Tag: Christian Fiction

27 November 2019

Dear Editor | What is Edgy and Diverse Christian Fiction?

One of the complaints about Christian fiction is that the novels are filled with cliche characters who don’t reflect real life: Mr Almost-Perfect meets Miss Practically Perfect, they overcome a minor doctrinal difference (are you a real Christian if you read the 1769 King James Version rather than the 1604 version?), and live happily ever after.

Others complain that the hero and heroine are always rich, good-looking, and successful, and their conflicts are #FirstWorldProblems. In other words, that the characters don’t reflect real life (however defined).

Many authors try and bring real life into the Christian fiction they write. Some brand this as “edgy” Christian fiction, as a way of separating their books in the market.

What is “Edgy” Christian Fiction?

First, we need to remember there is no universal definition for Christian fiction. I’ve discussed this before:

Edgy is an equally difficult term to define. In broad terms, my observations suggest “edgy” is a term applied to any Christian fiction that doesn’t fit the cookie-cutter fiction traditional publishers tend to put out (because publishing is a business, and following the formula is seen as the route to financial success).

Edgy can include:

Characters who have problems with alcohol or illegal drugs. Conservative Christian readers will consider any novel in which a character drinks alcohol to be edgy. Owning a vineyard is definitely edgy. Proper Christians, it seems, never touch alcohol. Not even in Holy Communion.
Characters who have problems with addictions such as gambling or pornography.
Characters who have been physically abused as children.
Characters who have been sexually abused.
Characters who have had abortions, or babies out of wedlock.
Divorced characters.

Unfortunately, these are real-life situations for many readers, Christian and otherwise. The world is full of hurting people who have been affected by these problems, either as the victim or the perpetrator. Jesus came to save the lost, and too many Christian novels pretend they don’t exist.

As such, there is a market for “edgy” Christian fiction, as readers with less than ideal backgrounds seek fiction that reflects their reality. Yes, sometimes this fiction pushes the envelope of what is typically considered Christian fiction. But that is probably an envelope that needs pushing (if you’ll excuse the bad analogy).

What is Diverse Christian Fiction?

Another envelope that needs pushing is diversity in Christian fiction. Most CBA novels from ECPA publishers have a lot in common:

They are set in the United States of America—the main exception is a small number of historical romances set in England, usually Regency or Edwardian England.
They feature predominantly white characters, although a growing number feature Hispanic main characters.
A smaller number feature people of Native American or African-American heritage, and even fewer feature other racial minorities such as Asian-American. Where novels do feature minorities, they are likely to be self-published or from a small press.
Most novels are non-denominational, although the characters are clearly Protestant (usually conservative evangelical) rather than Roman Catholic or Orthodox or some other Christian denomination.

There is room for the Christian fiction market to expand to include characters who represent a broader cross-section of the Christian church.

This includes:

Fiction set outside the United States and Regency England.
Historical fiction representing nations and cultures other than the United States and England or Scotland.
Fiction from the point of view of indigenous peoples.
Fiction from the point of view of non-white immigrants.

This gives more of us the chance to see ourselves on the page. Yes, I include myself in “diverse”. I’m from New Zealand, and there is a dearth of fiction featuring Kiwi characters or Kiwi settings, much less Kiwi characters in New Zealand.

There are authors writing and publishing edgy fiction, diverse fiction (and even edgy and diverse fiction), but I’d like to see more.

I’d especially like to see more edgy and diverse fiction from the large traditional publishers.

Would you?

6 November 2019

How to Write A Novel | Plot, Structure, and Characterisation

The foundations of a good novel are genre (which I discuss here), plot, structure, and characterisation.

If you’re writing (or have just written) your first novel, I suggest reading Tips for writing your first novel.

If you’re writing Christian fiction, you may want to consider these questions:

(And while we’re discussing Christian fiction, Please Don’t Criticise Christian Fiction Writers.)

Plot and Structure

Randy Ingermanson states the essentials of fiction are plot, character, theme and building a credible story world. However, plot and structure are inevitably intertwined, so we will discuss them together.

Another common question is around length:

Structuring Your Novel

There are a range of excellent tools to help authors plot a good story with a structure that doesn’t drag. These include:

Great tools for plotting your novel from @JamesScottBell, @KMWeiland, @MichaelHauge, @SnowflakeGuy (aka Randy Ingermanson) #WriteTips #AmWriting Click To Tweet

Here are some of my favourite books on plot and structure:

(Note: these are Amazon affiliate links, but you should also be able to find these books at your favourite online or real-life bookstore.)

Scene Structure

There is also the micro-structure: the scene. Yes, scenes have structure.

Tropes

If you write romance, you may wish to consider which tropes you use, as tropes are a form of plot shorthand:

Characterisation

Finally, there is the all-important question of characterisation.

