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What’s so Inspirational About Fiction?


Some folks have a little trouble understanding that you can be as moved toward God by reading a faith-filled novel as you can from hearing a sermon. (After all, Jesus used stories to reach His audience.) So some friends of mine shared quotes from letters they're received--proof that fiction can and does change lives.

Enjoy.

“My entire soul was stirred by the challenges Fire of Heaven raised to me. It called me back to my first love with God, to holiness, to faith and worship like no book has done in some time.”
About Bill Myers’ suspense/thriller Fire of Heaven

“My first grade teacher read it to me and that is when I accepted the Lord.”
About Dave & Neta Jackson’s juvenile historical fiction Abandoned on the Wild Frontier

“Because of your book, I now believe.”
About Nancy Moser’s contemporary fiction The Invitation

“I would like to tell you how much I have enjoyed the books Dreamers, Brothers, and Journey. I could not put them down. I had almost given up my faith in God until my grandma had given me these books to read, which helped restore my faith in God and our relationship.
About Angela Elwell Hunt’s historical fiction Legacies of the Ancient River

“The religious themes in Star Wars sent me on an investigation that moved me eventually in the direction of Jesus Christ. From Pantheism to Christianity––what a track! It illustrates how Christ can use the world and some of its relativism to identify Himself to the unknowing.”
About Kathy Tyers’ science fiction Star Wars spin-off novels

“The Lord spoke to my heart anew and I believe that I realize more than I ever have how very important it is to listen to that 'still small voice' and to put my life in the hands of my Lord and Savior.”
About Deborah Raney’s contemporary fiction Beneath a Southern Sky

“I wish I had heard of you sooner because this book touched me like no other. It seemed like God was saying those very words to my heart. I know without doubt that He was speaking to me. I know that this trying time will soon be over…”
About Robin Lee Hatcher’s women’s fiction The Shepherd’s Voice

“Your book, Beyond the River, has really done something wonderful to me. Before my mom and I read it, I didn’t know what a great effect it would have on my life if I accepted Jesus into my heart. After I read the book, I accepted Him.”
About Robert Elmer’s youth historical fiction Beyond the River

“My life has been in absolute shambles for two years…Through my despair I wandered through a bookstore…your books have helped me to remember the trials we all go through and if you put faith in God, it will somehow work out…they have given me so much hope, I can’t even put into words.”
About Stephanie Grace Whitson’s historical fiction series Prairie Winds & Keepsake Legacies

“I was expecting to read some fluff…I was pleasantly surprised to find delightful reading coupled with deep theology and bedrock truths about our Father!”
About every good author’s INSPIRATIONAL FICTION


"You don't always have to chop with the sword of Truth.
You can point with it, too."
~ Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
By Angela on Sunday, July 31, 2005 @ 1:49 PM


for this post

 
Blogger Kelli Standish Says: 2:25 AM  

Angela,
We have got to talk! I can't believe the timing of this post.

I'll be in touch by e-mail shortly, but suffice it to say, I think we need more posts like this in the blogosphere, and I've got a plan.

Cheering you on,
Kelli

 
 
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Myers-Briggs and Now This?

It had to happen. They now have "types" for bloggers.

I have to admit that I use "types" all the time. Myers-Briggs is my favorite tool for creating characters and it's also helped me understand my spouse, my friends, and my independent, hard-headed self.

But the following is for fun. Click on the link and see what "blogging type" you are!

And have a great weekend!

P.S. Thanks to Cindy Swanson, where I found this gem!

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled
You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog.
And if someone doesn't what you write, you really don't care!
Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way.
But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.
By Angela on Saturday, July 30, 2005 @ 8:11 AM


for this post

 
Blogger Kelli Standish Says: 2:31 AM  

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

 

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Walking on Water . . .


I would have loved to find a picture for "walking on air," but since I couldn't, "walking on water" will have to do. But it's apt. When we walk with the Lord in obedience, aren't we walking on water?

I had some good news in my email box this morning. Heard from a friend that my novel, THE DEBT, won the National Readers' Choice Award last night. And since I wasn't at the ceremony to say anything, (clearing throat, tapping microphone), let me say that it was an honor to be nominated with the other inspirational category finalists: Colleen Coble, Denise Hunter, Arlene James, and Deborah Raney. They are my sisters in the Lord and they glorify Him with their voices and their talents. I'd also like to thank the Oklahoma chapter of RWA for recognizing that women not only have hearts that yearn to be fed, but spirits, too.

A personal note about THE DEBT: I've written sixty-seven (sixty-eight?) novels, and this was one of the few that came to me in a heartbeat. I had other things on the back burner, but the Lord said to me, "Write this one . . . now." And so I did. It's one of the shortest novels I've ever written--barely 70,000 words, if memory serves--and yet I struggled and prayed over every word. I wrote with a literal trembling in my bones, because the lesson of THE DEBT was one I was--and still am--learning. I remember asking my prayer team to pray long and extra-hard over that one!

I knew that the story of The Debt could cause great offense, but I also suspected the story would have great power and potential. I was anticipating bucketloads of negative letters from readers, and I haven't received a single one. (Yet.)

