Ashley Hodges Bazer - Author
  • Home
  • Star Sailors
    • The Commodore >
      • Characters
    • The Princess >
      • Characters
    • The Skyjacker >
      • Characters
    • The Stowaway >
      • Characters
    • The Operative >
      • Characters
  • The Crown's Call
    • Heralds of the Crown >
      • Poison >
        • Characters
        • Deleted Scenes
      • Fusion >
        • Characters
        • Deleted Scene
      • Reconciled >
        • Characters
    • Rise of the Crown
    • Touch of the Crown >
      • Outlaw >
        • Characters
    • Champions of the Crown >
      • Asylum >
        • Characters
    • Fun Stuff >
      • The Timeline
      • The System
      • The Inhabitants >
        • Logia/Lumen/Ghosts
        • Strages/Crepusculum/Legacy
  • Time Spinners
    • In the Beginning >
      • Characters
  • Other Novels
    • Tinsel Pines Tales
    • Checkmate >
      • Characters
    • Once Upon a Heist >
      • Characters
      • Map of Paladia
      • Venefica's Curse
  • Bio
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Promo
    • Mamma Mia
  • Buy
  • Blog

Closing the Shades

2/6/2014

0 Comments

 
I am probably unlike most people. I know, God made each one of us to be unique individuals. I'm so glad for that! But I have an old soul. I am rather old-fashioned. And you know what? I kind of like it that way.

I didn't used to be like this. I had a dirty mouth and a devious mind. When I worked in theatre, I swore like a sailor. But something often comes along with age--maturity. That, coupled with God calling me to follow Him, changed my perspective on a lot of that.

Now, I'm not standing here in judgment of other people. I know better than that. After all, my Savior said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." But I have made certain choices for myself that allow me to feel safe in this world.

And one of those is keeping private things private.

I choose to reflect that in my writing. I don't care to read explicit scenes. That's why I wrote my novels without them. Certainly, they are implied. I like to leave the details up to the reader's imagination. That way, if a teenager chooses to pick up my book, they aren't getting an eyeful of something they aren't ready for.

Granted, most teenagers probably know more about those things than I do.

I love my story, Outlaw. The characters are a little grittier. More likely to participate in such activity. And yet, if you're reading with a more innocent perspective, you're not missing anything by the lack of explicit material. I never clearly define the relationship between the two main characters for that very reason.

I trust my readers to "get" it.

A few well-crafted lines can show a character to be a lascivious scourge. Or a wanton harlot. (How's that for old-fashioned words?!) Or an inexperienced ingénue. It's not that hard. I know the rules about show vs. tell, but these descriptions can easily be done without describing the act.

I find it disheartening that we, as a culture, are slipping into a place where this borderline pornography is accepted in literature. Yes, there's much worse stuff out there. Stuff even I haven't been exposed to. But I didn't read Fifty Shades of Gray and its series, simply because I've read works like it before. It's nothing new. But I'm tired of that. It's a quick and lazy way to reach an audience.

Of course, my works couldn't be compared with classic literature, but at least I'm going to be able to say they are classy.

All this to say, the art of reading is subjective. Those more explicit scenes may be the ones that really grab you. If that's the case, don't read my books. You won't find them there. But you will find exciting, thrilling adventure stories set among the stars with characters who demonstrate honor and goodness. And a bad guy or two thrown in for good measure.







ADDENDUM: I have a great number of friends who write romance novels and the like. My above post refers to the type books where the reader might not expect explicit material, whereas a romance reader would be aware of the choice they are making.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Duchess Writer

    Award-winning sci-fi author * Christ follower, wife, and mom * broadcast content producer. And yes, I am a real duchess. http://amzn.to/2eLTlH3  

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Tweets by @DuchessWriter

    Archives

    July 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    April 2018
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Star Sailors
    • The Commodore >
      • Characters
    • The Princess >
      • Characters
    • The Skyjacker >
      • Characters
    • The Stowaway >
      • Characters
    • The Operative >
      • Characters
  • The Crown's Call
    • Heralds of the Crown >
      • Poison >
        • Characters
        • Deleted Scenes
      • Fusion >
        • Characters
        • Deleted Scene
      • Reconciled >
        • Characters
    • Rise of the Crown
    • Touch of the Crown >
      • Outlaw >
        • Characters
    • Champions of the Crown >
      • Asylum >
        • Characters
    • Fun Stuff >
      • The Timeline
      • The System
      • The Inhabitants >
        • Logia/Lumen/Ghosts
        • Strages/Crepusculum/Legacy
  • Time Spinners
    • In the Beginning >
      • Characters
  • Other Novels
    • Tinsel Pines Tales
    • Checkmate >
      • Characters
    • Once Upon a Heist >
      • Characters
      • Map of Paladia
      • Venefica's Curse
  • Bio
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Promo
    • Mamma Mia
  • Buy
  • Blog