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Monday, March 11, 2024

Guest Post: What Mennonite Readers Want From Mennonite Writers

At our recent writing conference, Rose Miller led a discussion on what's missing in Anabaptist writing, then summarized it all and sent it to me. You can read it below.


What do you think of when you think of Mennonite writing? Some of us have visions of poorly designed covers and stories that followed a prescribed path. Mother always smiled gently, Father chuckled softly, and Peter and Rachel learned their life lessons with diligence. We also think of writers that combined compelling characters and realistic lives into an unforgettable story. For me, one of those writers was Christmas Carol Kauffman. Her books were my favorites in the school library and were read and re-read with enthusiasm.

Writers have a tremendous opportunity to speak into and influence our culture and thinking. They also provide a window into our lives that speaks to people not in our faith. That’s why it is important to constructively discuss how we can improve on our writing and make it relevant to current generations.

The questions below were asked to a random group of about 30-40 people.

Discussion Questions

1. In a typical year, how many books do you read by Mennonite authors? What would help this number rise? Church libraries, ease of access, platforms like audiobooks and ebooks?

Most answers were less than five. Very few were more than that, and none were over ten. To help the number rise, quite a few suggested more well-read audiobooks. Church libraries would also help, because most readers have limited space and money for all their books. Another suggestion was a place to buy used copies, like Thriftbooks. Affordable options are great! Hard covers with illustrations are generally more expensive than soft-covers.

2. What genre (mystery, memoir, etc.) do you feel is lacking in Mennonite writing? What would you personally enjoy reading?

It seems good fiction is the biggest lack. Most of the stories that are published for adults are about someone’s painful, harrowing life experiences. (This may have more to do with publishers than writers.) There is not a lot of relaxing, happy stories for entertainment. A good suggestion here was for historical fiction about Anabaptists throughout history. There could be room for this on several age levels.

Another thing lacking seems to be literary works, whether fiction or journalism. More suggestions were for Mennonite apologists; non-fiction that meets ethical and academic standards with cited sources; subjects like sciences, psychology, and marriage; and more in-depth exploration of the complex human experience. Ordinary life is also beautiful and interesting to read! A good Mennonite mystery could be both humorous and insightful if done well. There also seems to be a real lack of men that write: does a culture that values physical labor consider that to be an acceptable profession for men?

3. Do you consider fiction worthwhile? Would the Mennonite life-style be cheapened by it, as in Amish romances that present a glamorous and unrealistic view of Plain People?

One of my personal pet peeves is when I hear people say, “If it’s not true, I don’t have time for it.” All good fiction contains elements of truth and it can be an effective tool for difficult subjects. To Kill a Mockingbird is a good example of this. We (mostly) agreed that good fiction can teach a lesson, be very inspiring, grapple with reality, and make us kinder, better people. One of the most powerful tools in fiction is honest characters with flaws that deal with real issues. In real life, not all the loose ends tie up into a neat bow on top. Good fiction will reflect this.

4. What do you find unattractive in Mennonite writing? What do you find appealing?

The answer here was largely unrealistic. Some others were lack of humor; small world-view; poor syntax, structure, and plot; using writing for a “bully pulpit”; over-emphasized morals; narration instead of story-telling; shallow and unemotional. Whew, that was a lot! Let’s move on to what we find appealing.
 
Most of us like authors that are trustworthy. Writing that doesn’t contain bad language and compromising scenes is getting harder to find, even in children’s books. Some more strong points are real people’s stories; authentic descriptions of Mennonite life; the practical teaching on living out our faith; and a common world-view. Another comment here was that reading a book carries a lot more weight when it is written by someone whom you know to be a person of good character.

5.What are some practical ways Mennonite readers can support Mennonite writers?

We need and want Mennonite writers! Here’s some ways to encourage them:
Buy their books! Tell other people about them. Rate and review their books on platforms like Amazon and Goodreads. Email or message them to let them know what you liked about their book; writing into a silent void can be disheartening. Support writers’ conferences and encourage writers to seek further education. Promote and teach good writing and literature in Christian schools. Encourage men to be creative and share their writing. Don’t take writers too seriously! They should be given room to be human and to also exercise creative license so they can tell a good story. Keep criticism kind and productive.

An interesting comment was that we as Mennonites place a high value on community. Writing well requires a certain degree of loneliness: sometimes writers are forced to choose between writing and community. Give them some room for that and don’t judge them harshly for not always showing up. And last, but not least, offer to wash their dishes or babysit so they can write.

To summarize, I’ll quote from a fellow reader: “I find the same things appealing in Mennonite writing as I do elsewhere: information presented in ways that are easy to retain, stories that help me understand others, and writing that is witty and skillful at conveying ideas.”

