A couple of weeks ago when I was on vacation I read Katherine Center’s book The Bodyguard. I enjoy all of Center’s books, but her novel How to Walk Away is especially powerful, and definitely a more serious work than The Bodyguard. That being said I loved every minute of reading The Bodyguard – it was warm and fun and enjoyable and meant to be entertainment. It was also, in my opinion, very well written.
And I wish our society did a better job of honoring the talent it takes to produce that kind of book. Because good writing takes hard work and talent whether that book is a feel good rom com or a gritty hard-hitting critique of society. In fact, Center’s books fall into a category of writing where I want to slow down and take the book apart so I can figure out what she did, learn from it, and apply it to my own work. That’s the best compliment that I can give another writer – when I read a book and think, “How, exactly, did they do this?”
And yes, this kind of book may not change the very bedrock of society, but it transports the reader and brings them joy – and those are two very worthy goals, and big reasons behind why I myself want to read and to write.
Jenel Alan 