What does my character want? (Understanding GMC: Goal, Motivation, Conflict)
Does my Main Character Have to be Likeable? (No, but it helps.)

What plot, structure, or characterisation questions do you have? Leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to help.

11 September 2019

Dear Christian Author | Please Don’t Criticise Christian Fiction Writers

The internet is full of stupid. We all know that. But there are levels of stupid.

And, unfortunately, Christian fiction writers are sometimes the target of internet stupid.

There is Forrest Gump stupid, where someone known for having a lower-than-average IQ says something that’s wrong or stupid (usually both), but we ignore it. We know the person doesn’t understand the issue, so we forgive them and move on. We know we can’t fix stupid.

There is politician stupid, where someone spouts a party line that we either believe or don’t believe, depending on our political leanings and the reputation of the politician in question. Whichever side of the political line we’re on, we know it’s best not to engage. We know better than to feed the trolls.

Then there is the-earth-is-flat stupid, where someone you thought was of average or above intelligence gives their opinion but expresses it as fact. It’s Forrest Gump-meets-politician stupid, because it’s stupid, and it assumes that anyone who doesn’t share their opinion is somehow less of a person.

In Christian circles, the implication is generally that anyone who doesn’t agree isn’t a “proper Christian”.

These flat-earthers are often criticising and ridiculing Christian fiction and Christian fiction writers. This annoys me (understatement). So this post might be a little ranty. #SorryNotSorry

Note: what most annoys me is that this criticism inevitably comes from self-proclaimed Christians, not from non-Christians.

I recently saw a self-righteous rant on the nature of “Christian” writing that squarely fell in the-earth-is-flat level of stupid.

The ranter was opining on the number of Christian writing groups that didn’t meet their definition of Christian.

What is “Christian”?

The ranter points that the disciples of Jesus were first called Christians in Acts 11. Are they implying that no one was a Christian until Acts 11? Surely not. That would imply that Stephen, who is traditionally considered the first Christian martyr, was not a Christian because he was stoned in Acts 7.

They then point out that a Christian is a true disciple of Jesus Christ. I agree. But why cloud the issue by mentioning Acts 11?

I think it’s because they used this “true disciple” idea to question the whole concept of Christian fiction.

They say fiction isn’t Christian, because the Word clearly tells us what is Christian: a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

I agree: no novel is Christian (and I’ve blogged about what Christian fiction isn’t). But nor is any non-fiction book … including the Bible. The Bible is a book. Books can’t be true disciples of Jesus. Only people can be Christians.

But books are tools. A book can point to Christ, in the same way as a good Christian church points to Christ. The Bible points to Christ. A good Christian nonfiction book points to Christ.

And a good Christian novel points to Christ.

I don’t know what Bible the poster reads, but I’ve read four different versions over the last five years. In all of them, a good portion of the gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are fiction. Stories Jesus made up. Jesus and his disciples call these made-up stories “parables.”

Giving them a fancy name doesn’t change what they are: fiction.

Jesus used fiction to tell Truth.

Maybe the ranter believes these stories aren’t Christian. After all, Jesus Christ wasn’t a Christian. He can’t have been, because he wasn’t a true disciple of Jesus Christ. (Surely we can’t be our own disciple.) So perhaps we can ignore everything Jesus said, and only read Acts 11 and the subsequent chapters and books. Because they are about “real” Christians.

Dear Christian Author | Please Don't Criticise Christian Fiction Writers. After all, even Jesus used fiction (aka parables) to share the Truth of the gospel #ChristianFiction #ChristianWriters Click To Tweet

The ranter specifically calls out “romantic/horror or sci-fi” as not being Christian fiction. Well, I’ve been reading and reviewing Christian fiction for years, and I’ve yet to find a book I’d describe as romantic/horror. Sure, I’ve read a few horrible excuses for romance novels, but that’s not the same thing.

As for horror … the only author I can think of who writes Christian horror is Pastor Mike Duran. His books may or may not contain romantic subplots—I don’t know, as I haven’t read them. Duran freely acknowledges his books don’t fit the Christian mainstream, which is why he’s now publishing independently. He may even be writing for the general market—horror!

We’re not supposed to take that whole Great Commission thing in Matthew 28 literally, are we?

What about Romance?

I’m a big fan of Christian romance novels. I like the promise of a happy-ever-after ending. It echoes Jesus’s promise that if we believe in him, we’ll spend eternity with him. If that’s not happy ever after, what is? Romance novels are an allegory of Christ’s relationship with His Bride (that’s us!). Perhaps that’s why so many romance novels end in a wedding.

I’ve heard a non-Christian conference presenter describe romance as the literature of hope. As a Christian, I agree—and I know my hope is in Jesus.

I’ve seen Christian bloggers criticise Christian romance, saying the novels present an unrealistic ideal, that women who expect this ideal will be disappointed when real life doesn’t shape up in the same way. I’ve seen and heard non-Christians criticise general market romance for similar reasons.