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A big thank you to Rose for asking good questions, leading a lively discussion, and summarizing it here.

How would you answer her questions? What would you like to add? Share your thoughts in the comments. Comments are moderated, so they won't appear right away.

16 comments:

  1. I appreciate this discussion. We buy many anabaptist authored books but honestly, some are not appealing. Covers! Make them attractive! 😉 Some are poorly done and it does not bode well for what is inside it's makes the book look quit e homemade. It can do a disservice to what may be a good book.

    And yes our children sigh w the lack of stories that are actually true to life.

    But! So much can be said for the positive! There are authors laboring and producing wholesome interesting and true to life stories! We buy lots of books and are so grateful for a source where you can trust the content.

    I applaud the work being done and we try to support our anabaptist authors by buying their books and encouraging the ones we know personally .

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  2. This was a great post ladies. Here are my answers to the questions.
    1. I read about three Mennonite books per year. I wish it were more. Often I will reread a favorite I have on the shelf. 2. What I find missing is mystery. I like reading how a mystery was solved. Think classic Nancy Drew. I also like historical fiction but I despise Amish romance novels because they almost always depict the Amish as the bad guy.( Sorry a certain popular author whose name I won't mention.)3. Yes fiction would definitely be something I would read. See my answers in question 2. 4. I'm not sure how I would answer that one. Most of the books I've read are nonfiction and are well written. I've come across a few that have been poorly edited and over use of the same word for example I read a book last year by a great Mennonite author but he used "interjected" way too many times. 5. I love buying books from Mennonite writers but I can't afford them. I don't attend a church that has books by Mennonite authors. Maybe a different question would be how can they make their books more available for people to read. I realize many want to avoid platforms like Audible.com or Spotify because they don't want to associate with companies that have questionable values. They can offer free copies to a limited number of people who will read and review their books. Get companies like Christian Light Publishers to offer a program for free books to review. I love reading books for reviewing but I just can't afford to buy new books. I get several Anabaptist catalogs and just drool over all the books I would love to read.

    I would have loved to have gone to this conference. It sounds enjoyable.

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    1. Thanks for sharing. You raise some great points.

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  3. Susan Burkholder3/13/2024 9:46 AM

    Great post! At first I thought it would be the same old tired complaints, but it sounds like the participants have feasible ideas about improving things. I agree with more uplifting books and using better citations. But I would be curious about the difference between “narration” versus “storytelling”.

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    1. In your work, you probably read more Mennonite-published books than any of the rest of us, so thanks for sharing.
      Maybe Rose can weigh in on narration vs. storytelling.

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    2. Narration to me would be laying out the facts instead of weaving them into an artful story.

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    3. When it comes to buying books for the store, the ones published by publishers like CLP are pretty easy. I know what to expect. The self-published ones are the wild cards I have to screen. There’s nice normal ones like yours and then there are ones that make a good American reconsider freedom of the press ! 🤣

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  4. I guess this article brought tears to my eyes because I am that Mennonite writer whose books are not pious enough to be published by Mennonite publishers so I resorted to self publishing but they are too ‘straight’ to be enjoyed by the world. By the way, it is extremely hard to do a book professionally enough if it’s self published so I would love to republish my books.

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    Replies
    1. I feel like I also operate in that in-between space, and I feel all of this.

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  5. I didn’t notice that my name wouldn’t pop up. This is Marilyn Friesen author of Damaris’s Escape to the Mountains. (Early Christians fleeing to the Alps,) Mary’am Memories etc. The last is a reverent portrayal of what Jesus’s life may have been like from His mother’s viewpoint.

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  6. "...writing into a silent void can be disheartening." Yep.

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  7. I read very few books by Anabaptist authors and I think one of the reasons is because the general writing quality is subpar. Historically, education hasn’t been highly valued among Plain people and I believe our literature reflects that.
    Some ways I think we can improve our writing: 1. Educate yourself. Take a writing class online or at a community college. Read books about how to write. 2. Read high quality literature and analyze it while you read. What is it that pulls you in? Read often and read a lot. 3. Observe people. Notice how they react and what they do or say in certain situations. 4. Learn how to do research and conduct interviews. 5. Practice. High quality writing doesn’t necessarily come naturally. It’s a skill that must be honed and cultivated.

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  8. I grew up Mennonite and really love and appreciate the Mennonites in my life! I don't read more Mennonite books because I don't find many that are interesting and humorous and tell good stories well and I do love a good story well-told. When I find a Mennonite wordsmith who writes hilarious, interesting, stories, well put together, I read them with the same gusto I read any good story. I know there are lots of funny and interesting people in the Mennonite world so I'm not sure why we don't have more great storytelling wfrom the Mennonites, but till then I'll enjoy the ones we do have- and you're one of them!

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