It’s been a few weeks since I gave you guys an update on my adventures in publishing. Currently, I am at a standstill during what is dubbed the “production” phase of my book. Before I get to that I would like to rewind a few weeks.
I got in trouble for using vulgarities in my book. Now, before you go all judgmental on me let me tell you what was considered vulgar…
Crap, suck and whore.
*gasp*
Ok so crap… that’s a naughty word that I tell my kids not to say. Some of you are laughing right now because you use words much “naughtier” than crap. In my book, I used it in sentences like, “My mom getting cancer was a very crappy experience.” The use of this word isn’t something I would try to justify to my five-year-old, but to be fair, when he is old enough to read this book he may get why his dad used the word “crap” to describe a situation that was very crappy. Regardless, the word crap is no longer in my book… I have been censored due to vulgarity.
Same thing for “suck” which I used a lot in the hashtags peppered throughout the pages of my book. Things like #adultingsucks or sentences like “well that sucked” occurred a number of times in my manuscript. Again, some are laughing because this word is a non-issue while I am reminded that if one of my kids said this word (the oldest is five) they would get a time-out. It is kind of funny when you think about it, but whatever your opinion, the word “suck” is not in my book anymore.
Now on to the doozy… Whore. St. Augustine is credited with this quote; “The church is a whore, but she is my mother.” I used this quote in my book, and I was told I could only use the word “whore” if I was quoting the Bible. Since… you know… the Bible uses the word whore… and that rule makes sense and such…
I used this quote because it pretty concisely sums up my feelings on the church. Sometimes it is rough around the edges, it makes poor decisions, gets involved in things it shouldn’t, and if it was your mother it might embarrass you on a regular basis. No matter what the church may do, no matter the hurts, the abuse, the ups and downs, the church is our mother. It is the thing that brings us closer to the Father despite itself.
This quote has challenged me to not give up on the church because the church is still the best thing we have to bring us closer to our creator. This quote meant a lot to me and to the book, but now it too is not going to make the cut for publishing.
That last one bothered me.
Now I get if you think it’s inappropriate for a pastor to use a quote like that or to use such “vulgar” language. I also find it humorous that I was told by my publishing rep that my book was flagged for vulgarity knowing that I am a pastor writing about being a pastor. That must have been a kind of surreal experience.
Really though, I was surprised. This was not my expectation for what it took to publish a book, and this is not the only time I have gotten in “trouble.” Currently, I am in a back and forth over the cover of my book, but I will have to save that update for another time.
Until then…
Thanks for reading.
Peace out!
#Blessed
