Growing up I used to hear many talking about ‘bad influences.’ Watching the ‘wrong’ television programs and movies was a bad influence. Listening to 'certain' music... or being around the wrong people was a bad influence... and a little later ‘reading’ was thrown into this mix.

Now, when TV was the subject I used to think, ‘what in the world are people talking about!?' You had to have a dynamite imagination to look at what I was seeing on TV and believe any of it. I mean, come on... a man zooming around a town called Bedrock using his feet for a motor, or how about the other man who changed into capes and leaped off tall buildings, crash-diving through windows? 

Clearly this was all entertainment. Something to laugh and shake our heads at, and then go out into the real world trying not be ‘that’ bad guy. Except, one day a child tied on a bed-sheet for a cape and dove through a window.

At the time, because I was still quite young, I didn’t think much of the incident. Most people, even children, didn’t regularly do this sort of thing... unless there was a medical issue involved. It wasn’t until books (and reading) were thrown into the mix that I began to weigh in on how ‘entertainment’ and ‘art’ influenced people; romance novels being the impetus that got me to thinking, though I remained largely skeptical.

Fast-forwarding along, it took a whole lot of people watching, reading, listening to the news, ‘research’, and eventually writing my own books before learning about the power of words. To express the least, it was a humbling experience that compelled me to write responsibly.

Yes, I love rich storytelling... stories that are realistic, compelling, and genuine, except nowadays the story must be redeeming too. This means, while the story doesn’t necessarily have to have a happy ending, I MUST feel good after reading it. 

One of my favorite stories, and so fitting for the occasion, is ‘The Perfect Christmas’ by Debbie Macomber. This was one of the first books I read that had me turning pages and sighing to myself, ‘I wish I could write a story like this...’ SIGH... ‘a story that is realistic and genuine, but cloyingly sappy sweet, upbeat, funny and redeeming all the way around...’ ...you know, a story my mother could read. 

It may be a high bar to reach... writing responsibly, and engaging and redemptive all rolled into one story, but this is an ideal Christmas Wish.  
 
#MerryChristmas #SeasonsGreetings #HappyHolidays