Before I offend any of my fellow Urban Fiction writers, just think… The books we write, the characters we create and stories we tell are in essence time capsules left behind for future generations to unearth, research and learn from.
Knowing this, I ask you one simple question… If someone discovered your book, how would you be perceived? – better yet, how would the world perceive the word “Urban” and all things associated with the word?
Now before you respond, “who cares – get this money!” let’s for a moment think about social responsibility. I totally agree that no one person, or one book should define a people or culture of people, but let’s face it we live in a judgmental world. It happened to the music, it happen to the fashion and it will eventually happened to the literature as well (a follow-the-leader mentality instead of pioneering).
How much of it is entertainment and how much of it is educational?
What will our son’s and daughter’s gain from “project this…” and “hood that?”
Are we teaching them to reach for the stars or for guns and lower standards for our mothers, daughters and sisters?
My fellow writers let’s move the genre forward, let’s force our readers to search for change with stories of upliftment and positivity. Let our children read of triumph, success and defying the odds despite the circumstances.
It’s hard at first to clear your own path to success, but the other roads are only easy because everyone else has stepped all over the path.
Aquanza