Like my pastor friend says, God didn't send Jesus down from heaven with a merry, "You take care, now!" I think He sent him down with a whispered admonition: "Take risks."

The Debt was a risk for me. Living the story, for most of us, would be a far greater one. But its message is simple: live this day with an ear cocked to the Holy Spirit's voice. Listen and obey. That is our one calling, nothing else matters.

Listen . . . and take the risk.
By Angela on Friday, July 29, 2005 @ 6:23 PM


for this post



Interesting process . . .


My agent called me yesterday and asked if she was interrupting my writing. (She knows I'm on a tight deadline.) I laughed and said that I was at that moment cutting out little pictures of my characters and taping them all around my desk . . .

"You have an interesting process, Angie," she said.

I suppose it is. All I know is that I've done the little picture thing for the last four or five novels, and it's amazing how actually LOOKING into a character's face makes them become three-dimensional. I even had a picture of Sema when I worked on UNSPOKEN, and every day I'd look up at her and try to make her as real to the reader as she'd become to me.

It's always a little sad to take those pictures down and file them away, too. I feel as though I'm putting friends on a shelf.

Oh, where do I get the pictures? I have to thank Lisa Samson for the idea. She sent me to www.tonystone.com, where you can type in "female, alone, 40s" and get a slew of forty-something women to choose from. I just look for my characters until they pop out at me, I save to the computer, and print out wallet-sized. (Tony Stone sells graphic images to publishers, etc., for book covers, commercials, and the like. I found the gorilla that's pictured on the cover of UNSPOKEN at that web site, told my publisher, and they bought the license.)

The woman pictured in today's blog? Meet Mary Magdalene, or Miryam, as I'm calling her. I can see a world in her eyes . . .
By Angela on Thursday, July 28, 2005 @ 9:19 PM


for this post

 
Blogger Carrie Says: 3:58 PM  

I've never heard of that before, but it intrigues me. Now I want to see pictures of Aurora from The Awakening, and Asher and Claudia from The Immortal to see if they looked the same to you as they did in my head!

 
 
Blogger Kelli Standish Says: 6:13 PM  

Angie,
This is AWESOME! I've kept photos of all my characters, but I thought I was the only one doing it.

I do the same thing--have them posted up all around me so that my descriptions can be consistent and feel real.

Thanks for the cool link!
Kelli

 

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Great Chesterton Quote


This man makes me laugh out loud. Here's a quote for writers:

"It is a good exercise to try for once in a way to express any opinion one holds in words of one syllable. If you say 'The social ultility of the indeterminate sentence is recognized by all criminologists as a part of our sociological evolution toward a more humane and scientific view of punishment,' you can go on talking like that for ours with hardly a movement of the gray matter inside your skull. But if you begin, 'I wish Jones to go to jail and Brown to say when Jones shall come out' you will discover, with a thrill of horror, that you are obliged to think."

LOL! Simpler is better. Tight is right. Golden rules to write by.

In the last couple of days I have been distracted by Life (a shame, since my family is out of town and I haven't been distracted by family), so I am going to blog at a minimum for a while to make more progress on the WIP.

I have often compared writing a first draft to birthin' a baby. (Not that I've actually done that, but my friends have been more than willing to share their experiences.) In any case, labor is the hard part, the pushing to get from conceived idea to baby-on-the-table. Once that baby's on the table, I can clean him up, dress him up, even train him up before I send him off to my editor at "finishing school."

But getting through that labor is the hardest part.

Until next time--
By Angela on @ 6:59 AM


for this post

 
Blogger Sara Says: 10:32 AM  

One of the very first books I bought about writing was "Write Tight" by William Brohaugh. I read it right before my first book went to press, and was able to use a lot of what I learned as I went through the final edit - of course, much to my editor's chagrin! But, hey, it was tighter, and therefore read better. :) The book was a finalist for this year's Gold Medallions - that could have made the difference right there! Tight... is right.

 
 
Blogger Katy Says: 11:28 AM  

Is that picture real? How beautiful!

 
 
Blogger Accidental Poet Says: 12:25 PM  

One of the exercises we used to do in writing groups was to write a 500 word story using only words of one syllable. GREAT exercise.

Also, as I've never done the childbirth thing either, I'm feeling a small affinity for you at this moment :)

 
 
Anonymous Dianne Says: 5:55 PM  

That picture is amazing. Great post too!

 

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Glasses, Headaches, Growing Older


Man! These days I've taken to wearing glasses while I work, especially in the first draft stage because I need to look at my notes and I'm forever looking up historical details (thank heaven for Ask Sam!). Anyway, the glasses start to bother me, so I take them off, so then I can read the computer but not my notecards. Glasses back on.

By the time I had finished my word quota last night (now it's a grand 6,000 words per day), I had a headache. By the time I piled into bed at 10 p.m., it was a rip-roaring nightmare. Thankfully, my head was once again serene and normal (whatever that is) when I woke this morning.

How's the WIP coming? 26,200 very messy first-draft words, right on schedule. My skeleton of a plot outline is filling in, but now there are TWO skeletons, and if not for my notecards it would be a royal mess.

All right--two o'clock (getting a late start today) and 6,000 words before I sleep. Time to get typin' . . .

