nor will you find things that violate traditional family values. All those things seem to be required to “sell” novels in large quantities.  At least, if you believe twitter posts and Amazon book reviews. Of course, the reviewers don’t tell you the books contain any of the aforementioned characteristics; however, if you start reading those books, that seems to be the main selling point. I guess what really turns me off is reading halfway through a good book which suddenly and without warning starts dropping F-bombs and sex scenes. If it wasn’t necessary in the first half of the book, what makes the writer think it’s necessary in the last half of the book? I guess I struggle to wrap my brain around why anyone would need to include it in the first place. One should be able to tell a good story without those elements and adding those elements doesn’t improve the story as I find myself asking “how does this further the plot or develop the characters?”  Most of the time it seems those elements are added just to ramp up sales.

On the other hand, the religious readers seem to think unless there is an explicit  plan of salvation where a main character gets saved, the book isn’t “Christian.” Of course, those same folks manage to include some of the aforementioned issues before the main character gets “saved.” Again, I question the reason so-called Christian books feel the need to include those elements. I once asked a publisher why he thought Christian books even needed a lost MC. I never got a satisfactory answer, but I suspect it’s because most  Christians think a godly MC is boring and if they don’t “spice up” the books, no one will read them. That may be true, but I keep thinking of the popularity of the Narnia Chronicles and the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I can’t see the lack of those elements hurting sales.

While my novels normally don’t include overt Christian telltales, all of them are based in a Christian worldview. My faith is the underlying principle behind the characters themselves, the story’s plot and resolution, and permeates the world building. It doesn’t mean bad things don’t happen or my characters don’t struggle to do what is right, but it does mean the characters proceed from a foundation of integrity, honest, compassion, and a sense of right and wrong.

Eh, that’s not realistic some might say. Maybe in your world you have little experience with real Christianity. However, my life has been spent with godly people living out their faith in quiet and unassuming ways in their daily life. And no, I haven’t spent my entire life in a small rural town, isolated from mainstream America. I’ve lived in large and small towns, lived overseas in different places and I know people who live and act like the people in my stories.  While you might not find a direct reference to Christ in my stories, His principles permeate each page.  When I’m writing, I’m considering how best to represent Christ in everything, how to make sure the story is uplifting and beneficial and include principles that can be applied to anyone’s life. Each one is written from a Christian worldview, which gives me a unique perspective on how the characters could and should act, as well as a limitless scope for complicating their lives. After all, it’s harder to stay pure when life is attacking you from all directions. It does not mean that everyone abandons their principles because life is hard and cruel and that people of integrity and sterling reputations don’t exist in real life. Personally, I think it’s much harder to write an interesting good person than to write an interesting bad person and perhaps that’s why we see so many stories focused on depraved and evil characters. It’s too much work otherwise.

I make no apologies for the wholesomeness of my novels. If I wanted to be a wealthy writer, I could easily do so; however, I have standards based on my faith and I refuse to lower those standards just to make a sale.  You could say, I’m a lot like my characters. Principle matters more than fame and fortune.

So the next time you pick up one of my stories, don’t hastily dismiss the characters and their actions thinking no one in the real world is like that. There are plenty of real people who make the same kind of decisions on a daily basis. They just never make the spotlight. And yes, sometimes in real life, the cavalry does come riding over the hill to rescue the beleaguered heroes.

Men in Dresses

Scrolling through the list of offerings on Netflix and Kindle often leaves me frustrated and longing for something good to read/watch. Not that there aren’t great sounding titles out there, but I get really tired of the glut of “strong female leads” inundating society right now. Although I much prefer watching something with a “strong hero lead,” I don’t mind a strong female if she’s well-written; however, most “strong female leads” aren’t females, but merely “men in dresses.”

Let me explain. Hollywood’s version of a strong female is someone who has dumped her femininity in exchange for being foul mouthed, pushy, control-freak, and beating the stuffing out of every villain around; i.e. just another guy in a dress. Not only is this insulting to me, it also denigrates females. We are strong warriors, but we go about it in a totally different way. Take Captain Janeway, for example. She tamed a Borg, took on Q and made mush of him, managed to make friends of alien cultures without “kirking” their planets or culture, all without having to punch out her opponent.

Strong women harness the power of words rather than profanity to make their point. Aside from the whole morality issue, profanity is just lazy writing and lazy speaking. Truly talented folks know the power of words, and women have the most experience in whittling down their opposition with a few well-chosen words. Take Princess Leia for example. “Governor Tarkin. I should have expected to see you holding Vader’s leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.” No wimpy captive this. She skillfully puts Vader in his place while expressing disdain for her captor, all the while giving up nothing of her femininity.

Strong women, like strong heroes, allow the strength of their convictions to make the right decision. While Hollywood has stripped women of their femininity as if it’s something bad, Hollywood seems to delight in making their heroes all wimps. Under pressure the hero caves, gives up, hopes the tough guy heroine can save the day by beating up the villain. True strength comes from an internal belief regardless of personal cost. Tarkin figures he can use Leia’s femininity against her by threatening her home planet of Alderaan. Leia, on the other hand, horrified by what he plans, actually uses her femininity to trick Tarkin. She feigns giving in and gives him a false answer. Of course the story writer doesn’t allow it to work, but still she doesn’t trade a whole planet for the rebellion. Earlier, she uses her strength of character to stare down Vader even under torture. She may look helpless, but she never gives in.

Strong women know how to use wit and timing to take out the bad guy. While I love a good fight scene, there is no way I’m going to believe some 100 pound girl can beat up several 200 pound guys, no matter how many martial art techniques she knows. Women just don’t have the body structure and strength to do that. Besides, why should we resort to brute strength when we can easily use our brains to find a less strenuous solution? Leia waits for the right moment, then strangles Jabba the Hut with a chain, not her bare hands.

Part of a woman’s mystique is that she is different from men. A truly great writer knows how to incorporate femininity into a heroine and allow her to be a warrior and a woman at the same time. Lazy writers simply put men in dresses and call them heroines.