It’s Iola here. Welcome to our Australasian Christian Writers Tuesday Book Chat, where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
Do you read “clean reads”? How do you define clean reads?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation in a comment on this post or in a comment on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group. Or, if you’re feeling wordy (like me), write a blog post and link to it in the comments.
Let’s chat!
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Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat.
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Published by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat.
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Hi Iola, Great questions!
I have always assumed that clean reads fit into the ‘clean and wholesome’ category on Amazon that’s actually a sub-category of romance.
The stories are PG in 3 areas:
1. Either no intimate scenes or the bedroom door is closed (no explicit scenes or language describing what’s going on behind the bedroom door).
2. No swearing, blasphemy or bad language.
3. Violence is toned down or excluded from the story.
A clean read is therefore a ‘safe’ read with no nasty surprises.
Christian fiction will usually fit into the clean reads category because it typically meets the 3 criteria listed above. ‘Edgy’ Christian fiction will push one or more of those boundaries.
Sweet romance might be considered a clean read, depending on the level of sensuality in the story.
The antonyms of clean are dirty/filthy. This is where I think the definition becomes complicated because it implies books including sexual content are by definition dirty or filthy. Following this logic, a story that included intimacy between a married couple is dirty/filthy.
My reading preference is romance at the sweet end of the spectrum. I’m not a fan of romances that are so clean that they don’t show the growing attraction between the hero and heroine. I’m also frustrated by characters who lack proper motivation for their thoughts, actions and decisions. The progression of the romance can be stilted and illogical because I don’t understand why the characters are making certain decisions.
Great definitions – thank you!
I’ve read romances where there is so little sexual tension that the couple feel more like siblings than a hero and heroine. I found that as hard to read as a novel with too much sexual content (at least you can skip too much. You can’t avoid not enough!).
I’m also a fan of sweet romance, although I do admit to preferring it has a faith element. I sometimes find myself reading a sweet/clean romance and thinking the couple could solve all their problems if they’d just get on down to a church on Sunday!
And you’re exactly right about the clean/dirty definition. But “clean” seems to be more widely used than “sweet”, even though I think “sweet” is a better term.
I have read a few most have been novella’s or a collection of stories. I expect a clean reads to be no bad language, closed door sex if any at all. I think they would be a little like edgy inspirationals which are a little more gritty than many inspirationals by pushing a few boundaries without going over. They would be rated PG if rated.
I think you’re spot-on with the PG rating idea. As I’ve heard one publisher say, we can carefully colour up to the boundaries. We don’t have to cross them.
I am following this discussion with interest. When I sat down to start creative writing after a three-decade break, I thought I was aiming at the sweet/clean Christian market. Turns out I was wrong. It has been a challenge to accept that new reality.
I believe I have been listening to God and written about the topics that He has given me. I have been in active ministry for four decades, and the world my fictional people live in has parallels to the stories that real people have told me. That is what I look for in the books that I enjoy – real situations and realistic people facing struggles and finding the way to walk in righteousness without being brought down by the troubles of the world )i(
You’ve raised another side to this discussion – what are we called to write? The Bible doesn’t say we’re to preach the gospel in church and to believers. It says we’re called to go into the whole world. That means some Christians are called to write for the general market. They have to find ways to reach non-Christians through fiction, and that’s going to mean situations that are more “edgy” than “clean”. But those situations are a reflection of our fallen world and we need writers who can write those topics.
When I think clean reads, no bad language (not even using the first letter of whichever word they are alluding to), no sex, minimal description of displays of affection, toned down violence.
Unfortunately I’m finding that even Christian writers are going too far in their descriptions of displays of affection (kissing, etc.). As a single woman, it is a struggle to read romance sometimes, but when the description of displays of affection leave very little to the imagination, it makes it even harder.
I agree about the initials – I find them distracting as my editor brain wants to fill in the word they’ve missed out … and that pretty much defeats the purpose. Much better to show us the reaction to what the character said than to tell us (or imply) the actual words.
I’ve heard other single readers comment on the amount of touching and kissing in Christian fiction. I think this must be a hard thing for authors to navigate. On one hand, it’s too much detail for some readers. On the other hand, God created the world and said it was good. Sex was part of that world. As with so many other things, this fallen creation has twisted something meant for good into something else.
I must admit I get a little bored with some “clean reads,” because I find them unrealistic. We live in a fallen world and I think Christians should be able to write realistically about those without faith–that doesn’t mean they have to describe sex scenes, or included unnecessary violence.
I’ve just finished reading, “Out of the Cages” by Penny Jaye (Reeve), which is a fictional story about the reality of sexual slavery for YA. I was a bit concerned it might be too graphic for me! However, Penny handled the sexual aspect of the story very well. She didn’t describe what happened, but you were left it no doubt as to what happened.
I’ve also just read Out of the Cages (in fact, I’m reviewing it on my blog today). I held back from reading it for months for the same reasons as you did, and I agree Penny handled the sexual content brilliantly. The abuse and violence were there, but they were implied rather than being spelled out on the page. In many ways, this makes the writing more powerful.
I know what you mean about some “clean reads” being too unrealistic. However, there are times when I want a fluffy and unrealistic romance (like after I’ve finished Out of the Cages!). There are other times when I want something with a little more grit and realism, and then I’m grateful for the authors (Christian and general market) who are able to provide that realism without getting into unnecessary detail.