P.S. Some urgent prayer requests in my email today. Friends, I am praying.
By Angela on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 @ 1:59 PM


for this post

 
Blogger Kelli Standish Says: 2:48 AM  

Angie,
One of my favorite things about your blog (besides your great insight) is your pictures!

Call me simplistic, but sometimes the graphic designer in me loves stories told with pictures as much as stories told with words.

If you'd like a true belly laugh or two, check out mycathatesyou.com. The subtitles are sometimes a little risque, but oh the photos! They are hilarious!!

Cheering you on as always,
Kelli

 

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The Space Shuttle . . .


is scheduled to launch this morning. I have a personal tie to the space program, mainly because I grew up in Brevard County (aka 'the Space Coast') during the heydey of the race to the moon. We used to watch launches from our front yard, and until you've seen a launch at night, well, you haven't seen a launch. (VBG)

I remember watching the rocket go up, seeing the thruster fall away, and then, much later, hearing the rumble that shook all the dishes in our cabinets. I remember the heartbreak of the three astronauts killed in the flash fire . . . and the Challenger disaster. When the Columbia broke apart not so long ago, again I felt it like a personal blow.

My dad worked at the Space Center for years before he retired. He was among the hundreds who literally picked up the pieces of the Challenger and put them back together to learn what went wrong.

It's such a bold step by mankind--to ride a roaring rocket beyond the bounds of gravity in an attempt to float, god-like, above the earth for a few hours . . . I've gotta admire the sheer courage involved in such a feat.

Let's remember the space shuttle crew this morning in our prayers. May they ride safely . . . and may they ride.
By Angela on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 @ 9:30 AM


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What Does "Evangelical" Fiction Require?


Been hot enough for you lately?

This morning I pulled out an old copy of World magazine--July 3-10, 2004, to be precise. And I read this paragraph: "The bigger problem is . . . evangelical fiction has become a genre unto itself, with conventions of its own. One-dimensional characters contend against one-dimensional villains. The style is preachy. The theme is moralistic. The plot is characterized by implausible divine intervention. While the convention demands a conversion, the characters are never allowed to do anything very sinful, or, if they do, the author is not allowed to show it. At the end, all problems are solved and everyone lives happily ever after. It is all sweetness, light, uplift, and cliche."

I disagreed with this article when it came out, and I disagree with it now. Yes, like any genre (and I'm still not sure you can call faith fiction a genre unto itself, for there are many variations), there are certain things that need to be true about books published by most evangelical publishing houses and sold in Christian markets.

First, the story should illustrate some aspect of Christian faith. Why is the story being published by a Christian publisher if there is no faith aspect? More to the point, the faith is based in Judeo-Christian orthodoxy and/or tradition.

I was at a writer's conference the other day and a woman asked me if my publisher would publish a book by a Muslim. Don't think so, I said. She said, "Well, that's undemocratic." And I said, "Why? They are a private business, they can publish what they please. There are Islamic presses and Mormon presses and Jewish presses. Why can't my publisher be a Christian press?" So--the story should illustrate some aspect of Judeo/Christian faith. That's pretty basic.

The second convention seems to raise more hackles than anything else and I don't understand why. Some people see it as a lack of artistic freedom, I see it as a call to be more creative: the story should avoid profanity and obscenity. Why? Because profanity is, well, profane to anyone who believes in God and obscenity is offensive to most people of faith. Does that mean that we hide our head in the sand and pretend bad language doesn't exist? Of course not. Our characters can and do curse, but as writers, we have to be MORE CREATIVE because we have to show and illustrate this without using the actual words. Sometimes it's as simple as writing, "He cursed." Or "He uttered a word that made her blush." Elementary illustrations, but you get the point.

Writing bad language without using bad words is a skill unto itself--a skill most writers don't take the time to develop. It's like using interior monologue well instead of just telling the reader what the character thought. It's a point of craft.

I read Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME the other day, and you know what struck me? I don't recall a single curse word, yet Card was able to portray life with young boys perfectly well. If he can do it, so can we. (OSC, BTW, is a devout Mormon).

Now--I'm sure you're waiting for me to say there must be a conversion scene, a moral, a sermon, prayer, the name of Jesus, Christian protagonists, angels, or something else, but that's it. I honestly can't think of another convention that evangelical publishers and/or readers require in their fiction. The rest of it is as varied as snowflakes. I've written about talking gorillas, my characters sometimes drink, have affairs, and commit murder, they curse, they make mistakes, my believers fail, they divorce, they die, they are cruel to their children (and vice versa), and they frequently come to the end of their collective rope. I've written about an adulterous president, murders, the Raelians, demons, angels, yes, and heaven/hell. But not all that in every book.

Wait--I forgot one other thing readers and publishers want in so-called "evangelical" fiction--well, two more things. The first is good writing. An attention to craft. Plots that hold together. Believable characters. Accurate details. Unique settings. Believable, human villains. And a spiritual element that is woven in, not tacked on like the tail on a cardboard donkey.

Finally, in my opinion, a Christian novel should offer HOPE. Because that's what Christ offers us. We may go through suffering on earth, but we have HOPE for the future and HOPE of heaven and HOPE for the improvement of our characters. We long to be more like Christ, and it's the suffering that makes us like Him.

