Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
The other day I was talking to a film producer, and she mentioned a conference she had attended in which a TV executive said, “If you want a successful program, be bold.” As I considered what that message might mean for a writer, I added, “Not bland. Be bold, not bland.” His point was that it’s easy to create the safe product. You know, the stuff we read as we search for the extraordinary, or the TV program we snooze through. Yeah, we’ve all seen–and created–our fair share of the bland stuff.
But what would happen if we were bold?
What would you create, if you weren’t afraid?
I asked myself, What have I read that’s bold? Francine Rivers’s Redeeming Love came to mind. I mean, what author decides to write a novelization of the Book of Hosea? Who even reads Hosea? Yet that’s what Francine decided to do.
The book released in its CBA version in 1997 but first was published for the general market in1991. Here’s a review that was written based on the 1997 version:
From Library Jo
urnal
“Rivers has rewritten a secular historical romance of the same name (Bantam, 1991) for the Christian market, and it is a splendid piece of work exploring both physical love and a love of God. Angel, a young, hardened prostitute sold into ‘the life’ as a child, has no interest in God or religion. Then she meets Michael Hosea, a devout Christian who tells her it is his mission to save her. After being badly beaten, Angel decides to take Michael up on his offer of marriage. Eventually, she learns not only to love Michael but to love God as well. There is not one false note in this wonderful novel. The publisher’s foreword rates the book ‘PG’ for its adult themes and subplots of rape and incest. However, these are handled with great sensitivity and are very much a part of the story’s development. Very highly recommended for most libraries.”
Francine wasn’t the only bold one. Multnomah, the publisher for this book, took a big risk to release a book with such a provocative storyline. As a matter of fact, the owner of Multnomah wrote a long foreword in which he explained why he had chosen to take that risk.
This bold move has a happy ending. Redeeming Love immediately was embraced by the Christian market and continues to pop up on the CBA best-seller list several times each year. By 2005, it had sold more than one million copies, and in 2007 (the most recent figures I could find) it still was selling more than 100,000 copies per year. I’d say it struck a chord.
Let’s time travel back to that decade for a minute to consider the context in which the book was produced. CBA publishers considered including in a book the suggestion that a child had been sexually molested, the depiction of brothels and prostitutes, and even allusions to sexual relations intolerable. I remember the furor the book caused when it was released; writing about such topics was headline news.
One other thought I have regarding the idea of being bold, not bland is that such a decision doesn’t give a writer license to be brash. Brash people are heedless of consequences, pushing boundaries for the sake of doing so, uninhibited and lacking in restraint. (Just checked out my Webster’s and found many of these descriptors there.)
We avoid being brash when we ask ourselves why we’re really wanting to write on a certain topic, or to write about it in a certain way. What mission do we hope to accomplish by the writing of this particular piece? to shock? to make headlines? to provide insight? to touch those are hurting?
Francine writes about the affect Redeeming Love has had on readers here. I think that helps us to understand a bit about her mission in writing the novel.
Now, three questions for you:
1. What have you read that’s bold?
2. Is your WIP bold, bland or brash?
3. What would you write if you weren’t afraid? (Now’s the time to be bold and to name it.)
1. The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley. The first line reads, “Dear You, the body you are now wearing used to be mine.”
It’s the story of Myfanwy Thomas, who wakes up in a park, surrounded by bodies, with no memory of who she is. In her coat pocket, she finds a letter from her former self, instructing her how to survive without her memories. She must return to her job impersonating her old self, and find out who took her memories, without letting anyone know that she isn’t the same Myfanwy she used to be. O’Malley managed to write a story about two different Myfanwy Thomases, make them both interesting, and write a damn funny book.
Sounds like a great premise.
I just finished Under a Southern Sky by Deb Raney. A missionary wife’s husband dies in the field and she returns home to have his child. After a year or two, she falls in love again and remarries. She’s pregnant with her second husband’s child when the first husband escapes captivity (he was badly injured, but not killed) and resurfaces. Who will she choose?
Typically I like to consider how an author will resolve a novel. Not this time! It was devastating to even consider. The resolution was beautiful and just right. And bold!