I choose to see the other side of the argument: that Christian romance novels model positive God-centred male-female relationships.

Christian romance novels show men who love God and family unconditionally, who seek to do God’s will, and who will do anything to protect their wives and children. If this is an unrealistic ideal, then I submit the problem isn’t with the ideal, but with humanity. Perhaps we should all abide by St Paul’s advice and remain single.

Christian Fiction Writers

The ranter also forgets a couple of things in their post. I know this, because I help manage a couple of the groups they are member of.

They forget that a group with “Christian writers” in the group name is going to include Christians who write … and write across a range of genres. Fiction. Non-fiction. Poetry. Books. Magazine articles. Blog posts. Some even write for television (cue horror music!).

They also forget that a group with “fiction writers” in the group name is going to include (wait for it!) people who write fiction. This might be judgey-me speaking (well, typing), but if the poster has an issue with people who write fiction, perhaps they shouldn’t join groups with “fiction writers” in the name.

Just saying.

The poster is also making the assumption that, as Christians, we are all called to write for other Christians.

Some Christians are, and that’s great. But some Christians are called to write for the general market. As they should be. Otherwise, we’d ever fulfil that pesky Great Commission, would we?

If God calls us to write for the general market, shouldn’t we obey him?

Truth and Lies

It’s been said that fiction uses a lie (the novel) to tell a truth. In the case of Christian fiction, that’s not just a truth.

It’s a Truth.

Non-fiction works the opposite way. It shares truth (or Truth), but often uses stories to get the point across. It’s a time-honoured technique still used by most preachers.

Let’s not be stupid. If we Christians are going to achieve the objective of Matthew 28:18-20, we have to speak to Christians and non-Christians. Believers and backsliders. Seekers and sceptics. Atheists and agnostics.

We have to use all the weapons in our arsenal. Fiction. Non-fiction. Poetry. Screenplays. Books. Articles. Blog posts.

All to tell Truth.

It’s not important how we tell it. It’s important that we do tell it. And that we tell it in a way the seekers and sceptics, the atheists and agnostics, the faithful and the faithless will understand. And not to get tied up in fighting among ourselves about the “right” way to share the gospel.

The point is that we unite to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make true disciples. Unite, not divide.

Because if Christians divide, we lose.

As Christians, we should think before we speak. As writers, we should think before we write.

As Christian writers, we should think and pray before we write.

Christian Writers: Write to Your Calling

Are you called to write Christian fiction? If so, what kind? What level of Christian or spiritual content should your books have?

Are you called to write fiction for the general market? Or nonfiction? What should you write?

I can’t answer those questions for you. Only God can.

I firmly believe that if you, as a Christian, are called to write fiction—whether for the Christian or for the general market—then that is what you must do. Don’t apologise for it, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Nor should you let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t be wasting your time on frivolous fiction when you could be using your talents writing about serious non-fiction topics.

And don’t worry if your novels (or non-fiction) isn’t actively Christian. Don’t apologise for it. Your Christian faith will come through in whatever you write. (If it doesn’t, you’re probably not writing in obedience to God . . . and that’s a whole different issue).

God blesses obedience, and that sometimes (often?) means going against what those around us think is best for us. If you honestly and prayerfully petitioned God about your writing, whether you consider it a hobby or a career, a calling or an offering, then rest assured that you are writing what God called you to write.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

21 August 2019

How to Write a Novel: Understanding Genre

As a reviewer and editor, I read a lot of fiction, mostly Christian fiction. I see a lot of the same mistakes over and over, especially from first-time authors. One of those issues is genre.

Click here to sign up for my newsletter to learn what mistakes I see most often—and how to fix them.

What's the most important aspect of writing a novel? Understanding genre. Here's what you need to know. #ChristianFiction #WritersLife Click To Tweet

I’ve written an entire series of posts on genre, plus additional posts attempting to define Christian fiction (attempting, because there is no industry-agreed definition). This post brings all my information on genre into one place.

First, why is genre important?

Genre underpins the publishing world:

Publishers publish by genre.
Agents acquire by genre.
Bookstores organise by genre.
Readers purchase by genre.

And readers review by genre. If a book doesn’t meet the expectations of the genre, you can expect low-star reviews with comments about not meeting expectations. Angela Hunt, author of over 100 books, says:

Before you begin writing your novel, you should know what genre you are writing in. The number one mistake of beginning writers in this area is to not consider genre at all.

Understanding your genre will:

Inform some of your writing decisions, including the most appropriate point of view, the number of viewpoint characters, tense, voice, style and word count.
Help ensure you don’t stray off-topic as you write.
Inform the length of your story.
Influence your cover design.
Guide your marketing efforts.

So what do you need to know?