Well, I have a mastiff pushing my chair across the room, so I'd better go get his breakfast. And then it's to work on my WIP which will avoid cardboard characters, implausible divine interventions, and any tendency toward human perfection. It may not even have a happy ending.

But it will be the story God has led me to write. And it will offer HOPE.

~~Angie
By Angela on Monday, July 25, 2005 @ 7:14 AM


for this post

 
Blogger Vicki Says: 11:12 PM  

I just wanted to say how encouraging I found your comments on writing "evangelical" fiction. I've heard so many things about what publishers would not allow that I was beginning to wonder if I could find a home writing this genre, but now I think I can.

For the past several months, I've been reading more Christian fiction than secular and have found the Christian writers every bit as skillful and talented as secular writers. I've run across plenty of cardboard characters over the years in secular fiction, but none that I can think of in Christian fiction. I applaud you and all the other writers who are making "evangelical" fiction such a joy to read. Thanks for giving me hours of enjoyment!

 
 
Blogger Cindy Says: 6:35 AM  

Angela, you said: "Wait--I forgot one other thing readers and publishers want in so-called "evangelical" fiction--well, two more things. The first is good writing. An attention to craft. Plots that hold together. Believable characters. Accurate details. Unique settings. Believable, human villains. And a spiritual element that is woven in, not tacked on like the tail on a cardboard donkey."

Angela, that's another candidate for "Quote o' the Day"! You hit the nail on the head. Coincidentally, BEFORE reading your post, I had just finished an e-mail to BJ Hoff in which I told her what I expect as a reader of Christian fiction:

"If I invest my time in reading a book, I want to be uplifted. I don’t mean that it has to be formulaic; in fact, as a discriminating reader, I demand much more than that. But people who love to read are looking for a good story, characters who come to life on the page and that we can identify with, and (as a Christian reader) at least the affirmation of biblical truths that we live by."

Angela, I simply can't imagine anyone reading one of your books and not thinking, "What a terrific writer!" In recent months I've read "The Canopy" and "The Awakening," and I marveled at the quality of writing and storytelling in both books. I also reviewed "The Awakening" on my website:

http://www.crossspot.net/cindyswanson/Awakening.shtml

Hope you'll check it out when you get a moment.

 
 
Blogger Cindy Says: 6:38 AM  

Oops, my link was incomplete:

The Awakening

 
 
Blogger lisa Says: 4:43 PM  

That article still makes me mad. Boo hiss!

 

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Great Magazine for Book Lovers




I've just discovered Bookmarks Magazine--wow! A friend gave me some old copies, and I have loved looking through the book reviews and other information. Best of all, I have recently read most of the books under discussion--and the magazine is over a year old! (Meaning, of course, that they are up to date or even early for predicting the hot new books of the year).

For more information or to subscribe, check it out at http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com. I've just subscribed!

My book club is going to love this . . .
By Angela on Saturday, July 23, 2005 @ 7:52 PM


for this post

 
Blogger Jules Quincy Stephens Says: 9:28 AM  

I've subscribed to that magazine for a little under a year now and can concur - it's a great resource AND is nice to page through.

 

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Sometimes You Take the Story and Sometimes the Story Takes You . . .


No rants today, I promise. I have to run out this morning and order some Nangie tee shirts (if you know, fine, if you don't know--it's too complicated to explain) and then I have to do two things, well, three:
1) beef up act one of MAGDALENE so it contains about 25,000 words (we're at 20K now),
2) look up a few research tidbits I flagged as I slogged through the first draft (don't you love the word slog?)
3) outline act 2 on scene cards for delving into on Monday.

Yes, I write a "skeleton" outline before beginning anything. I know where I'm headed. But I leave the details to the story, trusting that they'll reveal themselves as I type along. So far, so good, but I haven't a clue as to what twists and turns await in Act II. This will be the trickiest part because here I'm adding REAL historical characters, so the historical parts will be familiar to the reader, which is nothing if not boring and predictable. My job is to make it fresh and amazing.

Deep breath. Okay. We'll see.

Have a glorious weekend!
By Angela on Friday, July 22, 2005 @ 8:43 AM


for this post

 
Blogger Missy Says: 7:11 PM  

Pretty sure you include the most obscure pictures in your posts. Nice work.

 

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Welcome to the Twenty-first Century

Warning: I am on a soapbox, just like my little friend here . . .

Hear ye, hear ye, LET BE KNOWN—We writers of contemporary Christian fiction (meaning that we’re writing today, no matter what genre we choose) are tired of being compared to Dead People and found wanting.

Dead People did not write for our audience—few of them imagined that our audience could even exist. Our readers have grown up with television, movies, DVDs by mail, Ti-Vo, streaming audio and video, DVD players in the car. Our readers have an attention span of about 20 minutes, tops. (And so do I!) Our readers have vocabularies that Dead People would not recognize. Our readers may not know what eleemosynary means, but Dead People wouldn’t know how to interpret you da bom.