As for what I’m afraid to write? Nothing at the moment. I think the fear may come after having some success and being afraid of jeopardizing that. At the moment, I have nothing to lose!
Sarah, thanks for not spoiling the ending of Deb Raney’s novel!
You’re right about success being great breeding ground for fear. I have a client who has been stuck two years trying to decide what to write next because of the pressure to increase sales with every book she writes.
1. Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy. When the film released I remember thinking, “Oh, I have to see if it does the book justice.”
2. WIP has moments of bold. 🙂
3.If I were brave, really brave, I would tackle a political thriller.
Prince of Tides is a good example, Kathryn.
Congrats on your moments of boldness. So, okay, what’s stopping you from writing that political thriller?
I was just talking to a writing buddy about Redeeming Love. It’s such a powerful book, and its power partially comes from the grittiness…and realness. To see a character change so completely was amazing, but we had to see where she really came from in order to really see God’s transforming power in her life.
The first book I wrote including rape as well, so I think I’m bold, but not just for the sake of being bold. There has to be a point, and that point has to glorify God.
Lindsay, I would also add that being bold needs to make sense in light of the plotline. I’ve seen writers toss in a social issue to make an ordinary plot seem extraordinary. But if that issue doesn’t develop organically from who the characters are, it falls flat and comes across as forced. Redeeming Love, as you said, had to explore complex and gritty issues or it wouldn’t be an honest depiction of the characters, or truly a reflection of Hosea.
I completely agree, Janet.
Lindsay, I thought of you when I read this, because of our conversation yesterday. Redeeming Love is one of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read and its boldness is what keeps me returning to it time after time.
Janet, I’m doing bold right now.
The idea’s been swirling in my head for five years, and finally it just had to come out. I’m loving it.
It comes from my husband’s last twelve years as a pastor and from seeing where newly saved adults are coming from. They often have such extreme pasts, lifestyles of partying, addiction, immorality. Even though that’s no longer who they are and they seem just like all the other Christians in the church, they struggle with that spiritual baggage. That’s where I wanted to go.
Sally, that idea could make a very compelling novel. I’m sure those five years of incubation helped immensely to form the novel.
Thanks, Janet. I’m hoping you guys think so when I’m ready to submit. 🙂 And you’re right. Those years really developed the story. It’s coming faster than I’ve ever imagined. But I hope I don’t have five years before the next one. So . . . hm.
I think my manuscript has components of bold, but not just for the sake of it. I feel its the reality many of us know. Life is not always tied up perfectly, there are rugged, rough edges. There needs to be space to cry out and for God to redeem. I seek renewal on a daily basis, I love to read about characters on the same journey. I love fiction that challenges.
My most recent favorite of the bold, challenging nature, The Help by: Kathryn Stockett.
Lisa, The Help is a favorite novel of mine as well. It was bold for a white woman to decide to portray life in the ’60s South from the POV of both black and white characters.
I love the idea of bold, Janet! My first book was quite bold and grew out of some experiences my husband had in a graduate program. I still love the idea, but it needs some work, considering what I’ve learned since I wrote it nearly two years ago. My current WIP, an interracial romance, feels bold to me. Isn’t bold where we get the best conflict?
Does the best conflict come from bold ideas? Hm, that’s an interesting premise. It doesn’t *guarantee* strong conflict, especially if the writer isn’t mature enough in her craft or is stretching too far to be bold, thus stretching beyond the adage, “Write what you know.”
Being bold, I think, is a risky idea, regardless how you look at it.
Janet, I love this post! When I think of bold, I think of Tosca Lee’s Demon and Havah. They’re extraordinary books that really helped me visualize Bible figures in a new way.
As far as my own work? I always write what I want to write, so I guess I am bold in that.
Maybe for me being bold is writing the world as I see it? I don’t think anything I do is necessarily life-altering, but it’s very important to me.
Jill, Tosca Lee is a great example of a bold writer. Thanks for mentioning her.
Writing the world as you see it can definitely lead to some bold concepts. I’d say Tosca and Francine are two examples of that.
Janet, I just finished reading The Reason by William Sirls. It’s a life-changing book that engages the reader from beginning to end. It is the first book in a long while that left me sobbing by the end. (In an absolutely profound, glorious way!)