Here are my six steps to meeting the expectations of genre readers:

Know the age group your book is targeting.
Know whether you’re targeting the Christian or general market.
Understand the genre and subgenre you’re writing.
Understand historical vs. contemporary.
Get your word count right.
Write in a series.

What genre do you write? Six questions to help you understand your genre and target market #Genre #ChristianFiction Click To Tweet

Step One: Know the age group your book is targeting.

The standard industry age categorisations are:

Picture Books: Under 5 years old.
Early Reader: 5–7 years old.
Middle Grade: 8-12 years old.
Young Adult: 13-18 years old.
New Adult: 18–25 years old.
Adult: Over 18 years.

Are you clear which age group your book is targeting?

Click here to find out more.

Step Two: Know whether you’re targeting the Christian or general market

General market booksellers in the US are typically members of the American Booksellers Association (ABA). Christian booksellers were typically members of what was the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA), which has now been supplanted by the Christian Retailers Association (CRA). Click here to find out more.

CBA and CRA booksellers sell Christian books, but how do we define a Christian book? That’s relatively easy when it comes to nonfiction:

Bible studies and devotional books are clearly Christian in nature.
Memoirs or biographies of Christians are clearly Christian.
There are also a huge number of Christians writing in the self-help genre, ranging from obviously Christian topics such as improving your prayer life, to less obvious subjects such as diet.

The common thread is that Christian nonfiction uses the Bible as a reference or influence.

It’s less easy when it comes to Christian fiction. People often attempt to define Christian fiction by the author or publisher or some other criteria, but those don’t always fit. Click here to find out more.

So what is Christian fiction? Various authors have tried to define it. Francine Rivers says:

If you pull out the Christian thread from the plot and the plot unravels, it’s Christian fiction.

Ann Tatlock says:

Anything a Christian writes must reflect the truth of God’s account. If as a Christian we don’t write from a biblical worldview, we’re not portraying reality as it is.

Penelope J Stokes defines Christian fiction as fiction that tells the truth.

Terry Burns and Linda Yezak divide Christian fiction into four categories:

Fiction written for believers
Fiction written for unbelievers
Fiction written for backsliders
Fiction written for seekers

Chawna Schroeder believes Christian fiction follows the guidelines of Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Other authors have different views. Click here to check them out.

Are you targeting the Christian market, the general market, or seeking to sell a crossover title?

Click here to find out more.

Step Three: Understand what genre and subgenre you’re writing

Amazon has hundreds of book categories for fiction. They fall into three broad market categories:

Romance: developing a romantic relationship between two people, with a happy-ever-after ending. Click here to find out more.

Action: mystery, suspense or thrillers, where the primary focus is on the action, not the character relationships. Click here to find out more.

Worldbuilder: genres such as science fiction, fantasy, dystopian and paranormal, set in another world. Click here to find out more.

What is your broad genre?

There are dozens—perhaps hundreds—of subgenres. Over the last three years, many of these have been discussed at Australasian Christian Writers. Click here for a roundup of the genre posts.

Each genre has its own structure and tropes, and you’ll need to know the tropes (and know how to twist them). Click here to check out a definition of trope, and ten common romance tropes, and click here to check out twelve more romance tropes (note: these lists are by no means exhaustive).

What tropes are you using?

It can be difficult to work out what genre you’re writing if you write the book first, then try and fit it to a genre. This is why experts recommend starting with a genre, and writing to the expectations of that genre. (And the best way to learn the genre expectations is to read widely, starting with some of the top-selling books in your chosen genre).

Step Four: When Is Your Novel Set?

Novels can be set in the past, present, or future (although that’s mostly Worldbuilding novels). Note that what we now consider historical classics (e.g. Jane Austen or Charles Dickens) were contemporary novels when they were published.

Historical fiction presents a particular challenge, as historical fiction requires research. Getting your facts right is important. There will always be a reader who has read everything about this period and who will point out all the inaccuracies and anachronisms in their review. Click here to read more.

One peculiarity of genre is that novels set in the recent past may be classified as contemporary fiction rather than historical. Click here to find out when historical fiction becomes contemporary.

When is your novel set?

Step Five: How Long is Your Novel?

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America classifies Nebula Award submissions into four categories based on word count:

Short story: under 7,500
Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500
Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000
Novel: over 40,000

But there are long novels and short novels: American Christian Fiction Writers classify a novella as between 15,000 and 45,000 words, and a short novel as 45,000 to 70,000 words.

The desired word count for novels varies depending on genre. Click here to find out more.

Word count also depends on the target age: picture books tend to be 500 words. Middle Grade books average 35,000 words, but can be higher or lower depending on whether you’re targeting older or younger Middle Grade readers.

I’ve also been asked how many chapters a novel should have. That’s less important than the overall word count, and ensuring each scene and chapter moves the story forward. Click here to find out more.