Dead People would not sell in today’s market. Living People prefers prose that moves and has punch. Living People cope with cluttered days, our clocks move at a more frenetic pace. Living People write for publishers who pay a higher price for paper, and we compete not only with TV and movies, but with video games, web surfing, iPods, and time necessarily spent at the mall.

Instead of holding up Conrad, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and even C.S. Lewis, let’s talk about our contemporaries: Koontz, King, Picoult, Elizabeth Berg, Phillippa Gregory. Let’s encourage writers to write with the skill of Koontz, the verve of King, the research of Picoult, the passion of Berg, the historical detail of Gregory.

We can’t—and we shouldn’t—compete with Dead People because we aren’t writing for Dead People. The average man on the street today is more likely to choose a living author than a dead one. Look at the NYT best-seller list, and my point is proved.

My favorite scene from a Star Trek movie? Star Trek Four, the one with the whales. Kirk is talking to Spock about classic literature and he says something about "the collected works of Jacqueline Susann." It's funny hyperbole, but it still makes a point.

Climbing down from the soapbox; finished pounding my keys,

Angie
By Angela on Thursday, July 21, 2005 @ 1:53 PM


for this post

 
Blogger Accidental Poet Says: 5:33 PM  

ok now I'm laughing out loud. And posting a link to this on my blog.

 
 
Blogger Sara Says: 4:24 PM  

Well said! I'm all about relevancy for the reader...

 

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Reviewers?

Sherry wrote: "Aren't book reviewers supposed to review? Can't we speak the truth in love? Wouldn't you want reviewers to write honest assesments of your latest novel---not just puff pieces?"

Of course there is a place for knowledgeable reviewers and skilled editors. I know I'm treading into controversial waters, but here goes:

When I was young, I studied voice. I learned a lot about intonation, music theory, voice placement, etc. And as a result, when I would sit in church or in a concert and listen to a singer, I found it difficult to enjoy the song unless it was perfect because I was so aware of problems with tone, voice placement, intonation, and style. Often I was so busy thinking about vibrato and technique that I missed intention and presentation.

I could be so busy wincing because somebody's Grandpa Joe was off key that I missed the tears in his eyes and voice while he sang "Amazing Grace."

After a while, I learned to shut off my inner critic . Professional singers go to professional voice teachers to learn their craft. The place for critique is the practice room. I believe even amateurs should practice and polish as part of their commitment to an excellent offering, but when I'm a listener, I need to listen more with my heart and spirit than my intellect.

I do believe in offering excellence and I can tell you that every Christian novel put out by a major Christian publisher not only has a dedicated writer working on it, but also dedicated editors, copyeditors, etc. We pray and sweat and strain over every word in our books. We research and spend hours agonizing over what Sally Character should eat for supper--if it's important to the plot, the history, or the symbolism.

I'll be the first to tell you that I'm my own worst critic. I can pick up any book I wrote a year ago and find all kinds of better ways to write the words. That's part of the growing process.

With that said, I think it takes an AMAZING amount of chutzpah for someone who's never written a novel (or seriously studied the craft and form) to criticize someone else's effort. (I wouldn't know how to BEGIN to evaluate a brain surgeon's work because I've never attempted brain surgery.)

As a professional novelist, I've been asked to review other novels for publication. One was just NOT my cup of tea. But I knew thousands of people would adore the book even though it didn't ring my bell. I knew its message would bless people, though it didn't do anything for me.

So I wrote a review and talked about the lovely characters (they were!) and the lovely style (it was!) and the relaxed pace of the plot. (I don't like relaxing plots.) The resulting review was informative enough that a reader would know what the book was about and if it would be THEIR cup of tea.

Who am I to publicly criticize another brother or sister? How can I say or imply that a book wasn't up to par when it is the dear and excellent offering of another Christian's heart?

I don't want to be critical of my brothers' and sisters' efforts. If they want me to help them grow as writers, they can (and sometimes do) ask for input BEFORE the book is published. Then I'll offer my two cents (about what it's worth) privately.

Why should we relay our negative opinions? Besides making us feel momentarily superior, who does it benefit? Who can it hurt? A devoted reader is most likely going to read her favorite author no matter what you say, but your negative opinion could deeply wound the author, the editor, the author's mother (grin).

Let me say that I do respect courteous and thoughtful reviews, PW reviews, etc. Let industry professionals hold me to a standard; that's fine. What I find hard to bear are other Christians who seem to delight in publicly disparaging the work of fellow believers or even dismiss the entire market. Why can't we praise what is praise worthy and encourage one another to keep striving for excellence? Positive reinforcement is a powerful thing.

What did Jesus say? We'll be known by our love for each other. Agree with me or not, but I don't think we ought to be publicly critical of each others' offerings .
By Angela on Wednesday, July 20, 2005 @ 3:49 PM


for this post

 
Anonymous Annie Jones Says: 7:04 PM  

My thought on reviews and reviewers is that it's the intent in the heart of the one offering the opinion that matters. One who wants to share and edify, well, that comes through. One who wants to build up 'cred' by getting as many reviews out there every month as possible? That shows too.
And most readers probably take it into account. As they do the motives of the reviewers who to try to glom onto someone else's
accomplishment either by trashing or praising it. Or to take the platform of the review to try to influence a writer to change their style, voice, worldview. There are also those who seek to denigrate the readers of certain types of work by adding snubs and snipes at the genre aside from the book being reviewed, they are easy to spot.