One day when I’m willing to move beyond my comfort zone, I’ll write about what it was like to live in and out of hospitals for four years with a chronically ill child. Just now, the pain is still too fresh and raw. But perhaps…that’s where we draw our bold insights from?
Cynthia, I’m not familiar with The Reason; I’ll have to check it out.
You’re so wise not to rush to write about a painful personal experience. I find that authors need to step away from those seasons and give themselves plenty of distance before attempting to write about them.
Even then, some of my finest authors, when they try to write about those moments, are so wrapped up in what the experience entailed that their personal trials overshadow their knowledge of how to execute a story well.
1. What have you read that’s bold?
I listened to the “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”. It was all done with letters which I think can be difficult for fiction to be written in. It takes place immediately after World War II. In it there is a love relationship between a British citizen and German army doctor. She has his daughter (out of wedlock) and ends up eventually in a concentration camp. Her friends end up raising the child.
2. Is your WIP bold, bland or brash?
I hope bold however I need to strive not to be brash and definitely not bland.
3. What would you write if you weren’t afraid? (Now’s the time to be bold and to name it.)
Since my WIP in progress has a religous component (namely clergy) I need curb my tongue when it comes to some of the stuff going on in my religous community. I wish I didn’t have to but since some of it is based on truth it would be better not to be that bold. Hence the brazen.
Lori, it sounds as though you’re tuned in to the fine wire you’re dancing on as you work to be bold, not brash. It’s very challenging when you’re writing from your life.
OOOH, when Frank Peretti came out with THIS PRESENT DARKNESS, that was BOLD. He tackled those paranormal topics in Christian fiction that hadn’t been given a second glance before.
And I so agree–bold for the sake of bold (or edgy for the sake of pushing the edge) will be an epic fail. If there are astonishing or brand-new concepts, they have to be wrapped up in excellent writing and an effective message.
I agree on THE HELP, too. She really took a chance writing the dialogue/dialect for that book, and though at times I thought, “Hm, is that the way it was said?” the plot of the book propelled us forward.
And yes, my book is bold in that it’s a different time period/culture that’s important, but often overlooked–one in which Christianity was making inroads into paganism and one in which North America was “discovered” by the Norsemen, not Columbus. A time period in which a woman traveled with her husband into the great unknown…but I’m afraid I might’ve been too bold when I chose to write about Vikings. Sometimes it seems writing to market trumps story, even stories of historical significance.
Heather,
I hope that your story finds just the right agent and publisher. Your Viking story may just change the market and start a Viking trend. After all, how many stories about boy wizards were there BEFORE Harry Potter came along?
Thanks, Christine. Good perspective there! I’m thinking it’s just hard as a debut author to carve your way into a new niche. Easier to get in w/a mainstream book, then segue back to your out-of-the-box book…unless God pushes your book forward for some reason (definitely what I’m praying for!).
Heather, Frank Peretti deserves a place in the pantheon of the bold, for sure. And his book was such a breakthrough for the whole industry in terms of not just paranormal but also fiction in general.
You are bold to write about the Vikings. Handling the spiritual side of that probably has lots of challenges.
Thank you, Janet. Yes, I love that Peretti wrote what God laid on his heart. I found it so interesting in the course of my research to see how paganism (contrary to what secular historical fiction says), actually repressed the people (esp. women) more. Christianity was freeing for the Vikings.
My current WIP is about a young man who makes one terrible decision, which leads to a disastrous outcome for him, and his fiancé, in 1857 Minnesota Territory. My book deals with theft, murder, prostitution, infidelity and dishonesty – because that was the nasty reality of a male dominant frontier town in that era. Until I wrote this list above, I didn’t realize how bold my WIP really is, but what I love even more about my story is God’s forgiveness and His redemptive promise to those who call upon His name. Until we write about the horrors in this world, we can’t write about our need for a Savior. Francine Rivers wrote one of the most beautiful love stories ever told – or better yet, retold, from the heart of God.
If your protagonist commits any of the acts you listed, then, yes, you’re being bold all right.
This comment made me experience a ‘lightbulb’ moment for my own WIP. Thanks.
