May 1, 2023
Does every book have to have a moral?
Early in the story, I had a beta reader ask me what the moral of my coming-soon ‘The Rise of Jake Hennessey’ was. I admit, I had to stop and think about it. Did the story have one? I didn’t plan on it. All I set out to do was bring the story of Jake, Eli, and Harmony to a satisfying conclusion. There’s no moral. I wrote it for entertainment only.
Could I stretch things to find a moral? I can find lots of platitudes – right over wrong, love will find a way, crime doesn’t pay — although this is Jake we are dealing with, so the last one doesn’t count. But a moral?
But Jake is an anomaly. A good man with an illegal hobby. Let’s talk about some of my other books. Do they have morals?
Not on purpose. Again, I can come up with lots of platitudes. Love conquers all. Everybody needs someone. He who laughs last, laughs best. But a moral?
Again, I am writing for entertainment. The Free Wolves have some underlying themes that are ‘heavier,’ but they aren’t the major thrust of the stories. The Harmony Duprie books are more lighthearted. They are mysteries, but there isn’t a murder in every book. I do like breaking rules. I guess that’s why Jake and I get along.
So no, I don’t believe every book has to have a moral. What about our other authors? Find out by following the links below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
(if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the cover of The Rise of Jake Hennessey, releasing on May 17th.
May 1, 2023
Does every book have to have a moral?
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I wrote one book (‘Revenge’) that features a bad guy that readers either love or hate. There doesn’t seem to be anything in-between. I could re-write the book and give it a happier ending, but hey, I like it the way it is!
Readers don’t seem to like not-happy-endings, but sometimes that’s what the story demans
True, but I go along with the readers now to give them what they want.
I’m writing to entertain, I leave the morals to the experts.
I’m with you!
Totally agree.
I tried to tweet but Twitter won’t let me in.
I wonder how much twiiter’s change to not allowing external apps to post to twitter is going to affect us?
A satisfying story is more important to me as a reader than a specific moral. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act