4/07/2008

Edgy Christian Fiction: What is this creature?

A week or so ago I was collecting people's thoughts about what "edgy" meant to them in terms of Christian fiction. This article that I wrote is a survey of the range of definitions people have on the subject.

The introduction is below and if you are interested you can read the entire text at either Associated Content or A Frank Review. I am interested in people's opinions about this topic and would welcome comments.


Edgy fiction: the buzz words of today's Christian publishing industry. How these buzz words are defined depends on who you ask. It can depend upon an author's or reader's chosen genre and it varies from market to market—including within the Christian fiction market. The edgy fiction badge can be worn with stubbornness or it may proclaim "I take risks." For some readers, the badge equates to a danger sign; others will interpret it as something new and refreshing, not the same old.

Searches on the internet provide a glimpse into the numerous meanings of edgy in the Christian market. Most comments accentuate the positive nature, however, there are others that complain "
Excuse me, but can we leave the envelope right where it is?" (Nov. 09, 2005)

Opponents of this trend feel edgy has reached its limits. Interestingly, some felt it had reached the boundary back in 2005. At that point, Christian publishing houses had successfully experimented with realism in plots, conflicts and characters, however it is possible that readers could not fathom any new approaches to edgy or gritty that wouldn't push the story into the 'abyss of secular fiction' — heaven forbid.



. . . . . . . . the rest of this article can be found at -->link
Associated Content<--link if you'd like to check it out. You'll notice I quote some of the LGG members who responded to my question about "what do you think edgy means?"