Several years ago I decided to “go for it” and
dive into a dramatic story about the Everglades.
After lots of work and tweaking, I ended up with
a long short story unlike anything else I’ve written. It was fun.
Isn’t that the best part of just going for it–how much fun you can have! We forget that taking risks can be exhilarating as well as scary.
Catherine Palmer’s The Happy Room, about adult MKs dealing with their emotional baggage from being missionary kids, struck me as bold, dealing with a very delicate and complex topic in both a brave and sensitive way. She was writing from personal experience, but seemed to have reached a point of healing from which to write. Powerful book; I only read it once, but it stuck with me, and I’ve often thought of it in relation to adult MKs I know.
As for me…I hope and think my WIP has elements of boldness. Certainly all I have learned about Navajo and Native American history in general while writing it–and about my own culture’s part in that–has shaken me (and my characters!) up, and may shake some readers too. But I hope it’s in a good way. Thank you for this post, Janet–very thought-provoking!
Kiersti, oh, yeah, I forgot about The Happy Room. That’s another good example.
I think writing about Native Americans for the CBA market is bold. We’ve been told such books are hard to sell. Oh, yeah? Just how do we know that?
Wow, there are some great books mentioned here. One of the boldest books I’ve read lately was The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. (Not CBA) It was an extraordinary look at a girl raised in the foster care system.
Another recent read was Island of the World by Michael O’Brien. I believe this was published by a Catholic publisher. The author, through his main character, expressed so beautifully the evils of communism and, often, the shortcomings of America’s freedom.
I hope my WIP is bold. I never intend to write “issue” fiction, but those issues always crop up in the pages. I do tire of reading the boring and bland.
Thanks for adding to our list of bold books, Robin.
Yup, letting issues grow out of your characters’ lives rather than starting out wanting to write about an issue is the best way to make for a good read.
Robin, I was fortunate enough to help promote Vanessa’s book. The reviewers loved it. Her experience with the foster care system definitely made it realistic for her readers.
1. What have you read that’s bold?
Ted Dekker writes some bold fiction. He’s not afraid to delve into the dark side to create a message of light.
2. Is your WIP bold, bland or brash?
I think it’s bold. Especially when one considers the killer. If he doesn’t make my wife’s skin crawl, I’m rewriting it. There’s a good chance some church people (not my congregation though) will misunderstand the book and think I’m twisted. Yeah, that’ll be cool.
3. What would you write if you weren’t afraid? (Now’s the time to be bold and to name it.)
I’d write my current WIP. Even if I never find an agent when it’s done, I’ll be satisfied with my beta readers having nightmares. GRIN
P.J., Ted Dekker just had to show up on our list as an inevitable choice. Yup, bold.
I can tell you’re making a bold move with your WIP. Feels good, doesn’t it?
Fascinating post, Janet. Thought provoking…
I write what I feel God has on my heart to write. I write historical fiction and tackle hardships, atrocities and following our convictions within war and society.
There are bold elements in my MS. I think the fact that my book is written from an American-raised Nazi woman’s POV is bold and unique. I haven’t found many books from that POV.
Perhaps this question is a good one for plotting your WIP. Is it bland or bold? And further more…how can your plot naturally become more bold?
I can’t think of a single risky topic that isn’t mentioned in the Bible. Try reading the prophets if you want some gore! It’s hard to guess what will and won’t offend people. My first book is about a kid who thought he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin so he had to figure out what Jesus would do in Middle School. (Etta Wilson liked the concept.)But only one Christian school let me do a book signing because all the others thought the concept was too risky so the book didn’t sell well.
Janet, that’s a good insight about risky topics being pretty well covered in the Scripture. I never thought of it that way.
What a great discussion thread and post! Brave books that come to mind right away in addition to many of those mentioned above:
(1) The Oak Leaves, by Maureen Lang. She presents two parallel, tightly intertwined tales in a frame story format, each dealing with the genetics of Autism: one in a present-day setting, one in 1800’s England. The themes are deep, the takeaway huge, and the lessons genuine as she herself has experience with the issues addressed.
(2) Along the same lines of semi-autobiographical fiction: Words by Ginny Yttrup is a must-read. It is difficult to read due to the themes, as was Redeeming Love, but in like manner it unfolds a journey from brokenness to healing in Christ.
