Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m Lisa Orchard, the bestselling author of the Super Spies Mystery/Thriller series. I’m a guest today and I thought I’d share with you my take on writing clean fiction. We are also giving away your choice of the Super Spies books on More Than a Review’s facebook page today.
I enjoy writing clean fiction for a variety of reasons. One of them is because of the age group that I write for. The Super Spies series is for the upper middle grade-lower young adult age group, or what we authors refer to as the tweens.
I certainly don’t want to use bad language or questionable content in my stories for this age group, mainly because; I want my characters to act as role models for my readers.
I feel this is important because the tween years are the first time many young people test boundaries and start making their own decisions. Reading clean fiction can be a way to learn to make good decisions. There’s two ways to do this.
One way is to show characters that make good decisions and illustrate through the story how they came to that decision. The second way is to have a character that makes a bad decision and must suffer the consequences of that decision. I use both methods in my stories. I’m hoping by doing this that my readers will become critical thinkers.
Another reason I enjoy writing clean fiction is because; I feel that it makes me a better writer. That’s right a better writer. Now, I know you’re wondering what I’m talking about, so let me explain.
It’s easy to use a “swear word” to demonstrate your character’s frustration or anxiety. When you can’t use one of those words, you have to show their frustration by body movements. Therefore, a writer will use some
form of the words “grimace” “frown,” “clenched fists,” or “screamed.” Well, you get the idea. The problem is the author has to be careful and not over use these words, or they become repetitive and your story becomes boring. In that sense, the author has to stretch their creativity muscle to use new adjectives to show the character’s emotion.
By stretching this muscle we become better writers and isn’t that our goal? To become the best writers we can be? I know it’s mine. J Thanks for reading my post today and if you’re looking for a great Christmas gift for that tween in your life, check out the Super Spies series. They’re clean mystery/thrillers that are entertaining, and have life lessons weaved through out the stories. The covers and blurbs are below as well as the buy links.
Author Bio:
Lisa Orchard grew up loving books. She was hooked on mysteries by the fifth grade and even wrote a few of her own. She knew she wanted to be a writer even then. “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber” is the second book in the “Super Spies” series. Her first book was published in March of 2012 and it has received rave reviews.
After graduating from Central Michigan University with a Marketing Degree she spent many years in the insurance industry, pining to express her creative side. The decision to stay home with her children gave her the opportunity to follow her dream and become a writer. She currently resides in Rockford Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she’s working on the third novel that stars the same quirky teens. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.
Connect with Lisa:
Click to purchase:
Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer,
Super Spies and the Pied Piper
Super Spies and the High School Bomber