About ten years ago I wrote a romance (it was just my second novel) about an infertile heroine that I called A Love of Her Own. The copyeditor changed only two words in my entire manuscript (an accomplishment I suspect I will never again achieve). The story just flowed from me, since I’d suffered through this condition myself throughout my entire 30s (I wrote it for largely therapeutic reasons when I turned 40). As I suspected, I received quite a bit of mail from readers about this story, which touched women with children as well as those whose efforts to conceive did not work out. But the most poignant mail came from those in the latter category, who’d been told that motherhood was unlikely. No one blasted me for writing an insensitive story; instead the reaction was positive. Many readers congratulated me for presenting an honest tale and for giving the heroine a happy ending that didn’t involve her magically getting pregnant (since she still had all her parts it was physically possible, but highly unlikely), which they would have considered to be a cop-out.
When I began writing women’s fiction my storylines became even more real, but without the prettiness that one always finds in romance novels. Therein lay the rub.
How would a reader feel if they had experienced the situation I was writing about with such brutal, un-pretty honesty? Worse yet, what if they were going through it at the same time?
Last year I wrote a book addressing the housing crisis, which at the time I wrote the manuscript was a problem in certain areas of the country, but hadn’t yet mushroomed into the big nationwide mess it has since become. By the time the book was published the real estate crisis was big news, making my book quite timely. Still, I worried about readers who were struggling to hang onto their homes picking up my book and finding the plight of the characters a little too familiar. Could that turn them off Bettye Griffin books permanently? Maybe this seems unrealistic, but the human mind can work in strange ways. How many people have said they couldn’t stand an actor because of a particularly villainous role they played? (There’s a story in Hollywood folklore about a maid who refused to serve at a dinner party because of “that evil, evil woman” who was among the guests. That “evil woman” was actress Gene Tierney, who had recently played a jealous, conniving woman who kills anyone who gets between her and the person she wants in the film noir Leave Her To Heaven. Miss Tierney went into the kitchen to assure the maid that she was not the person she’d seen in the movie, and eventually dinner was served.)
I worried about this a lot while writing my latest book, because it contains four main characters facing numerous difficult situations. Yes, some women have actually experienced what I wrote about, but does that mean they want to read about it? As the April 29th publication date for Once Upon A Project draws near, this troubling possibility remains in the back of my mind.
The last thing I want to do is be a source of emotional stress or despair for anyone. But on the same token, no one wants to read a book about people whose lives are hunky-dory. There must be conflict to stand in one’s way, secrets one hopes to keep quiet but which threaten to be revealed, with all the corresponding consequences.
Then I remember the one line that was common to much of the mail I received from readers who’d read my second novel, the romance with infertility at its core: “It’s good to know I’m not alone.” That gives me hope.
Have you ever read a book that addressed a situation similar to a challenging chapter in your life, past or present? How did you react? Did you throw the book against the wall? Out the window? Were you ambivalent? Or did you find it fascinating and continue to read to see how these fictional characters made out?
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Bettye fabulous post! I have to say yes…and no
I brag on this book a lot, but I read Lolly Winston’s Good Grief about five years after my mom died. Losing someone who is such a huge part of who you are is tough, and we all grieve differently. So even though the subject was a sore spot for me, and I cried, I also laughed a lot.
I think one of the things I love most about women’s fiction (and romance!) is that spark of hope.
Bettye, this is one of the things that lovers of inspirational fiction enjoy. Within the covers of a fictional story, they can find hope for situations that they deal with or hear about everyday.
It’s not as common, I think, in some other genres of popular fiction where folks oftimes just want to be entertained. But since I believe most readers are also thinkers who enjoy examining the human condition through fiction, I’d bet the majority won’t have a problem with it.
In my own life, I’ve encountered my real-life difficulties in fictional works. Depends on where one is in handling that problem. If it’s too new, too fresh, I’d probably put the book down until I could handle it.
In my case, the problems were largely behind me–and we’d come through them victoriously–so I could step back and read about someone else in a similar circumstance and understand. Let me know whether the author “got it right” from my perspective–or failed to do her homework.
It is reassuring to read about characters who have similar struggles as you. While not horrible in comparison to some of the issues others deal with on a day to day basis, I have Celiac Disease. I have only known this for the past year and a half. This means I must adhere to a gluten free diet. No cheating, no slipping. I recently found out that the heroine in SEALed With a Kiss has Celiac. Fabulous! Upon hearing this news I have moved the book to the top of my “must buy” list. Having such a similarity to the H/h enables you to connect more deeply with the character, enhancing your enjoyment of the book. (Provided, of course, that the issue they are dealing with does not turn them into a woe-is-me victim.)
If the book is written with sensitivity and understanding, then it’s generally a Good Thing. When they get everything wrong, of course, it’s awful.
I enjoy reading books about “real life” situations. If the writer is able to evoke emotions whether good or bad, she or he has done their job.
Amie, I’d forgotten about Good Grief. I haven’t read it, but Lolly Winston must have done a fabulous job. She received high praise for her handling of her heroine’s situation.
Patricia, I hadn’t thought of how overcoming adversity ties in so well with inspirational fiction. Thanks for pointing it out.
Shannon, I have a background in medical terminology and have heard little about Celiac disease in 15 years. It must truly be refreshing to read about a heroine with the same condition.
Well said, Willaful!
I agree, Shelia!
Thanks for posting, all!
I think one of the things I love most about women’s fiction (and romance!) is that spark of hope.
Amie said it before me but I think that is what I enjoy about reading (and writing) women’s fiction – taking a realistic problem and providing a realistic and hopeful outcome.
I agree with willaful. If a topic is handled with sensitivity and understanding – and careful research if the author hasn’t lived through it herself – then I think those books can be particularly moving to a reader.