Mom was right – you can’t please everybody
29 July 2009
As a kid, I loved being the center of attention. And since I’m an only child, this happened quite frequently. Somewhere along the way—I’m not sure when—I decided I’d rather hang out on the sidelines. I still feel that way. I’m more comfortable over here, and the quieter I stay, the smaller the chance is that I’ll embarrass myself. (Though I still manage to do that fairly frequently.)
Today I read a review for Me, Just Different that has me feeling a strange mix of embarrassed, misunderstood, and like I want to run back for those sidelines. The review was largely nice. Sounds like the reader enjoyed the book, enjoyed the characters, and enjoyed the conflict, but did not enjoy the quietness of the spiritual thread. As in she would have preferred the book end with Skylar leading all her friends in the sinner’s prayer. And I know book reviews are about books and not authors, but, you know … ouchie.
My general market audience will often find my books too spiritual, too judgmental. My extreme Christian audience will wonder why I don’t mention Jesus by name. I’ve read really Christian books I loved (Lisa Samson’s Quaker Summer comes to mind) and really Christian books I’ve hated. I don’t have a problem reading them, I just have a problem writing them. Same as I have problems writing stories that ignore God’s existence. And it’s how I’ve somehow landed myself in the middle. Kinda like Esther in the Bible. God’s name isn’t on a single page of it, but His hand is all over it.
So, for the record: Mom, you were totally right. I can’t please everybody. What I do needs to be for an audience of One.
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