Keepin’ It Real Y’all
Dear Blog Friends and Readers,
I love to get reader emails. I don't always get the time to respond to all of them, but I read every single one. They brighten my day, give me encouragement, and allow me yet another way, when I'm able, to connect with readers, young and old. Every writer gets her share of critical emails as well. That's just part of it. About two or three times a year, I will receive one that questions my word choice, the level of PDA, a character's motivations, MY motivations, the book's level of spiritual content, and MY level of spiritual content. Again, part of it. For the emails in which there is some serious question of my judgment of teen content, I make sure I respond. Usually quickly. Always respectfully. And always honest.
I don't often talk about writing on here, as there are so many writing related blogs out there, I choose not to join the crowd. Plus they do it so much better. I don't often discuss my own spiritual beliefs on here, my faith, because I am not called to offer devotions. And there are so many devotion sites out there, and again, they are done so much better than I ever could. My goal, in my books and for my blog (and Twitter and Facebook…) is to entertain. It's to show the love and light of Christ through hopefully an entertaining story and through what is hopefully the ministry of humor and joy. Anytime I stray away from that, it kicks me in the butt. My joy, my strength is in humor and levity. We are most successful and effective when we're operating from our sweet spot.
So all that to say, today I'm straying from course, and I'm going to share an email and share my thoughts on teen content. Not sharing this to call this reader out. Not sharing this to make anyone feel bad or use my forum to try and prove they're wrong. Just to say, “Here's where I stand” and “Here's why I write how and what I do.”
Email I received with some editing/removal of extra info:
Subject: Why Jenny?
I consider you my favorite author, and loved the Katie parker series. I have read it three times and continue to laugh out loud every time:) The humor in your books is the best part, and I loved how the humor in the KP books I could read to my brothers all under 10.
So I was ultra excited when Bella Kirkwood and her woes became available! I finished the first one last night, but am wondering if I'm going to read the rest. You had a great plot, and I love the mystery, especially “investigative journalism” in the trash. The characters were great, and I was never bored. Since your a writer, you no doubt understand the “mental images” that descriptions and details cause. Well, at the end, my head was filled with make-out scenes, a boy in a towel, etc- Also, the humor wasn't as clean in this book as in the KP books. I read your books so I could fill my head of Godly character and not junk. I understood the make-out scene, but the book did not need the boy in a towel, the “craps” you used often and the cheating boyfriends. I completely understand why the plot needed a cheating boyfriend (that sounds weird:), but I didn't need a mental picture:) I want to challenge you to write a step above secular writers, and keep your upcoming books CLEAN! Robin Jones Gunn is another author I love. She does a wonderful job with her Christy and Todd books, and she is super popular. Even her books for women are clean. I always finish her books with a head full of peace and knowledge that God does have a plan for my life and that he fulfill my life more than any boy ever could. I;m pretty sure that's what your going for too:)
I want to encourage you to keep a high standard in your books. I know you teach a teach at a public school, but remember that your standards shounld be super high since you are an influencial christian author! Thanks for all you do for me and many others, and please continue to do so:)
PS. I love for Ice Cream too, but refuse to eat Ben and Jerry. They are gay and openly support the gay/lesbian rights movenment., The Bible says marriage is between one man and one woman, and you are giving away a lot of free advertising for a not so Godly cause:)
And here is my response:
Thank you for the email. I appreciate and respect your opinions. You should be very proud of the high moral standard you've set for yourself.
First off let me say that I agree that if a book gives you impure thoughts/images in your head, then avoid it. Robin Jones Gunn is a great author NOT to avoid and I'd encourage you to read her and fabulous authors like her.
My goal has never been, and until God convicts, will never be to write without that sense of reality that is true for many, many teens. As you know, I do teach in a public school, and I want my books to be something my public school girls can relate to–from the conservative Christian to the liberal to the atheist. So while i don't want to PROMOTE sex and various other sins/vices, I also don't want to shy away from reality. We live in a day when unfortunately sex begins in middle school for a large percentage of teens/preteens. So while I want to stay true to Christian values, I also want to stay authentic to the life of your average teen. And girl, you are not average, and that is something to be very proud of. And believe me, my version of teen life in my books is still so cleaned up from the real deal.
Christian fiction often gets accused of being white-washed and unrealistic, and that is where I'm convicted to show that isn't necessarily true. I'm glad the Holy Spirit guides you in setting aside reading that might be too much. But know that there is ministry in just being real and relevant, and that is my goal.
And as for Ben and Jerry's, if you searched for a national company that did not support/hire homosexuals, you would be able to count them on one hand. This would include Wal-Mart, Sams Club, Costco, Target, Kohls, Best Buy, Old Navy, etc. My buying their products does not turn a man to seek out another man, just as my refusing to buy their products does not show the love of Christ. In the Bible, Christ changed lives and attitudes with acts of love–not shunning. It's hard–especially when I don't believe the same thing as another, whether that be homosexuality or politics–but I am not called to point out the mistakes of others without having a strong love walk in place.
Thank you for contacting me.
Jenny Jones
(end email)
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Every author wants to please every single reader. But every author knows that is impossible. For every email I get that says, “Your stuff is insulting,” I get 50 that say the opposite. For every review I get that says, “The Christian content was so heavy,” I get some from the same book that will say, “Jesus was barely mentioned.” Just like there are different churches and denominations in the Christian faith, there are different ways of writing in the faith. When I think of my audience as I write, I always, always think of my classroom. Though I teach in a public school, you might be surprised to know I have a large number of Conservative Christian teens in my room. But I also have the full spectrum of every other kind of belief (and non-belief). And I just want to speak to where they're all at. The word that I want to sum up my writing, before spiritual, before entertaining, EVEN before funny, is relevant. If I'm not relevant, I don't need to be in the game. If you look at any YA book section, even the small one at Wal-Mart, what do you see? You see that darkness is winning, from cover color to content. That's what teens are reading. That's where they live. And I'm not going to reach them by preaching at them, criticizing them, or showing them the model life that they SHOULD live, but yet can't relate to.
This was the longest blog post in the history of the Zippity Blog. I'm just throwing this all out there because it's important you know that my stories are not something I take lightly. The teen culture is not something I take lightly. Nothing I write is for shock value or to be “cool.” Poor Bella Kirkwood and Katie Parker would be total Pollyannas in the real world of teen life (which I would applaud), and what you see in the books is a tiny, TINY fraction of the reality of the pressures and pitfalls of teen life. I see worse just stepping into the ladies' room at school. The Millennials are a culture in crisis. Let's all run the race together, operating from YOUR level of conviction, from YOUR mode of talent and calling, and together we can affect some change.
You are most welcome to leave comments, but NOT to flame this reader who was kind enough to email me with her concerns and NOT to attack her beliefs. Presenting an accurate portrayal of the struggles of a Christian is near and dear to my heart, and I'd be glad to discuss, no matter what side you're on.
See you on Monday where I'll break character AGAIN and discuss…writing. You won't want to miss it.
Loving that what I do makes people think–whether I agree or not,
JEN
(Photo credit: 2daydesign)
