This has been a milestone year for me, and I couldn’t have done it without you. We’ve had some fantastic conversations on this blog in 2010, and record numbers as a result. Thanks so much for being a part of it. Below are some of my most read/re-tweeted/shared/commented upon posts of 2010. If you missed any these, here’s your chance to check them out before they descend into archival obscurity.
- Christian Fiction and “The New Edgy” — When Christians talk about “edgy” fiction, they mean two different things. Which is why my “edgy” is your “obscene…”
- On “Christian Horror” and Atheist Dread — Whereas the atheist author invokes the fear of the absence of God, the Christian invokes the fear of the presence of God…
- Am I Responsible for What My Characters Say? — Remaining true to your characters means letting them act in ways you don’t personally agree with…
- How NOT to Answer an Atheist — Christians do more to reinforce stereotypes than their opponents do…
- Why “Supernatural Fiction” is Under-Represented in Christian Bookstores — How can a Christian claim to dislike supernatural / paranormal story elements when the Bible contains so many of those elements?
- The Dilemma of Self-Promotion — While most authors recognize the need to market oneself, there is also a point of diminishing returns, a point where self-promotion actually turns away potential buyers…
- Good Writing is NOT Subjective — There’s a difference between your “taste” in something and the actual quality of the product. A good critic should be able to separate the two…
- Can You Really “Follow Christ” and “Quit Christianity”? — People who claim to “Follow Christ” but “Reject Christianity” often portray a caricature of Christianity in order to reject it…
- How Opinionated Should a Novelist Be? — Good stories have little to do with a storyteller’s politics or religion…
- Should “Profit” Be the Bottom Line for Christian Publishers? — The moment a business proclaims itself as “Christian,” they, perhaps by inference, make the “bottom line” something other than “profit”…
- The Danger of “Writing Rules” — By over-emphasizing writing rules we unwittingly create a “checklist mentality” that places style above story and “pointlessly constricts writers’ options and narrows their range”…
Any other posts or topics stand out to you this year? Either way, I’ve had a lot of fun! Thanks so much to my readers for making Decompose one of your cyber-stops. Here’s to lots more fellowship and discussion in 2011!
Hey, Mike…
As someone who just recently came across your site, I want to say that I’ve enjoyed it greatly, and look forward to following your thoughts in the new year. It’s obvious that you put a lot of effort into it, and I appreciate the depth of your reflections, on topics that are meaningful to me.
May God bless both the blog and the book this year!
Thanks so much for following, Alan. And your words of encouragement. I really appreciate it!
Mike,
As someone who has only been following you on here for about two-thirds of this year, it was kind of nice to recognize a few of the articles in this list that I had enjoyed reading when they first were posted. I’ll have to click on the others and see what made them so popular too, but considering the way you cover things I can imagine. 😉
You do an amazing job of keeping things objective, yet fresh, unique, and witty and very much keeping your opinion yours while allowing others to express theirs in the comment area. Yours is one of the top 3 blogs that I follow regularly besides my own. 😉 I am definitely looking forward to what you have to say this next year as your book is published and you make comments as a published author experiencing all the things one goes through as such. Your take I know will be fresh, unique, and witty! 😀
Be encouraged!
David, I appreciate your kind words and for visiting my blog. Have a great New Year, my friend!
Certainly, buddy! Happy New Year yourself! 😀
And you can click on my name if you haven’t yet to see the list I mentioned too. I was already putting it together for my blog when I said that earlier and posted it about an hour ago. I list the Top 10 total. 😉