This is confirmed by the people who come into the bookstore (where I work) looking for a book they just have to get their hands on. Rarely does anyone come ask me to help them look for a book without saying a word about who recommended it (from their mom to the New York Times) and why they trust that person’s ideas, or distrust them and want to find out for themselves.
I guess I just don't think people can hide what's in their hearts as
well as they often think they can and a lot of people will consider
that as they read or listen to the opinions offered.

 
 
Anonymous Jane Kirkpatrick Says: 12:11 AM  

One successful novelist wrote that while reading a review, at the first sign of a negative adjective, he'd throw the review away. He said he threw good reviews away, too, but he read them all the way through first.
He has a healthy perspective, I think, because good or bad, they are just one person's opinion about what we write yet we somehow give huge weight to the bad reviews. Or at least most writers I know, do.
I do think I can learn things from a bad review. Some of what I've learned has been to return to the goal. It was never my job to write the great American novel nor to get Oprah to know my name. It's been to show up, to tell the story that I've been given the best way I know how and to trust that I am not alone in the telling. My commitment is to be faithful to the gifts I've been given, to learn, to improve my craft, to understand the business, but to remember that I am part of a team who writes and I let the team down if I allow a bad review to keep me from that commitment, to discourage me so I don't show up to do the work.
We don't have much control as artists over how our work is received. We only have control over whether we listen to that calling and show up even on the day after we read that wretched review and may even determine that what the reviewer said had more truth in it than not.
Angie, your grasp of writing an endorsement for a book that might not be your cup of tea is priceless, a true understanding of how different artists can affect different people. And I agree with you, that if someone wants my opinion ABOUT their writing and they ask me before the work is finished, then I'll be pleased to share my opinion with them. But I always remind them that what I have to say is still only my opinion and they might well decide to listen to that inner voice and not mine.

 
 
Blogger Accidental Poet Says: 2:22 AM  

I am reminded of a time when I went to hear a well-known Christian woman speak. Everything about her manner set my teeth on edge - and yet I fully recognized that there is an entire demographic who find her style encouraging and engaging, and who are pointed to Jesus daily through her ministries. I sat through that entire service as God gently hammered the point home to me again and again - what speaks to the woman sitting next to me doesn't need to speak to me in order for it to be effective.
Should I criticize a book for being poorly written, when the woman across the street doesn't want multilayered prose? When what she's looking for is accessibility, a quick read? Should non-Christians have the corner on brain candy? The miracle of Christian ficiton is, of course, that even the frothiest, funniest novel can bring Jesus into our day. I don't need to hold any given book up to my standards. In some ways, becoming a writer has ruined me as a reader. Do I need to ruin things for my non-writing friend as well?

Susan

 
 
Blogger Dianne Says: 5:45 PM  

Seems like some of these people are confusing "excellence" with "perfection." Excellence implies something worth striving for, and we should all be striving for excellence that pleases Christ, right? Perfection, on the other hand, seems a bit unattainable. But that seems to be what is called for, under the guise of excellence. How many writers-in-the-making will be discouraged from writing that first no-so-hot novel because they're intimidated by perfection and thus never write that really worthwhile novel? As Christians, shouldn't we allow for growth in an author's life as well as ours?

 
 
Anonymous mimi b Says: 10:46 AM  

Bravo Angie for your thoughts on reviews! When you sent the info on being a judge to read books I didnt't realize how hard that would be.I wanted to find positives in each book even though I found one to be completely boring and written by someone who was trying too hard. But as you said, who am I to critique someone's work when I've never penned a chapter in my life. I realized that this author tried to write a good book and that it would speak to someone. I did write honestly about my thoughts, but I believe I tried to be kind as well. I like that even though you are a seasoned writer and understand it thoroughly, you would take the time to find redeeming qualities to give the author and book!
And the next time at church during worship, I'm going to look at the people's faces as they worship and not listen to the "notes" they're singing! Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

 
 
Blogger Sara A. Mills Says: 12:20 AM  

After reading some of the disparaging comments about reviewers on this blog, I took a couple of days to think about what was being said. As a reviewer for a fairly big online fiction magazine, I feel that I must present a differing view on this subject. Every reviewer that I work with is passionate about promoting Christian fiction. We don't write reviews to tear authors down, nor do we write a review without a lot of thought, both on the writing and on the effect it had on us. I personally spend hours and hours every week reading the latest in Christian fiction, thinking deeply about what messages it's sending and how it changes my perceptions, helps me grow in grace and gives me a deeper understanding of the people around me. Then I write, to the best of my abilities, a review that touches on the good, the bad and the life changing aspects of the work.
I do all of this, spend all of this time, unpaid time, because I love Christian fiction. I want my friends, my family, people I work with and strangers that find my reviews on the internet to go to thier Christian bookstore and scour the shelves for a book that will bring depth and new understanding to their life.

This is my side of the pages.

