3 Steps To Writing A Christ-Centered Novel

Please enjoy this repost today, due to my gimpy arm.  :-) Drawing winner announced Friday.

Alrighty folks, here it is.  The simple (yeah, right) steps to writing a captivating spirit-filled story.

How to write a Christ-centered novel:

1) Pray.  Ask the Lord to give you a story to tell.  Ask Him what message He would have you convey through your writing.  Always keep your time with Him a priority.  Remember: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."  When we try to skirt around spending time communing with God, often with the excuse of spending that time instead writing something to convey His message, we shoot ourselves in the foot.  For the Christian novelists, it's HIS story we want to tell.  So how can we know what that is if we don't meet with Him and spend time where we just shut up and listen?  When it's time to write a new story, first spend time being a Mary.  Sit at His feet and listen to His words of Life.  When He speaks to you through your quiet times and Bible reading, or jolts you through a sermon, song, or online devotion- hold onto that message!  If some spiritual lightbulb goes off and gives you goosebumps, that just may be the thread that He wants you to weave into your story.

2) How can that message which He impressed on your heart be illustrated in real life?  Your pastor does this in his sermons when he shares a brief personal story to underscore a bit of truth he is presenting.  Jesus did this in His parables.  You get the privilege of doing the same thing and taking it deeper, farther.  But just start by considering what situation- from your real life experiences or from hypothetical ones- would demonstrate the message God has been whispering to you? Heartache or addiction or betrayal perhaps?  Got the basic idea?  Now it's time for fun.  We get to go 'Further Up and Further In'...

3) Time to play the 'what-if' game!  Take your basic concept and really wade through it. I mean, what if it really happened?  See those purple ribbons on all those trees in the summer?  What if you really lost your child by leaving them in the car?  Depressing idea right?  We're not done yet.  Really immerse yourself in it... you walk up to your car and see your daughter through the window- what happens first?  How do you feel?

You're going to do that with your own 'what-if' scenario:

What if.... you lost everything, like Job did?  What if... your spouse was diagnosed with cancer, your husband cheated on you, your father was caught embezzeling, your daughter was abducted, your son rejected Christ, or your best friend died? (There are lots of what-ifs!)  This is where your novel will find its conception.  One or more of these ideas will take root and capture your imagination.  It may sound morbid, but allow yourself to really think about the nitty gritty of what it would be like.  Some questions to get you started:

How would you feel in that moment of discovery?  What would you say to God?  [By the way, this is where your story begins- not with the years, months, or weeks leading up to the 'event'].  What might God and/or your pastor say to you?  How would you receive it at first? What might be a catalyst to finally get through to you?[This is your Middle] How would those closest to you feel? [secondary characters/subplots] How would you get through that?  If you allowed God to have His way with you, what beautiful truth would shine forth at the end of such a dark time? [And this of course is your Ending] Hey- is it the same message God has been putting on your heart through devotions lately?  BINGO!   You've found His novel!

Congratulations.  Now what?  Why, Snowflake of course!

Active vs. Passive Smackdown!

[first, I have to celebrate: I have 20 blog followers- yay! It might seem like a small number, but it is a milestone nonetheless and I'm excited about it. When I hit 30 I've decided I'll do a prize drawing! ]

Now back to the matter at hand..

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Okay, I have a question and a confession. First, the confession: I have not taken any writing classes. Nope, not a single one! I've studied and read a lot and gleaned much from writing communities, but I have never taken an actual course on writing/storytelling. Oh the horror! So forgive me if I am "wrong" in my thinking about the topic at hand. I don't know any better.

The subject of active/passive voice is one that comes up quite frequently, and though you may hear it referred to as being a hot debate, there really only seems to be one acceptable view: Active voice is always preferred to passive, duh.

But is this true? Or is this the latest fad coming out of the writing classroom being applied with reckless abandon? Lately I've found many books take active voice to extremes and I find myself as a reader really longing for some passive passages (like that?) Don't get me wrong- active voice is a concept I am so thankful to have learned about and I find it very powerful in crafting a riveting piece of prose. I just think there comes a point where it goes too far. I wonder if I am alone in where I think that point lies- because, again, I don't know any better. I truly might be in a very lonely minority of people who long for a bit less active voice in narrative fiction. I've kept silent on this for awhile now, for fear of revealing my naivety and lack of proper writing education. But I can't ignore it anymore. I'm revealing my hand. I simply must know if there are others like me.

Which brings me to the question, and my reason for this post:

How do you feel about the active/passive issue?

What irks you about the other camp's position?
What do you like most and least about the process of creating active passages?
If you are an active voice zealot, convince me of its virtues.
If you are a passive voice advocate, please speak up and let me know I'm not alone!

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Thanks for stopping by- please join in the discussion!

Welcome!

Well, this is really a welcome to myself- a welcome to the world of blogging. I'm just as surprised as you are; I never thought I'd be a blogger, but here I am!

Those who know me well know that over the past couple of years I have been working on writing a novel. What started out as just an interesting story idea has taken on a life of its own and become something I am really excited about. Now that it's complete, I am learning a lot about things like query letters, taglines, agents and editors. It's quite an adventure!

So, this is the place where you can follow my journey as I try to get published. If you are a writer yourself, perhaps you'll benefit from reading about my experiences. If you're a friend or family member, this is the place that will answer the question "Hey, whatever happened with that book you wrote?" From time to time I may even have guest bloggers share their thoughts, tips/advice, devotions, or amusing anecdotes.

Here's to the journey!