Worthy Awards

Every writer likes adulation.  No matter what they say, writers want to be adored.  It’s one of the reasons we tell our stories in the first place.  One of the ways we feel adored is when we win awards.  For example, winning the Indie Discovery Award for Paranormal Fiction for Salvation Day gave me a sense of validation, and I still brag about it to anyone who’ll listen.

Unfortunately, in recent years, awards are given less for good stories than they are for the “right” content, or if they were written by the “right” author.  Take The HugoAwards.  In years past, it served as a nod to some of the best science fiction and fantasy writers of the day, from Neil Gaiman to JK Rowling to Octavia Butler.  Yes, there have been some exceptionally talented writers to not win one – Madeleine L’Engle(A Wrinkle In Time comes to mind) – but most of the awards went to sci-fi giants whose stories captured our imaginations.  In the present day, however, stories are awarded for their agenda and how “woke” they are rather than for appealing to a larger fanbase.  Writers like Mary Robinette Kowal and NK Jemisin write stories that are more agenda driven  that founded in a good science fiction storyline.  Even Among Others by Jo Walton(the 2012 Hugo Award Winner) was more about an angsty teen writing about daily life that just happened to have a sci-fi setting, but sci-fi wasn’t necessarily the main thrust of the story.

Some folks have tried to shine a light on this with a campaign called Sad Puppies.  Now, admittedly, this campaign is not really designed to win the award, but rather to create disruption.  In the past, it nominated actual science fiction stories from authors like Larry Correia and Sarah Hoyt, folks who due to some of their political leanings never got a fair shake from the newly politically active Hugos.  The campaign demonstrated massive issues with the Hugos, such as block voting, and it demonstrated its adherence more to ideology than to good stories.
(I won’t go into the Rabid Puppies campaign – a totally different slate with a completely different objective)

Recognizing that the Hugos were unlikely to break from the woke-scold movement any time soon, some writers organized The Dragon Awards as an alternative.  Winners have included Brad Torgerson, Claudia Gray, and Naomi Novik.  Yes, the award doesn’t have the prestige of the Hugos(or at least what the Hugos used to have), but at laest it is presenting an alternative where folks can find good stories and not books with political agendas.

That got me wondering if other genres needed to follow suit.  The Bram Stoker Award(horror) and The Edgars(mystery) seem to be doing just fine, but The RITAs(romance…see a previous post for context) could sure use an alternative.  Much like RWA, the award seems to have been taken hostage by the woke-scolds who view it as a way to advance a cause rather than as recognition for stories that excite fans.

Awards should be for good writing and captivating stories, not for those with the right worldview.  After all, haven’t we spent a good portion of human history trying to get past that kind of prejudicial bullshit?