How long is your novel, and is that consistent with reader expectations in your genre?

Step Six: Is Your Novel Part of a Series?

My personal opinion is that, where possible, authors should plan to write a series of books. This has advantages in both the writing and the marketing. Click here to find out more.

Is your novel part of a series?

If you have any questions about genre, let me know in the comments.

7 August 2019

Dear Editor | What is a Christian Book?

What is a Christian Book?

This seems like a simple question to answer—and it can be, especially in non-fiction:

Bible studies and devotional books are clearly Christian in nature.
Memoirs or biographies of Christians are clearly Christian.
There are also a huge number of Christians writing in the self-help genre, ranging from obviously Christian topics such as improving your prayer life, to less obvious subjects such as diet.

The common thread is that Christian nonfiction uses the Bible as a reference or influence.

But there are still Christians writing nonfiction for the general market. For example Bear Grylls is outspoken about his Christian faith and his support of the evangelistic Alpha programme. But only one of his books—Soul Fuel, a devotional—is clearly Christian. He’s also written (or had ghostwritten) an autobiography, a wilderness survival guide, and several adventure novels for boys.

What is a Christian Book? This seems like a simple question to answer—and it can be with nonfiction. But defining Christian fiction isn't easy. #ChristianFiction #ChristianPublishing Click To Tweet

Defining Christian fiction isn’t as easy.

You only have to read the one-star reviews of some Christian novels to work that out. I’ve read novels that I thought were clearly Christian, then read reviews that question the genre classification (and sometimes even the author’s salvation). It’s clear that different people have different definitions.

Before attempting to define what Christian fiction is, I’m first going to define what it isn’t. Christian fiction isn’t:

Defined by the author
Defined by the publisher
Defined by an organisation
Defined by the bookseller
Defined by the content
Defined by the world view

Let’s look at each of these in turn.

Is Christian fiction Defined by the Author?

Some say Christian fiction is novels published by Christian authors, on the basis that as a Christian, your beliefs should come through in everything you write, “Christian fiction” or not:

Every story choice you make arises out of who you are, at the deepest levels of your soul; and every story you tell reveals who you are and the way you conceive the world around you.

– Characters and Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card

I understand the sentiment. I agree with it. But being a Christian doesn’t automatically make what you write ‘Christian’.

There are many Christian writers who are writing and publishing novels targeting the general market. Some of these authors started publishing in the Christian market and have moved into the general market (e.g. Deeanne Gist and Catherine West).

Others started in the general market before moving into the Christian market (e.g. Francine Rivers). Some have only ever written for the general market, and their books may or may not have underlying Christian messages (e.g. John Grisham and Debbie Macomber).

As Christians, we’re called to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Most non-Christians (even keen readers) wouldn’t knowingly pick up a Christian novel, so writing general market fiction that shows Christian values can be a way of reaching this new audience. I have no problem with this. If you’re called to write for the general market, then you need to ignore the naysayers and be obedient to your call.

I’ve also heard of some non-Christian writers working as ghostwriters, writing fiction that targets the Christian market. I’m less comfortable with this—I don’t have a problem with the concept of ghostwriting, but it feels dishonest for a Christian writer to knowingly hire a non-Christian writer and selling that product as “Christian fiction”.

No, Christian fiction isn’t defined by the author.

Is Christian Fiction Defined by the Publisher?

Some say Christian fiction is fiction published by Christian publishers, except publishers can’t be Christian. Only authors can.

Christian fiction might be novels published by members of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), but that excludes self-published authors and non-evangelical publishers targeting a specific denomination, such as Roman Catholic.

There is also the fact that most major ECPA publishers are owned by multinational media conglomerates. For example, Thomas Nelson (who publish the New King James version of the Bible) and Zondervan (who publish the New International Version of the Bible) are both owned by HarperCollins, which is a subsidiary of News Corp (founded by Rupert Murdoch and now a listed company).

No, Christian fiction isn’t defined by the publisher.

Is Christian Fiction Defined by an Organisation?

Last week’s post discussed the demise of the CBA and the new Christian Retail Association (CRA). There is a view that there were “CBA guidelines” on acceptable content in Christian fiction. If such guidelines ever existed, I’ve never found them.

I suspect the idea of “CBA guidelines” developed back when Lifeway and Family Christian Stores were the two major US sales outlets for Christian books, with over 400 stores across the USA. Traditional publishers had to ensure they only published books they were confident they’d be able to sell into Lifeway and FCS. Afer all, Lifeway Christian Stores were known for refusing to stock certain books.

The other prominent organisation in Christian publishing is the US-based Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). The ECPA require that books entered for the Christian Book Awards must:

include explicit Christian content, an overtly Christian message, and/or a distinctively Christian world view (e.g., allegorical fiction)

Entries must also be consistent with the ECPA Statement of Faith, which is essentially the same as the Statement of Faith of the National Association of Evangelicals. But that focuses on the core beliefs of Christians. The rules make no other mention of content. However, awards don’t include fiction: novels are instead eligible for the Christy Award (which has no content guidelines).