Sara Mills

 
 
Blogger Angela Says: 10:57 AM  

I seem to have muddied the waters instead of clearing them. I LOVE thoughtful, constructive reviews. What I've been seeing a lot of, however, are critical, bashing reviews not even of particular books, but of the CBA market in general. A lot of these folks say they don't even READ Christian fiction, but they're happy to trash it.

I apologize if I've offended any thoughtful reviewers--that wasn't my intent. Yes, we have a right and a duty to speak the truth in love. Absolutely.

 
 
Blogger Dee Says: 1:02 PM  

I really like what you say here. I've read posts by others that just put down the reviewer. I am a reviewer.
This post is very helpful and I would love to use a snippet of it for my own blog.

 

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What Makes a Novel Christian?


I’m taking a minute to set aside my daily word count goal and ruminate a little. I don’t know how much of your recent world has been filled with talk or thought of how much Christian content needs to be in a “Christian novel,” but I’ve been hearing rumblings about that topic and have been at a place where I’ve been trying to figure out Where I Go From Here. And while a book's Christian content may be explicit or implicit, overt or subvert, I think it still needs to BE.

In any case, take a moment to consider this passage by G.K. Chesterton:

“Art is limitation; the essence of every picture is the frame. If you draw a giraffe, you must draw him with a long neck. If, in your bold creative way, you hold yourself free to draw a giraffe with a short neck, you will really find that you are not free to draw a giraffe. The moment you step into the world of facts, you step into a world of limits. You can free things from alien or accidental laws, but not from the laws of their own nature. You may, if you like, free a tiger from his bars; but do not free him from his stripes. Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump: you may be freeing him from being a camel. Do not go about as a demagogue, encouraging triangles to break out of the prison of their three sides. If a triangle breaks out of its three sides, its life comes to a lamentable end. Somebody wrote a work called “The Loves of the Triangles”’ I never read it, but I am sure that if triangles ever were loved, they were loved for being triangular. This is certainly the case with all artistic creation, which is in some ways the most decisive example of pure will. The artist loves his limitations: they constitute the thing he is doing. The painter is glad that the canvas is flat. The sculptor is glad that the clay is colorless.” (From Orthodoxy).

Do you see my point? As a book without plot and characters can hardly be called a novel, a novel without plot, characters, and some element of Christianity can hardly be called a Christian novel, right? Therefore, a nonbeliever could write a Christian novel (I don't know Irving's spiritual status, but A Prayer for Owen Meany might qualify) and a Christian could write a novel that doesn’t qualify as Christian. (Though that might be difficult, since so much of a Christian's worldview is colored by his relationship with God).

Does that make sense, or am I mixing my paradigms?
By Angela on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 @ 4:00 PM


for this post

 
Anonymous Anonymous Says: 5:18 PM  

I too have been ruminating over this subject for several weeks now. I have been reading all the relevant blogs, searching for answers. Or at least an Ah ha! That helps. But my search continues to bring me back to the same place. What makes one novel MORE Christian than another? You don’t get more Christian than The Brothers Karamozov but would Dostoyevsky have had a chance in the CBA as it is now? Doubtful. So I’ve decided that, although, I don’t want my words to ever leave a reader feeling like they have just waded through pages of evangelical goo only to be told how much they need a savoir, I have decided that there is nothing wrong in allowing our Christianess (if you will) fill our books, as long as it is done with excellence.

In my opinion I believe that the Christian author is at a kind of disadvantage that requires her to dig deeper, seek higher, and write better and that is this. We know the ending of the story already and we can’t escape that fact. As anyone knows a story is never quite as thrilling when the ending has been revealed before hand. The Christian author might possibly need to suspend their belief and knowledge of the ending in order to write better. It’s not that easy. If our faith is secure we will have no choice but to write not about our faith but from within it regardless of the form it takes. To paraphrase Flannery, she says that it is the sorry Christian novel that assumes the church has already done the thinking.

As far as thinking you are mixing paradigms? No, I don’t think so. I think it is more of a benevolent homogenization that takes place and it can be quite satisfying (if even for another Christian) when done with gifted hands.
Joyce

 
 
Anonymous Anonymous Says: 9:46 PM  

Your analogy of giraffes, triangles, tigers and camels make for interesting thought patterns considering giraffes without long necks, triangles without three sides, tigers without stripes and camels without humps. The single thing about each that makes it itself, cannot be overlooked else it will be something else altogether.
That being said, a Christian novel cannot be Christian if there are no Christian principles invoked and hold the Christian theme throughout the entire book.
If I were to pick up a book that was "supposed" to be Christian fiction, and, after reading, I found the Christian principles not implemented, I would NO LONGER read that particular author. There is a certain standard that Christian novels must maintain.

 
 
Blogger Accidental Poet Says: 2:14 AM  

I was talking about this very thing tonight with a good friend who reads very little fiction, "Christian" or otherwise. I do believe it is possible for a Christian to write a non-Christian novel and vice versa. What sets the novel apart as Christian? I've thought about this in terms of poetry, because that's what I write. I have some very dark poems that I did not set out to write. They are problematic for me because I try to surrender my creativity to the Creator, and if that's what showing up when I show up at the page ...I don't know what to do with them. The conclusion that I have come to is ...there must be some measure of redemption, some small hope. Some could argue that your novel, The Note, is not a Christian novel, but they'd be missing all the many ways in which God in the world makes a difference to who we are and how we live.
I think I'm articulating this poorly. I'm trying to agree with you :)

Susan

 
 
Blogger Martin LaBar Says: 4:29 AM  

Thank you for your excellent post of July 19th. I was interested enough in it that I wrote a post myself, basically commenting on this one of yours, and another from a day or two later. My post is
here.

