tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811101406548572887.post3731521881128937150..comments2023-08-02T15:59:15.371-07:00Comments on Nineveh's Crossing: An Open Letter to Christian Publishers and Producers about ENTERTAINMENTUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811101406548572887.post-20959212730646157012011-01-21T07:57:25.738-08:002011-01-21T07:57:25.738-08:00I could not agree more, Stan. I have always publi...I could not agree more, Stan. I have always published my fiction through “secular” publishing houses, for which I have received more than a little flak. But I have yet to read a novel (or see a film) with a “mesasge” that isn’t pretty much drek, so I stuck with publishers who care most about excellence. <br><br>I see two big problems in my field - First, Christian publishing houses lack real editors. When one of my novels is accepted for publication the first thing I get, after signing the contract, is several pages of critique. I have a year, sometimes more, to revise the book until it is PERFECT. The job of a good fiction editor is to direct the author in that revision; to point out plot and character problems, to be brutally honest about the useless and boring bits, and to make sure the final product is the author's best work. Emphasis on the word WORK.<br><br>The second problem is that many writers have an inflated view of their work. They do NOT want to spend time revising! And they do not want feedback that would force them to rethink, rework, rewrite. In other words, it seems to me that Christian publishing companies and those who write for them are more interested in getting a product to market than in producing an excelling product. <br><br>Some years back I was asked to review a book and write a promotional blurb. It was HORRIBLE. Absolutely horrible. I said I couldn’t in good conscience endorse the book, even though several high-profile Catholics had put their stamp of approval on it! The author called me (in a huff) and I told hiim point blank that it was nowhere near publishable as-is. It read like a very, very rough first draft. Of course he already had a publisher who wanted to put it out there YESTERDAY...I never heard from that writer again. <br><br>We ought to hold ourselves to a higher standard, period.<br><br>Keep up the good work, Stan. You are on a crusade I’ve believed in for decades.Kristine L. Franklinhttp://www.kristinefranklin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811101406548572887.post-6493481822237757392011-01-20T07:06:49.587-08:002011-01-20T07:06:49.587-08:00Burke, your first album INDEPENDENCE captured a pe...Burke, your first album INDEPENDENCE captured a perfect mix of entertainment fist and truth. You get it. To me the Christian muse is the Holy Spirit.Stan Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12084603289444240062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811101406548572887.post-77316599227724916382011-01-20T06:37:10.028-08:002011-01-20T06:37:10.028-08:00StanI agree %100. So many times I hear Christian ...Stan<br><br>I agree %100. So many times I hear Christian music and the lyrics seem to be a theology lesson crammed into a melody.<br><br>The Greeks, although I do not believe in their gods, believed that the Muses, the personifications of inspiration, were the daughters of Memory. I think this is similar to what you are saying about memory here.<br><br>I enjoy the philosophy of Jacques Maritain to give me direction in the virtue of art. Please read: http://yheard.me/2008/01/31/jacques-maritain/Burke Ingraffiahttp://yheard.me/2008/01/31/jacques-maritain/noreply@blogger.com