Confusingly, Christian Book Awards can be shortened to CBA. This could give rise to the confusion over “CBA guidelines”.

But not, Christian fiction isn’t defined by an organisation.

Is Christian Fiction Defined by the Bookseller?

Some say Christian fiction is fiction sold in Christian bookstores, members of the CBA (The Association for Christian Retail, formerly the Christian Booksellers Association), the CRA (Christian Retail Association) or an international equivalent.

But Christian stores tend to only stock books from major ECPA publishers which ignores self-published authors, non-evangelical publishers, and many small publishers. And fiction from ECPA publishers isn’t just sold at CBA stores—it’s also sold at mainstream booksellers such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon, and at big box stores such as Target and Walmart.

No, Christian fiction isn’t defined by where it’s sold.

Is Christian Fiction Defined by the Content?

A lot of people seem to define Christian fiction—especially Christian romance—by the content. But it’s often a list of content which shouldn’t be included: no sex. No graphic violence. No swearing. No smoking. No drugs. No gambling. Perhaps no dancing and no alcohol and no mention of Halloween. But Christianity is about what we believe, not what we do (or don’t do).

While there are no overarching “CBA guidelines”, what I have found is that different publishers have different guidelines. Sometimes, different imprints from the same publisher have different guidelines. For example, Love Inspired (an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing) do not permit any alcohol consumption, yet Thomas Nelson (another HCCP imprint) published The Memory of You by Catherine West, in which the main character is part-owner in a vineyard.

No, Christian fiction isn’t defined by the content.

Is Christian Fiction Defined by the World View?

Some say Christian fiction is those novels written from a Christian world view. That sounds reasonable . . . if we could agree on “writing from a Christian world view” means. One view is that a Christian world view means the absence of postmodernism:

What is postmodernism? In simplest terms, it means we no longer believe in absolutes. Everything is relative . . . In postmodern literature, the author isn’t saying anything . . . you, the reader, have to decide what the text is saying to you.

– Writing to a Post-Christian World, Ann Tatlock

That makes sense to me. However, there are lots of books written by Christians that share a Christian world view, but which target the general market. The Testament by John Grisham is one of my favourite examples of this.

But all these things are telling us what Christian fiction isn’t.

Not what it is.

So what is Christian Fiction? You tell me. And I’ll be back to give you my definition next week.

6 February 2019

Chawna Schroeder Shares The Christian Writers Code

I’m a member of American Christian Fiction writers.

I’m not sure if it’s the biggest organisation for Christian writers, but it’s certainly one of the biggest. And it’s not just Americans, despite the name. One of the benefits of ACFW membership is a free monthly online training course covering some aspect of writing, publishing, or marketing. One course that stood out to me was The Writer’s Code, run by Chawna Schroeder.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the title, but it turned out to be one of the most interesting and thought-provoking courses I’ve taken (or lurked in). Chawna started by saying:

This is especially true for us as Christian writers, as Chawna went on to demonstrate using the standard set in Philippians 4:8:

This is what Chawna has dubbed The Writer’s Code: the eight qualities of Philippians 4:8. I think it also provides a solid basis for considering what is Christian fiction … and what isn’t.

The Writer's Code: the eight qualities of Philippians 4:8 adapted for the Christian writer by Chawna Shroeder #ChristianFiction #ChristianWriter Click To Tweet

Whatever is True

Our writing needs to reflect truth—a conformance to reality. This includes the truths of historical fact, scientific principle, moral law, and human nature. As writers, we can bend historical fact or scientific principle if it benefits the story and depending on the genre (e.g. science fiction or fantasy). What we can’t or shouldn’t do is bend the truth to deceive readers. But bending the truths of human nature can mean we’re writing unrealistic situations.

Whatever is Noble

We need to write about noble heroes and heroines (the antagonists don’t have to be noble). Characters who know right from wrong and live accordingly, who treat others with respect, and who don’t manipulate or deceive others. I would agree this is where our main character needs to be at the end of the novel, but great fiction shows a change in character—such as becoming a more noble person.

She also points out that we should handle difficult situations in a noble manner: we don’t need to graphically show everything. Sometimes the noble choice is to fade to black.

As Christian writers, we should handle difficult situations in a noble manner: we don't need to graphically show everything. Sometimes the noble choice is to fade to black. @ChawnaSchroeder #ChristianFiction Click To Tweet

Whatever is Right(eous)

This means writing stories which conform to the Bible and reflect the standards of God, the character of God, and the will of God. For me, this is what sets true Christian fiction apart from fiction written by Christians—the Godly themes and messages. This doesn’t mean only showing characters doing right: that’s going to become boring and preachy. And it goes against the first rule, writing what is true. People are not perfect, so our characters shouldn’t be either.