(3) Safely Home by Randy Alcorn changed the way I viewed the world. It brings us right into the heart of the persecuted church in China, through the lives of characters we come quickly to care deeply for.
Safely Home is one of my absolute favorite stories. It was one of my top choices for bold stories.
That’s a great list, Amanda.
Hi Janet,
What have I read that’s bold? I think Tosca Lee’s books are wonderfully ‘bold’ – her new book, Iscariot, is sure to burn down a few boundaries. Besides, she also writes with Ted Dekker, another ‘bold’ author.
My WIP: bold, bland or brash? Hm. I have a ‘safe’ series; one that fits nicely into all the CBA categories. It’s not boring or bland, but it’s safe. But I’m also working on my final revision of RESTORATION, a story about a marriage that falls apart because of the wife’s infidelity, then is restored because of God’s grace AND the husband’s and wife’s willingness to CHANGE! The boldness, I believe comes not from the affair (although, too often we read stories about the GUY having an affair and how the poor woman copes), but from the VERY DIFFICULT decision to try again, to change, to allow God to come in and restore. It is one of the most treacherous roads to travel for a marriage.
What would I write if I weren’t afraid? I LOVE medieval history. I would write a sweeping saga about Castle Bolton in the Yorkshire Dales, or something luscious like that. And someday I’ll pull out my old MS about Sir Phaelan (The Wolf), and Lady Genevieve (not THAT one) and get them published. Someday.
So you see, I’m game! I’m willing to do the ‘safe’ thing while making sure it’s not boring, but I’m chomping at the bit to ‘tell it like it is,’ too.
Great questions, Janet. Keeping you in my prayers!
Thanks for your comments, Becky. Safe is sometimes just the right thing to write, but I gotta say that medieval novel sounds pretty delicious. Just pretend I didn’t tempt you with that, okay?
A couple of novels come to mind when I think about BOLD. All three, I’m sorry to say, are old. The book that leapt to my mind was HUCKLEBERRY FINN. I am in awe of the courage that it took for Mark Twain to write, just a couple decades after the Civil War, a novel in which the friendship and journey of a slave and an illiterate, abused child shines a spotlight on the evils of slavery and racism.
I think Mary Stewart’s THE CRYSTAL CAVE was bold in a different way. Instead of going with the stereotypical old, gray-haired, bearded Merlin in the long robes and pointy hat, she wrote a novel about the young Merlin, and she developed not only an engaging character but an enduring one. The young Merlin of her book, does have the gift of foresight and visions, but he mostly deals with the conflicts he encounters (some of which are life-threatening) by using his intelligence, education and cunning. Her Merlin is not a cartoon character, but a flesh and blood person. I see echos of her character in the BBC tv series MERLIN (which is bold in its own way by changing significant parts of the legend–Guenevere as a servant!–and still managing to stay true to the heart of the legend).
Finally, I think that J.K. Rowling was bold in the way she portrayed Harry’s abusive home situation. Of course, Cinderella didn’t exactly have it good at home, but having Harry psychologically, verbally and sometimes physically abused in a real world (21st Century London) setting strikes a chord. In all honesty, I found it disturbing at first, but I think she was right to make it real. Novels such as the GAME OF THRONES series may be violent but they are set far away in a fantasy land. Having Harry abused in the real world kept Rowling’s stories from being just another fairy tale. Then when children began to be tortured and murdered in the wizarding world, it couldn’t be dismissed as a fantasy because Harry’s life with the Dursleys had already grounded the story in reality.
In regards to my own writings, my adult WIP is about an abused child who grows up with serious emotional and psychological problems and how those problems and his illness affect his best friend. It deals with the question of how much anyone can–or should–endure for love and whether or not a human being can love unconditionally. It has not been an easy story to tell (it takes a lot out of me emotionally) and I don’t think it will be an easy story to read. If I were to be really bold, I would make getting this story published my priority because I really believe in the characters and they story they have to tell. However, I can’t be that bold because I want a writing career, so I need to be able to develop a brand. In all honesty, I’m not sure I have another novel like this one in me. So I am focusing on my YA fantasy. I already know what I can write about for a second book and have at least two more ideas for other books. Thus, I can’t be bold and present my psychological mystery at this time. I do hope to publish it at some point in the future.
