Every day we are influenced by things in our lives. Be it people, circumstances, music, movies, or books, our thoughts and outlook on life are constantly changing. We continue to stretch and grow, and what we consume will either help us grow stronger, or weaker.
We’ve all heard the phrase You are what you eat. Equally true, I believe, is You are what you read.
The past few months, I’ve let myself go too far in my book selection, reading books because of their written quality rather than their moral quality. I’m embarrassed to say that some of my favorite books on Wattpad are also some of the worst books I’ve read, as far as content goes. The author is terrific, the story captivating, the characters lovable... and then they have to ruin it by having heavy sexual content and / or strong language. But the book – aside from the two latter things I mentioned – is so good that I keep reading anyway.
Maybe that’s the idea. I don’t know.
But I don’t want to read those kinds of books anymore.
I’m writing these reviews in hopes of helping you to make wiser (or at least more informed) decisions in your reading choices than I have. I love the Book Rating feature on Wattpad, but the one problem with it is that it doesn’t give a reason for the rating.
That’s what I’m hoping to do with these reviews.
I find it disappointing that so many writers, Christian included, use language in their novels. From the prospective of a reader and a writer, let me tell you: it doesn’t add anything. Many writers believe that it adds intensity or authenticity, and yes, it does to a certain degree. But you know what? Non-profane words can have just as profound an effect, if not more so. Intensity is made up of more than the words you use. It’s the story, the character, the momentum you’ve built up that makes readers sit on the edge of their seats with wide eyes and a pounding heart. Not vulgarity.
And as far as authenticity, I don’t know of anyone who would read a book and think, “How odd. Richard didn’t swear when he shut his finger in the car door.” I realize that this is a silly example, but seriously. Who’s going to miss it? Does anyone really enjoy reading curse words? If you have a character who really does need to swear for authenticity’s sake (I’ve had some of those), then find a clever way to do it and spare us from having to read the actual word.
As far as sex... I don’t even want to go there. If you would like to hear my thoughts on the subject, you can PM me. The only thing I will say here is this: romantic novels are to women what pornography is to men.
You can blame it on the fact that I’m a Christian if you want to, because yes, as a Christian I want to glorify Christ in all that I do (which includes reading). But I assure you, Christian’s aren’t the only ones tired of finding this kind of content in every book they open.
I haven’t read very many books on Wattpad yet, but hopefully this small collection of reviews will help someone. And just as a shout-out / encouragement to all you budding writers out there... keep writing! Don’t feel like you have to stick to the status quo. There is more to a good story than sex, vampires, and hot quarterbacks. Be unique! Find the story that you were meant to write and write it. And don’t procrastinate. This world is in dire need of quality novels.
Just remember... you are what you read. So make sure to read the good stuff. :)
~Elizabeth Aira