Whatever is Pure

Purity is freedom from contamination—we should show good as praiseworthy, and evil as something to be avoided or overcome. Chawna also addresses the nature of “clean” fiction, and points out that human standards of what is “clean” change, but God’s standards of what is pure do not. Guess which one we should be aiming for?

Chawna also points out, rightly, that a pure book which reflects God’s truth may have some less-than-savoury elements, while many “clean” books reject the existence of God.

Whatever is Lovely

Yes, we need to pursue loveliness in writing! People appreciate beautiful writing, so add vivid description, use rhetorical devices, add cadence, add variety—anything to engage our reader’s emotions, evoke sympathy and compassion, and perhaps even inspire our readers to change and become better people.

Whatever is Admirable (of good repute)

This quality is about us as authors (and people) as well as about the content we create. Chawna points out that we gain our reputations through association, consistency, and by being memorable.

What she calls reputation by association I call author brand. We all have a brand, and we manage and develop that brand by carefully considering how we are seen online and in the marketplace, and through acting that way consistently (we don’t need to share everything, and we certainly shouldn’t overshare).

Chawna also encourages us to be memorable by seeking excellence, not settling for mediocrity … which leads us nicely onto the next point.

If Anything is Excellent

Chawna challenges us not to write with a “good enough” attitude:

Rather than striving to make every word count, rather than polishing our stories to our fullest ability, rather than digging deeper, we settle for the minimum to gain what we desire. We make our novels good enough to snag an agent, good enough to publish, good enough to win that coveted award … Excellence is never satisfied with “good enough”.

She also uses this commandment to address the spiritual aspects of our writing:

How often do we stop with just proclaiming the simple truth rather than delving into its rich depths in a way that helps our readers not merely know the truth but understand it and even experience it through the lives of our characters?

Chawna Schroeder Shares The Christian Writers Code Click To Tweet

Yes. Pursue excellence.

If Anything is Praiseworthy

Praiseworthy has two meanings: earning praise from God, and earning praise for God. Chawna suggests writing with God as co-creator rather than writing for him. And seek to glorify God with our writing. I think this goes back to the previous point of seeking excellence. We do not glorify God by publishing a “good enough” novel. The readers will see it, and the reviews will reflect it.

Chawna finishes with a Writer’s Pledge, which she has given me permission to share:

I, ______________________________________, hereby pledge I will learn more and more to create stories which are worth thinking about, conforming to the qualities listed in Philippians 4:8, stories which:

Conform to reality in historical fact, scientific principle, moral law and human nature (true);
Offer noble characters, handle serious matters with respect, and deal with ignoble characters/matters appropriately (noble);
Reflect the standards of God, the character of God, and the will of God (right);
Offer characters worth imitating, portray sin/evil for what they are, portray God for who He is, show the consequences of actions (positive & negative), and employ the power of suggestion when appropriate (pure);
Please the senses and move the reader’s heart toward love (lovely);
Promote a good reputation through appropriate associations, consistency, and being memorable (admirable);
Go beyond the status quo and pure entertainment and are the very best I can produce with the time and ability God gives at any point (excellent);
Earn commendation from God, and most of all, glorify Him (praiseworthy).

What do you think?

You can find Chawna Schroeder online at her website (www.chawnaschroeder.com), blog (www.chawanschroeder.blogspot.com), and on Facebook.

2 December 2017

Best of the Blogs | 2 December 2017

It’s December already! The blogs have been a little quiet this week—perhaps everyone is recovering from Thanksgiving. But there is still plenty of news!

Publishing

Christian Fiction Genre

Library Journal has published an in-depth spotlight on Christian Fiction, from writer and reviewer Julia Reffner. The article, A Delicate Balance, shows what efforts the major trade publishers are taking to bring Christian fiction to new audiences. In particular, she addresses age, race, and the amount of “real” readers are looking for.

Reffner has interviewed many major publishers for the article, and it’s well worth reading to understand the challenges in publishing Christian fiction, and the genres publishers are most interested in.

Christmas Holiday Shut-Downs

Christmas is coming, and Draft2Digital are advising you upload new manuscripts by 11 December to ensure they publish on time.

Marketing

GoodReads Giveaways

Goodreads have announced changes to their popular giveaway feature. Currently, authors can give away paperback books free via Goodreads, or they can pay USD 119 to give away 100 ebooks. The supposed advantage of a Goodreads giveaway is that your book then shows up in entrant’s feeds (as your book is added to their Want to Read pile).4

Now Goodreads have announced that paperback giveaways will be paid from 9 January 2018. The standard package will be USD 119 (with an introductory price of USD 59 for January 2018 only). There will also be a premium option, which costs an eye-watering USD 599 (again, with a 50% introductory rate for January only).

