Be Yourself
We are in a time of radical change. Morality took a hit in the 60’s and it has all been downhill since then. The current changes, however, have started leaving common sense and even science behind. I suspect there will be a comeback in the next decade but that doesn’t help us now.
The writing industry is reflecting the societal changes much as the news media, Hollywood, and Madison Avenue have. You may be tempted to write things, or write about things, that you are not comfortable with or make you feel isolated. You don’t have to do that to be a part of a writing community. You can treat the craft and those you work around with respect without compromising your values.
Just stand your ground, as they are standing theirs, and be an honest and helpful critic, partner, editor. You can learn point of view or how to punctuate from people who are totally different from you without compromising your values. Attacking their values is not how you learn to write better.
Of course that doesn’t mean you send a Christian Amish romance to a “seeking alt-sex sci-fi” agent. You may have to look hard to find someone in your genre, but they are out there. I recommend the Northwest Christian Writers Association as a place to meet old school writers and writer wannabes like me. But I still compare manuscripts with my very secular, very current writers’ group. It has helped us all.
