Don't Kill Me Again

I love reading novels. Most of what I read is by Christian authors, like Ted Dekker, Bill Meyers, Lorena McCourtney.

It disturbs me that today's best-selling novelists find it necessary to include a murder, or several murders, in every book. I'm tired of it. It seems like a shortcut to building drama. In most of our real lives, there is plenty of drama apart from death. The novelist has to work a little bit to help the reader understand why a particular situation stirs deep emotions, but I much prefer that kind of skilled writing to multiple murders.

Another prevalent shortcut for novelists today is extramarital sex. You and I know that normal life is not filled with casual trysts with minimal consequences. Relationships between genders are incredibly varied and complicated. A writer enriches a story by showing the many shades of friendship. It takes a little more skill, of course, to keep a reader's interest without having to rely on bedroom scenes.

I want stories that have some connection to normal life, where people almost always die of natural causes, and loving relationships last a long, long time. I can relate to that.