Back In the Saddle and Poor Research Practices

So, the antibiotics are starting to kick in. And the most wonderful medicine of all - codeine- has ensured a full night's rest. So I'm on the mend. I was looking back over the last few posts, and I definitely need to quit the bellyachin. But here's the last one. I lost one of my slippers two weeks ago. I sit here typing with only one slipper on. Of course I've looked everywhere, but no luck. So my left foot is out in the cold for now.

What does your Christmas list say about you? The only thing on mine right now is a new pair of slippers. Kinda pathetic, huh? I'd even be pleased with one left slipper. I don't even need a matched set. You got any requests for Mr. Claus?

On to other, loftier thoughts besides the contemplation of my indoor foot coverings. Do you think an author has a responsibility to the genre? I've been reading (a dangerous pastime if ever I heard of one, because we all know what that can lead to- *horrific shudder* - thinking). Some people out there are concerned about the reputation of the oft maligned romance genre. It seems, many times, that its detractors are people who've never actually read a romance. The harsh stereotype of bodice ripping, poorly written porn gets thrown around, a proclamation is made about how worthless the entire genre is, and the opinion is repeated ad nauseum all over the place until others take up the call and it gets taken for fact.

There are bad books in any genre. But should romance authors feel an extra guarded duty to protect and/or elevate romance? My opinion is to write the stories you think up to the best of your ability.

But the real bottom line is sex. People's views on sex are often entwined in emotions and religion which boils down to beliefs. Which then leads to strong opinions. There's enough disagreement over the amount of sex included in romance books between authors within the genre to make a federal case. This isn't a new argument by any stretch of the imagination. It's just one I've been giving a little consideration recently.

The article (and I use that term very, very loosely) I read that started these musings is How Romance Novels Take the Romance Out of Romance. It's touched off a lot of nerves within the romance community. I'll only mention that the author obviously went into his grand experiment with his mind already made up, admits he did some shoddy research and then made some large opinionated proclamations. Which he's completely entitled to do.

I don't get too worked up about these things. Yet the scientific part of my brain rebels at the thought of making a decision based on heresay or crappy research. The mind is a terrible thing to waste, and even our publicly funded education introduced the concept of the scientific method. Not that anyone has to employ it in the strictest sense, just being aware of the concept should allow a person to have the resources to make informed decisions instead of uneducated spoutings. But as we all know, that's not what blogs are about. And that's an entry for a different day.

Until next time, citizens!