The Great Debate: Which Genre is Better?

One sure-fire way to strike a nerve with writers is to diss what they do.

Intentional or unintentional, it rattles the doors of debate within the writing world.   Some folks try to temper their stance with awkward pleasantries while others are embarrassingly rude about their opinion.

I think what’s disturbing is the fact that so much of their logic is based on personal preference, pure and simple.

Because I write, naturally, I’m drawn to bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops where other booklovers/writers hang out. It’s always fascinating to overhear the differing perspectives as people thumb through their selections with their friends or discuss over a cup of coffee who’s reading/writing what.

One of today’s hot button topics (among writers anyway) seems to be which genre is better?

Which worlds resonate with readers? Is it the dark and depressing? The sunny and light? The quick and intense? Justice over grace? How about fact versus fiction?

Because I write Christian fiction, obviously, that genre’s what I read most.  There’s more liberty in today’s Christian fiction than ever before. Just because we write from a biblical perspective, it doesn’t mean we’re prudes, pantywaists, or afraid to tackle the unsavory. On the contrary. Christian fiction authors delve into the same hard-hitting topics that thousands of authors do in the general market. The difference is style, approach, and accountability to a higher authority.

In my opinion, writing a stream of profanity doesn’t showcase writing talent. Those are empty words to fill empty pages. Also, I think portraying facets of evil without consequences or some redemptive value compromise integrity.

With that said, though many of the books I read are within the CBA market, I do read others that aren’t. Because I write, that makes good sense. To stay at the top of our game, writers must be aware of today’s ever-changing market. Perhaps more importantly, knowledge really is power. To close ourselves off in a shuttered room is to miss out on opportunity–the opportunity to expand our minds and to read phenomenal stories by phenomenal authors.

There are still some genres that I draw the line at. Specific themes within some of those genres are: pornography, narcissistic-laden content, and anti-Christian rants purely for the sake of being controversial or divisive. There’s no redeeming value in ignorance disguised as art.

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Which genres are your favorites?

Which do you tend to shy away from?

Any particular themes that you refuse to read or weave into your stories?

Photo Credit: Suvro Datta/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Blessings Always,