The Love of Compromise

A convent in Concordia, Kansas

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Ah don’t you love being a writer? I sure do. My giddiness over my love of writing has resurfaced and you all know, that as a writer, there will be times of compromise. Sometimes you understand where the compromise comes from and sometimes it hits you upside the face, like an iron skillet kissing your cheek at full force.

One definition of compromise is this:

a settlement of differences by mutual concessions; an agreement reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims, principles, etc., by reciprocal modification of demands.

This is what I mean. As a writer you will be forced to make a compromise or many compromises as you write. What? Take for example, me. I’m a Christian and for the life of me I cannot stand witch stories or vampire stories and I’d be hard pressed to write of those things or to read a novel with such things.

I have written a Spiritual novel, and it is more about the spirits of the past meeting the present and guiding my characters into the future. I can relate to the spirit world, sometimes more than my own world. Can’t say too much more about my novel, but I did find myself compromising my beliefs when my character, a carpenter got in an argument and said a few choice words. As I got into my character, I could not see him saying, “Well FUDGE, you piece of refuse.” Well that just doesn’t sound in character.

I made a compromise. He was a real man and I myself, growing up with four brothers, and living in a city environment, I heard many choice words and many years ago wasn’t excluded from using a few of my own colorful words. Even today, as sinner, one or two might slip when I bash my toe. But here I am a Christian woman, writer and needed to sell my character to my reader. I compromised. He cussed. In character, he used a foul word. Didn’t change the character, made him real to the reader. It’s not like I use it through the entire book but I felt this character had it in him to cuss. What can I say.

I wonder if Stephenie Meyer, of Twilight fame, really likes vampires? Maybe deep down she despises them predatory bloodsuckers and just, for the love of compromise and writing, she wrote a best selling novel! Went against all she believed, but wrote it, because she IS a writer!

Maybe J.K Rowling really knew nothing about witchery and Witchcraft, but she too wrote best selling novels. A compromise? Quite possibly. Well I myself wouldn’t compromise myself THAT far, for witches and vampires. I’ve never read the aforementioned books but I hear they were good, to some people, many who compromised their very beliefs just to read them.

I can compromise on some things like words, they’re just words, but compromise my beliefs, for the love of money? Not for a million dollar best selling contract!  There comes a time when a person needs to decide if the compromise is worth the pain and heartache to their soul; their very essence of whom they are.

My soul is worth more than all the money or friends on God’s green earth. My soul has worked hard at becoming whole and moving forward, instead of holding on to the past and all the darkness that had its grip on me and going backwards. There are some things a writer has to stand firm on and never compromise! I’m a writer, with a soul.

What is your soul worth?