The programme will initially be available for authors with US postal addresses.

Reaching Readers

Lacy Williams borrows from Kristine Kathryn Rusch in Multi-Layered Readers and How To Read Them – a fascinating blog post at Kobo Writing Life.

Multi-Layered Readers and How to Reach Them

Writing Your Author Bio

Anne R Allen has tips for writing your sentence, paragraph, and one-page Author Bio. Even if you have an author bio, it’s worth reviewing every year to make sure it is still current. Read the article for a top tip from Kathy Steinemann to help you keep track of where you’ve posted each bio!

That’s it for this week. What’s the best post you’ve read online recently?

15 April 2017

Best of the Blogs: 15 April 2017

Best of the blogs: the best posts I’ve read this week on writing, editing, publishing, and marketing your novel. Well, mostly writing and marketing, including a useful posts about Elegant Authors from Elegant Themes.

Writing

On Christian Fiction …

TJ Mackay of InD’Tale Magazine visits Seekerville to share her views of the role of Christian fiction in a secular world.

Andrea Grigg visited Australasian Christian Writers to share a similar message. Andrea is Stepping Out and writing to encourage. And that might be in the Christian market, or the general market.

Point of View

Kristen Lamb continues her series on point of view with How to Immerse the Reader in Story.

And I continue my series on point of view with Using Point of View to Engage Readers. Great minds must think alike! Although Kristen has better graphics . . .

Marketing

Cover Design

Holly Brady shares seven tips to consider when briefing your cover designer. Yes, I agree with Holly when she says she never recommends authors design their own covers.

MailChimp Autoresponders

It is a truth universally acknowledged that authors need an email list, and that MailChimp is the market leader in the field. Okay, not quite.

I’ve seen several comments over the last week from people having trouble with MailChimp account. One problem is setting up autoresponder emails: those emails a new subscriber to your email list receives automatically. (If you’d like an example of an autoresponder sequence, sign up for my email list using the box on the right.)

Anyway, Elegant Themes have written an excellent post on how to set up an autoresponder sequence in MailChimp—complete with pictures. Note that autoresponders are a paid feature in MailChimp. You can select:

A monthly subscription where the price is based on the size of your list(s) and you’re allowed unlimited emails.
The pay-as-you-go model, where you buy email credits so effectively pay per email sent.

If budget is an issue, you could consider MailerLite. They offer free autoresponders if you have less than 1,000 subscribers.

If you prefer video instructions, then I recommend watching Day 3 of the free WP-BFF Five Day Website Challenge, and/or the paid WP-BFF MailChimp MasterClass (available through the BFF Academy, or separately).

Author Websites

Elegant Themes have introduced Elegant Authors, a Divi layout for authors. For those who don’t know, Divi is their popular drag-and-drop theme. They say the layout is free, but I suspect that means it’s free if you have Divi, which means if you have an Elegant Themes subscription.

I haven’t tried Divi or Elegant Authors—I currently use the free version of the Make theme on this site, and I’m happy with it. But I do use two Elegant Themes plugins on this website:

Bloom for capturing email optins.
Monarch for my social sharing icons.

What’s the best or most useful blog post you’ve read this week?

1 August 2011

Writing to a Post-Christian World by Ann Tatlock

There are a lot of views around what is or is not ‘Christian fiction’. The only consistent definition is that Christian fiction ‘promotes a Christian world view’. If you have ever wondered exactly what that statement means, Ann Tatlock answers the question in this book.

I have to admit that I find Ann Tatlock’s fiction a bit hard going. She doesn’t do frothy romance or spine-chilling thrillers or romantic suspense that is a combination of the two. She writes fiction that makes you think – think about God, yourself and how the two relate. She brings this same style into the non-fiction realm, but I find it easier to deal with here, because this is what I am expecting. And this book is certainly worth reading.

It is not a long book, but it has an important theme. It explains both what postmodernism is and why it is vital that Christian authors should not follow the literary trend towards postmodernism.

What is postmodernism? What does it mean that we’re living in a postmodern culture? In simplest terms, it means we no longer believe in absolutes. There’s no such thing as absolute truth. Everything is relative…In postmodern literature, the author isn’t saying anything. More accurately, the author can’t say anything… You, the reader, have to decide what the text is saying to you.

Based on this book I would say that if you are a Christian, your writing should proclaim a Christian world view whether you are writing for the Christian (CBA) market or the general (ABA) market. If it does not, then you are deceiving your readers and possibly yourself. C S Lewis credits Phantastes by George MaDonald as opening his eyes to the possibility of holiness. American atheist William Murray credits Taylor Caldwell and her Dear and Glorious Physician. Fiction can change lives, so never be ashamed of writing it. You have no idea what seed you may be sowing, watering or reaping.