It’s no secret that I’m a fan of reading fiction and that there are a great many benefits to it, it can even make you more of a man. But with that being said it’s damn hard to find a novel worth reading anymore. Which is strange. You’d think with the advent of things like the kindle and self-publishing that the market would be flooded with good novels. But that’s not the case. And there are a lot of reasons for that, one big one I want to get into here.
First off there are a lot of myths surrounding men, masculinity, and reading, especially fiction. I remember James Patterson (the best selling author of all time) saying you should write your books to women because they make up the majority of readers. Granted this is true of every sector anymore as women, especially baby boomer women control the spending of the marketplace. If you don’t believe me check out this book. Women, especially older women, control the purse strings in America and the West.
However that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an market out there for masculine fiction. It’s often said the men don’t read but this doesn’t seem to hold up historically or even be true today. Men do read, but there’s very little that is geared for men. However the few things that are geared for men, fiction wise, can sell very well. It’s a niche market and an underserved one, but the market is still there. What I’m getting at is that there’s more than just a market answer to this.
What About Grimdarks & The Like?
When I first started looking for masculine literature beyond the few I knew and the classics, things like Conan and Tarzan and Haggard and London and the like I was referred to Grimdarks which I was told are the modern versions of sword and sorcery. One that are “gritty” and “grim”. I thought cool, something besides Westerns that might still have that masculine vibe to them. So I bought a few from the top sellers and dug in.
I was shocked. To say that these things had anything to do with sword and sorcery seemed insane to be. It seemed more like something written for some dorky Marxist gender studies professor than it did for anything resembling the real world or certainly the grittier aspects of it. So I read another and while it wasn’t quite as bad it was still up there. I read a few more and now think with very few exceptions am done trying with the genre.
Political correctness had corrupted and destroyed a great many things from debate to working environment and now art. When you can’t speak truth it ruins the art and one thing about sword and sorcery is while the physical abilities of the protagonist and the world he inhabits might be fantastical his motivations and reactions to things aren’t. There’s that element of realism that’s not found in a great many other genres. And that’s been completely sucked out with the majority of “Grimdarks”. My next question was why is this? Why is this dreck being written and by who?
AWFLs And Their Hipster Underlings
That’s when I figured it out. Most “Grimdarks” and written by dorky wannabe edgy hipsters. The literary scene is chalked full of them. And above them in the writing hierarchy making up a majority of editors and the like are AWFLs or Affluent White Female Liberals, which pretty much sums up the publishing business aside from those at the very top. So you have a small group of certain people at the top. AWFLs in the middle as gatekeepers and then for “masculine” writing you have these hipsters.
What could go wrong? Well the destruction of a genre for one thing. Now with kindle and self-publishing I think there’s a market to be had here. Someone who can write like the stories of old. But when it comes to mainstream offerings you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that’s worth reading. Which made me think of something else. Can stories like those of old even be written anymore? Can a modern male ever develop the heart and spirit to write a tale like London or Howard? How could he?
How could a man with no true convictions write about heroes? A man who’s never been punched in the face? Never had dirt on his hands? Never sweat and bled for something? Could a hipster ever write a true hero, a true world? Or is his heart and mind too timid and weak to produce such things? And even if by some miracle one did would the AWFL that’s their boss let it go through? Is fiction destined to be for politically correct dorks? Or will it ever be what it once was and could be again?
Fulfilling A Need
I’ve mentioned before that there is a need for masculine story tellers. That there is a need for some to stand up and fulfill a need. That story telling itself is an important skill for every man to have. And that there are a myriad of benefits to getting lost in story. Even going so far as to say that storytelling is critically important to man’s life. And that one should take the phrase “be the hero of your own life’s story” literally and why that’s the hardest road you’ll ever take but also the most important. And a whole lot more. Point is story is about the most powerful thing there is.
If you want to actually change the world around you, inspire others to change, and fight for your way of life and being, then telling good stories is about the best thing that you can do. Don’t leave this to the “professionals”. The professionals are compromised and without heart or soul. If you feel the call then take it upon yourself to tell the stories that need to be told. That need to be heard.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
