Please welcome Sherri Wilson Johnson, the author of To Dance Once More, to Christian Bookshelf Reviews!!
Do writers have a responsibility to their readers?
Sherri Wilson Johnson
When my children were young, I read to them. Later, they read to themselves books that I helped them choose. We looked for books that entertained and maybe even educated a little bit. We homeschooled, so often the books we read were textbooks or fiction recommended by the curriculum writers to correspond with or at least compliment their other subjects. Because we listened to the recommendations of people we respected, I had no fears about the books my children read. I knew they would not read something that was contrary to our lifestyle; that they would learn good character traits and often even learn something spiritual along the way.
As the years went on, it became harder and harder to monitor what my children read. At the library, just because something was categorized for the young reader, it didn’t mean it was something I deemed appropriate. Even I had a hard time finding something to read that would not crowd my mind with unnecessary garbage. I looked for authors who had built their reputations on writing with a purpose. If I am going to spend my minimal free time reading, I want the book I read, fiction or non, to leave me with something I can apply to my life to make it better – to leave me with a sense of accomplishment, of victory. My children learned to discern whether or not certain books/authors were worth their time just by watching me and the choices I made.
Do writers have this responsibility to their readers? I guess that’s up for discussion. Some writers write simply to entertain and not to impose their values onto their readers and certainly not to offer any type of guidance. The world we live in today is crammed full of bad things though. Readers want to escape the realities of this world. They want to believe that good conquers evil. That’s where the beauty of fiction comes in. It can be an escape. It can be fun. It can take the imagination to unimaginable places. It can also be a clever way to immunize the reader’s mind against the destructive forces of this world. But it doesn’t have to cause someone to stumble into wrongdoings or to open their eyes and desires to things of this world.
As a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, I gladly take on the responsibility to make sure that my readers walk away from reading my books feeling encouraged, entertained, challenged – but never led astray. Since I am a Christian, my books will be marketed as such. I want readers to be able to recommend my books – for a parent of a teen to recommend one of my Inspirational Romances to a parent of another teen – with confidence. I want readers to come back for more. The way I do this is to take on the responsibility of writing with a moral and spiritual compass, knowing that my readers will hold me accountable.
www.sherriwilsonjohnson.com
www.sherrijohnsonministries.com
https://twitter.com/swj_thewriter
http://sherrijinga.wordpress.com
Do writers have a responsibility to their readers?
Sherri Wilson Johnson
When my children were young, I read to them. Later, they read to themselves books that I helped them choose. We looked for books that entertained and maybe even educated a little bit. We homeschooled, so often the books we read were textbooks or fiction recommended by the curriculum writers to correspond with or at least compliment their other subjects. Because we listened to the recommendations of people we respected, I had no fears about the books my children read. I knew they would not read something that was contrary to our lifestyle; that they would learn good character traits and often even learn something spiritual along the way.
As the years went on, it became harder and harder to monitor what my children read. At the library, just because something was categorized for the young reader, it didn’t mean it was something I deemed appropriate. Even I had a hard time finding something to read that would not crowd my mind with unnecessary garbage. I looked for authors who had built their reputations on writing with a purpose. If I am going to spend my minimal free time reading, I want the book I read, fiction or non, to leave me with something I can apply to my life to make it better – to leave me with a sense of accomplishment, of victory. My children learned to discern whether or not certain books/authors were worth their time just by watching me and the choices I made.
Do writers have this responsibility to their readers? I guess that’s up for discussion. Some writers write simply to entertain and not to impose their values onto their readers and certainly not to offer any type of guidance. The world we live in today is crammed full of bad things though. Readers want to escape the realities of this world. They want to believe that good conquers evil. That’s where the beauty of fiction comes in. It can be an escape. It can be fun. It can take the imagination to unimaginable places. It can also be a clever way to immunize the reader’s mind against the destructive forces of this world. But it doesn’t have to cause someone to stumble into wrongdoings or to open their eyes and desires to things of this world.
As a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, I gladly take on the responsibility to make sure that my readers walk away from reading my books feeling encouraged, entertained, challenged – but never led astray. Since I am a Christian, my books will be marketed as such. I want readers to be able to recommend my books – for a parent of a teen to recommend one of my Inspirational Romances to a parent of another teen – with confidence. I want readers to come back for more. The way I do this is to take on the responsibility of writing with a moral and spiritual compass, knowing that my readers will hold me accountable.
www.sherriwilsonjohnson.com
www.sherrijohnsonministries.com
https://twitter.com/swj_thewriter
http://sherrijinga.wordpress.com
Sherri Wilson Johnson is the author of To Dance Once More and Song of the Meadowlark. She is from Georgia, has been married since 1988, and is a former homeschooling mom. She loves to write, read, eat ice cream, ride roller coasters and make people laugh. She loves Jesus and hopes to spread His love to the whole world through her writing.
About To Dance Once More:
To Dance Once More is the story of Lydia Jane Barrington, a Victorian debutante. Lydia lives on a plantation in Florida under the watchful eye of her father. She's quite an independent young lady who does not want to fall into the trap (as she sees it) that her mother and sisters have fallen into-marriage and motherhood. She wants to travel the world and experience life before giving her heart to a man. One day, her eyes are opened to love and no matter what, she cannot forget the blissful feeling it causes. She begins to believe that love isn't such a bad thing after all. Then she discovers a secret that prohibits any of her dreams from ever coming true. She begins a quest to free herself and her family from a future of bondage. Hearts are broken and lives are torn apart because of Lydia's own selfishness. Will she surrender to a call that God placed on her life and be able to experience love after all? You'll have to read the book to find out. Here's a link to the sneak peek: http://sherriwilsonjohnson.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/to-dance-once-more-media1.pdfBook Giveaway!
Sherri generously offered to give away an eBook copy of her book, To Dance Once More!! Open Internationally!!
Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter below (here is a tutorial, if you aren't familiar with Rafflecopter). The mandatory entry is to leave a comment on this blog post - after you do that, the other entries will become available. :)
In your comment, answer this question for Sherri:
"Do you look to Christian authors to lead you in any way? In other words, do you feel authors have the responsibility not to guide you wrongly?"
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