tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post3451310618277938018..comments2023-12-09T00:33:24.572-08:00Comments on Novel Matters: What is True and RightBonnie Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11377519561074174038noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-41505084010108263712011-08-05T18:16:24.810-07:002011-08-05T18:16:24.810-07:00Your words are so true, Sharon. I've struggled...Your words are so true, Sharon. I've struggled with this. My first book bludgeoned the reader over the head with The Point Of The Story. I find myself still tempted to do the same with my WIP, even though I hate reading novels that preach. It can be so hard to show restraint. What if the reader doesn't "get" it? LOL.<br /><br />I also really liked your point about what is true and right with regard to genre. I've been working on a proposal for my novel and struggling with where my book fits into the market. It's not a "genre" story. What I'm most interested in, as a writer and reader, is the "sweet spot" between literary and commercial. You know - books that are beautifully written, but have such a big premise and/or gripping plot that they hit a note with a broad audience. <br /><br />I wonder, though, if in trying to find some middle ground between literary and commercial, I'll end up hitting neither. That I'll write a book nobody knows what to do with. When I'm full of doubts (like I am at the moment) I try to remind myself to be true to my vision for the story. That's all any of us can do. Your words encouraged me today.Karen @ a house full of sunshinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17787916466155321686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-9876770951222647542011-08-05T14:44:28.794-07:002011-08-05T14:44:28.794-07:00Latayne, as always I can't thank you enough fo...Latayne, as always I can't thank you enough for your support.<br /><br />Susie, you're so right -- the difference is love. We so appreciate your presence here.<br /><br />Samantha, I so agree. Thank you for commenting.<br /><br />Patti, I looked up The Dry Grass of August and read the opening pages. I'm adding it to the list for my book club. Thank you for sharing. Boy, there are a few books I wish I'd written too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-91315863334856074082011-08-05T09:41:11.335-07:002011-08-05T09:41:11.335-07:00Beautifully said, Sharon. I just finished a book, ...Beautifully said, Sharon. I just finished a book, The Dry Grass of August, about a 13-year-old white girl during the summer and fall just after Brown vs The Board of Education in 1954. The author took 18 years to write it. I put it up there with The Help. It has an incredibly strong moral center, plus a message of faith and forgiveness that is powerful. General Market. I have some creative jealousy going on. So wish I'd written this book.Patti Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575415697841348226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-38318731184760569122011-08-05T08:36:25.266-07:002011-08-05T08:36:25.266-07:00A story without soul is hardly worth reading. Than...A story without soul is hardly worth reading. Thanks for putting your finger on it. I didn't realize it before, but that is how I judge a book. I don't appreciate a book that has no moral centre, no sense of what is true and right. And, I want it expressed in such a way that I have to read on to discover the whole truth.Marianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990101542996298555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-38546104676412072132011-08-05T07:39:37.754-07:002011-08-05T07:39:37.754-07:00What a beautiful post. I am all for letting the st...What a beautiful post. I am all for letting the story speak for itself. Thanks for sharing!Samantha Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15712749844855298929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-5112567837353673812011-08-05T06:15:57.524-07:002011-08-05T06:15:57.524-07:00Funny how deeply some of these posts hit me. Thank...Funny how deeply some of these posts hit me. Thank you, Sharon.<br /><br />The moral center is a balance that writers need to tread with caution. Too often I've felt lectured by the author. But then, I've also read well put ethics in books.<br /><br />The difference is love. Love for the reader. The care and work that the writer takes to gently guide the reader. Huh. That's almost Scriptural. <br /><br />I've begun to realize that my writing isn't what the CBA typically appreciates. My stories and novels can get pretty dark. There's hope and joy that shines through. But I don't know that I'm very marketable in Christian circles. And that's okay. I just love to write and I love to have readers. God is able to use me in that just as well as a "Christy" winner (even though that would be nice).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-6861768248804225442011-08-05T05:10:48.504-07:002011-08-05T05:10:48.504-07:00Sharon, as one privileged to have read your recent...Sharon, as one privileged to have read your recently-completed book, I can say that I clearly saw the moral center of the book, but not as something that waved flags at the reader and demanded attention. Rather, it did what other truly significant books have done in my life: The artistry of the book drew me into a subject I would never have entered willingly except with the guidance of someone as expert as you are. The images -- and message -- of the book will be with me always.Latayne C Scottnoreply@blogger.com