Is my YA fantasy bold? I think so, in some ways. It’s not “edgy,” which worries me because that seems to be the key word currently in YA. But I do think I’ve taken some bold moves with it. I do have some recognizable fantasy characters–a dragon, a unicorn and a Faerie–but the fantasy world is primarily filled with beings that are a little different from stock fantasy types. No bats, werewolves, witches, vampires, etc. The creatures that roam the story are inspired by Celtic folklore. Even my Faerie isn’t typical. She is human-sized and doesn’t have wings. Currently she is visiting her aunt who lives incognito among humans and it’s been both fun and challenging to imagine the culture shock for a Faerie who’s just come into the human world.
The boldest part of the story comes towards the end when a Dragon King tries and nearly succeeds in seducing her, not just to give herself to him physically, but also to give up her soul to him in order to obtain her ultimate desire: to become a dragon.
Blessings on your day, Janet. (BTW Hosea is one of my favorite OT books 🙂 ).
Christine, thanks for your thoughtful response. Those are good examples of bold books! And it sounds as though you have plenty of bold thoughts for your own writing.
You are the first commenter to say Hosea is one of your favorite OT books. It’s just not the sunniest concept for a book…
1. Riven, by Jerry B. Jenkins, is one of the boldest books I’ve ever read. It takes impressive writing to pull of the climax of that book!
2. I’m just starting my current WIP, and I think it has lots of potential to be bold.
3. Someday I want to write stories about Christians being God’s hand and feet to orphans in third world countries. I’d love to write books that inspire people to act on behalf of “the least of these.”
Yup, Riven definitely is a bold book. What a wonderful mission you’ve set for yourself in your #3 answer. Plenty of room to be bold with those stories!
1. Anything by Flannery O Connor. A catholic writer at a time when it was socially acceptable to discriminate against catholics, who revealed the often unsavory truths of both “christian” culture and secular culture.
Anything by Faulkner. Like O Connor, bold not only in style but subject.
Contemporary writers…..I dunno. I don’t feel like there is a lot being done in literature. For boldness in the art of storytelling I feel it is best to look at film nowadays.
2. Literally bold. Font-wise in some places at least…. 🙂
3. I may have said this before, but with how utterly absurd the industry is, if one is going to get a billion “this is not what we are looking for” letters, why not have fun and be passionate about what you are going to write in the first place?
Flannery O’Connor’s protagonists weren’t exactly the popular homecoming queen types either; she boldly wrote about people society considers “unlovely.”
Larry, there’s definitely something to be said for just pulling the plug and writing what you love. But it might well be an act of giving up on traditional publishing. Each writer must make that decision.
Facinating blog post and comments that followed. I don’t know if my WIP is BOLD but like Francine Rivers I am planning to rewrite a book of the Bible in a different setting – Esther. I plan to write it as my NaNoWriMo project.
I hope to write it in a similar style as The Hunger Games, a book I was captivated by in the summer.
Actually that is a very BOLD story – the idea of children killing other children is abhorent but I couldn’t put the books down.
You can read my blog about my WIP ideas here http://re-ravelling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-plot-so-far.html
Actually that is a very BOLD story – the idea of children killing other children is abhorent but I couldn’t put the books down.
I thought it was done better in “Lord of the Flies.”
I was discussing this with a colleague and they mentioned that the “Hunger Games” is also startling similiar to some sort of Japanese comic book from some years ago; “Royal Battle” or “Battle Royale” or something like that.
Note: strange how something so violent and seemingly taboo (due to the ages of the characters in the “Hunger Games” and Royal Whatever) can appeal across cultures. Guess that is one of those things we can chalk up to the Fall of the entire human race, I guess.
Wow! What a neat post to get you thinking on a Monday. I thought of Frank Peretti right away as I was reading. Ten Thousand Charms by Allison Pittman was also bold. It takes place in a brothel. Actually, all three books in her Crossroads of Grace series have some connection to the brothel. Though perhaps not as bold in 2006, as when Rivers released her book, I still think it takes a special writer to make you care so much about the characters you find in that series. Multnomah was also the publisher in this case.
