Over Christmas, my granddaughter and I were discussing my next book. I made the comment that I didn't want it to seem like a 71 year old writing about 20 somethings. "But, that's just what you're doing," was her response.
True. However, Bette Davis once said she didn't have to be a murderer to portray one in the movies. I don't have to be in my 20's to write about them. I do need a paradigm shift in my thinking and understanding of the culture today. I've come to realize that today's culture believes sex is merely a teenage rite of passage. How sad. How do I get around that and still be relevant?
I'm grateful I realized before I tried to publish that culture is not just a matter of clothes, food, electronics, and language. I have to understand why they believe it's a rite of passage instead of a beautiful gift from God that belongs to a married couple. I have to understand why they've settled for so little when there is so much to be gained by doing things God's way. And, I have to do it in a way that seems like it's 20 somethings who are talking, not me.
I'm also extremely grateful for the young people who have stayed true to what they've been taught-even though it's diametrically opposed to today's world. They're the better for it. Progress, as the political conservatives now stress, is not always a good thing. My granddaughter shocked me when she made the statement that she wished there was no texting. She, a champion texters! When asked to explain, she said texts are so brief, they often leave her wondering if the comments are just being brief or if there's a need to read between the lines about the person's attitude.
I've noticed, too, that today's favorite expression is, "Oh, snap." Unless it has a vulgar connotation, I have to say I'd rather hear that than much of what I do hear. Are young people actually getting tired of their, angry, vulgar, hurried, devalued existence ? Are they searching for something better? I hope so.
"The Color of Roses" took place in the 1980's and the characters were in their 40's. That wasn't so hard to do because I was in my 40's in the 1980's. Even then, there was promiscuity. John Steinbeck's character in "East of Eden" started having sex for love, but over time she devalued the experience until it became a way to make money. Not all sexually active people are that unfortunate, I realize, but if we so long to have the very best in every other aspect of our lives, why not sex? Lord knows that's about all anybody talks about anymore. Why has it become just a physical act? What happened to the emotions and the spiritual? My husband used to get annoyed with me for saying that sex, to some people, was no more than a dog peeing on a fire hydrant. How does it feel to be a convenience for someone's out of control hormones?
It's often been advised to write what you know. I know God's way is best. I'm not a 20 something, but I've talked to people from their teens to their 70's who've said the same thing. God's way is best. Help me, Lord, to get the message out.
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