Better Fiction

When this site first opened Jan. 4, 2005, I said then that though I wouldn't mind this being a Christian site, it was not intended to be so. The site is open to all who are serious in improving their short fiction for publication.

I have always also been clear that I am a Christian, I am a pastor, in fact. I am very vocal about my beliefs and that will not change.

Being who I am, running in the circles I do, we may attract more Christian writers over time. They are welcome. Non-Christian writers are also welcome. Christians should understand that I do not censor anti-Christian writings. Non-Christians should understand that I will point out the prejudices behind blatantly anti-Christian (as apposed to simply secular) stories.

What do we censor? Less than I would personally like. At this point, the server hosts censor more than I do. If you wording is changed by a word censor, it's not me. The host is trying to avoid being mistaken for an adult server host, which would be deadly to our search rankings. Stories with explicitly sexual material, however, will be censored here. Please, have them critiqued elsewhere. Such material stumbles me personally. That does not preclude any sexual activity or sexual themes within the stories here, however. It is still possible to be offended by what is allowed here. To offset that, I ask that writers of borderline material put content warnings on their stories.

Finally, a few people have expressed concern over the appearance of "Christian Fiction" on this site. Please, understand that Christian Fiction is a market like any other. The fact that some of what I write is "Christian Fiction" and appears in 'zines geared for that market exposes this site to the market. Writers of Christian Fiction are welcome here. Discussions of faith are welcome here. It should not be any other way.

That is "Who We Are". I hope you will feel welcome here and that you will grow as a writer during your stay.

Wade Ogletree