I fear I am a bit on the bland side. Not intentionally, it just works out the way that I write is more about everyday characters whose conflicts aren’t always controversial or life shattering.
As for what I would write if I weren’t afraid, I started an historical novel set in the 1870s where a dastardly man named McAlister returns to Colorado Springs a few years after he killed Robert Tucker’s brother. McAlister ends up raping Tucker’s wife, so you know a battle is destined to erupt. I haven’t had time to really plot out the rest of the story, yet, because I’ve been concentrating on the children’s market. I would love to get back to it, though.
Cheryl, hmm, bland children’s books? Hopefully they’re sweet; that’s generally a winner in the children’s arena.
Your historical sounds pretty raw, depending, of course, on how it’s written. But it definitely would be a challenge.
They are definitely sweet, but I wonder if that makes them a bit bland too. 🙁
As Sarah mentioned above, The Hunger Games is one of the boldest books (and trilogies) I’ve encountered. I found it so moving that Katniss, even with her admirable motives, was changed by the violence she experienced. It’s not that I don’t want to see a heroine rise above it all–that is an important role to present in literature. But it was so poignant to see her broken. The ending is truer for it.
I think what I learned, craft wise, from The Hunger Games is to let my characters hurt and fail as well as be heroic. Maybe we all wish we could be Captain America, always on the side of right, always the hero. But in reality, we are all Katniss, at times vulnerable, at times hardened, sometimes victorious, more often beaten, struggling to cope with the choices we’re given.
You certainly pegged an important aspect of The Hunger Games, that Katniss wasn’t victorious in the end. But it is a dystopian novel; so the ending isn’t too surprising.
Bold is almost my middle name. I love writing about interracial romances. Whether it be a black/white couple, or a human/humanoid alien couple.
In my current historical series, I have a running plot through the first two of secondary characters who have committed adultery, and must learn to live with the consequences of their choice. They eventually get their HEA in book three, but not without a lot of heartache in between.
In my science fiction series I have two heroes who are torn between being with the woman each loves, and doing what’s best for their race. This father and son are the aliens, and they’re also the heirs to their peoples’ throne. Every decision they make affects millions of people. Science fiction is a great place to play with themes of freedom, individual liberty and love. You can do it on a grand scale and really rip them apart.
Science fiction is a great venue in which to unleash your imagination, isn’t it, Rachel “Bold” Wilder?
Yes, it is! It’s the one genre I never thought I’d write, but here I am having the time of my life with it. It’s been such a freeing experience.
My WIP is bold in that I’m writing in a genre not often seen in the CBA, Christian Gothic Romance. My protagonist is struggling emotionally with things that I struggle with, and seeing this in writing makes me squirm sometimes. It reminds me that I need to address these same weaknesses in my own life, and that the Lord is graciously waiting to tackle them with me.
If I wasn’t afraid I would write a series of stand alone books about little known history from each state in the US. I have a stash of story ideas that I’m collecting.
Jenni, you’re so right that writing in a seldom-published genre is a bold move. But I wonder if a good Gothic wouldn’t be more accepted in CBA nowadays in light of the popularity of dystopian teen novels in the general market? I think that might make CBA readers more open to a dark novel.
The idea of little known historical moments from each state sounds intriguing, but it seems as though each moment needs to be momentous to make the concept work. I’m just saying that based on your one-sentence description; so I could be totally off with my thought.
1. Sherman Alexie is a bold author. I also think Louise Erdrich is another.
2. Hmm. I’m not sure if my writing is bold or not. The one line summary for my creative thesis for grad school is: A young woman’s seven year estrangement with her mother ends when her preschool age daughter begins to interact with the dead. The story is far enough along to meet graduation requirements, but not done.
3. I have another idea that I put aside when I started back to school 5 years ago, but now it’s time to bring it back out and rethink the premise again. Like my thesis, it also explores the supernatural. 🙂
Good questions! Thanks for posting them-I hadn’t thought about that older storyline until I read this post. Since I finish school in January, it’s time to start working on it again. 🙂