Why I Write Clean Fiction

Have you ever been reading a book you were very excited about, only to come across that scene that makes you put the book aside because of the content? I realize this is all relative, depending on what you find acceptable. Personally, I don’t appreciate graphic sex scenes and overwhelming language, so as an author, I avoid those in my books.

My books appeal to a wide variety of people, which I absolutely love. Given that my main characters are mostly late teens, the intended audience is young adults. But I have had preteens and young teenagers reading as well, and so it’s very important to me that my books are clean. As a parent, I sometimes worry about the content my kids are getting as they choose books to read, and I don’t have the time to research every book they get their hands on. So it’s important to me to write books that parents can trust.

All of my books are free from bad language, sex, and have minimal gore. There is some violence, but I’ve strived to make it less graphic. The great thing about being an author is that I have complete control over those aspects of my books. And a book doesn’t have to suffer because it’s lacking those things. A book can be just as intense, interesting, and engaging without those. I think sex is way too casually tossed around these days, and in most cases, that graphic sex scene does nothing to forward the plot. It’s only there for the reader.

A lot of my stance on this comes from my religious beliefs. I believe that sex should be saved for marriage. I believe that we can communicate more effectively when we’re not using foul language. And I believe in the value of human life and kindness to others. Yes, the conflict in almost any book will lead to either (and more often, both) physical or emotional wounds, but I don’t want to focus so much on the gory details of those wounds. I’m more interested in how those wounds affect characters and how characters overcome them. That’s the real value of books.

So that’s why I write clean fiction. If you’re open to more daring content, that’s fine. We can respect each other even if we believe something different. And you can still enjoy my books, even if they don’t have some of the other content you’re looking for.