Thanks again!

 

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Rediscovering the Known Country


I've been reading G.K. Chesterton's book ORTHODOXY, and he cracks me up. Philip Yancy's foreword is priceless, but he doesn't steal the show from Chesterton.

I love how in chapter one he says he set out searching for truth and was like a man who lands upon an island, thinks that it's some exotic place, and finds out that it is in fact Mother England. Says Chesterton: "If this book is a joke it is a joke bagainst me. I am the man who with the utmost daring discovered what had been discovered before. If there is an element of farce in what follows, the farce is at my own expense; for this book explains how I fanciesd I was the first to set foot in Brighton and then found I was the last. It recounts my elephantine adventures in pursuit of the obvious . . ."

That's how I often feel about my own life as a Christian and a writer. The Lord brings me through some lesson--and I usually think it's definitely uppergraduate stuff--and then I find that I'm setting foot in the Land of Knowledge with youngsters who learned my new lesson a long time ago. Or never needed to learn it in the first place. :-)

I can't wait to become a little better acquainted with Mr. Chesterton. They say he won over his debate opponents not by blasting at them, but by laughing at himself. I think you can see a little of his humor in this passage:

"It may be that somebody will be entertained by the account of his happy fiasco. It might amuse a friend or an enemy to read how I gradually learnt from the truth of some stray legend or from the falsehood of some dominant philosophy, things that I might have learnt from my catechism--if I had ever learnt it. There may or may not be some entertainment in reading how I found at last in an anarchist club or a Babylonian temple what I might have found in the nearest parish church."

And that's one of the joys of writing the kinds of books I write. I tell a story in which characters have their eyes opened--and some of my readers will be already acquainted with the new vision, but others won't be. One group will be nostalgic, perhaps, the other fascinated. And those who don't or can't see the truth--well, they could be bored or offended, I suppose. Each to his own reaction. My job is not to react, it is to write.

Off to attempt it for another day.
By Angela on Monday, July 18, 2005 @ 8:06 AM


for this post



Sometimes I get irked . . .


when I hear people bashing Christian fiction, faith fiction, whatever you want to call it. In most of these cases, people either haven't read it, or they haven't read it in the last five years, or they read ONE book that could be called "Christian" and have written off the entire genre--and its authors.

I also get irked when I hear the old tired arguments about literary versus popular or "commercial" fiction. As if the quality of a book can be determined by the number of words per sentence! Good grief, if there's one place where we ought to be forebearing and gentle with each other, it's in the area of the arts! Taste is so subjective, and what may thrill me may leave you lukewarm.

What the Spirit uses to speak to me may not apply to you.

I've read literary (and commercial!) fiction that put me to sleep, and that, my friend, is the unforgiveable sin in this market. If a book is to tickle and touch my heart and life, it's got to keep me involved.

I'm not irked--I'm hurt--when I read comments by believers criticizing the work of other believers. Our mothers were right--if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Or if you must say something, let's try spurring each other to excellence, let's teach each other; let's keep lifting the bar and encouraging each other to offer nothing less than excellence to our Lord. Whether you write for the Christian market or the world at large, if you are a believer, then you should be offering the work of your hands and heart as a worthy sacrifice.

I'll admit I'm not perfect in this area--it's all too easy to find fault with others' work. In my standard speech, I frequently joke that working writers love to read others' books and gleefully note mistakes in the margin. Okay, so maybe I do that . . . in private. Father, strike me upside the head if I do that in public. Help me to keep my teaching examples anonymous, just as I'd appreciate it if another writer kept me anonymous while pointing out mistakes in my early books. (Better yet, help me make up "bad examples" on the fly.)

This past February I taught the fiction track at the Florida Christian Writer's Conference. Because that venue is within driving distance of my home, I loaded my trunk with a box of one of my old titles--enough for everyone to have a copy. I sent my class home one night with a homework assignment--using the techniques I'd just taught them in class, edit chapter one.

Oh, yeah, there was LOTS of room for improvement. After we'd gone through several pages, one of my students asked, "How did this ever get published?"

"Because things were different then," I told her. "Now things are better. The quality is better, the writing is better, the editors are sharper--many of them are sharper than their equivalents at general market publishing houses."

So that's why I get irked when I hear people trashing Christian fiction as if it were a shoddy stepsister to "real literature." It's not--my brothers and sisters are writing their hearts out, producing quality literature that will amaze you.

When I attended the Maass conference a few weeks ago, I offered one of my scenes for my critique group. When I'd finished reading it aloud, I remarked, "And that's Christian fiction . . ." and one woman in the group nearly fell off her chair.

Oh, yeah. We've come a long way, baby. So before you write us off or offer that snide comment--or allow someone else's to go unchallenged--pick up one of the new novels and read it.

The iron is continually being sharpened. As it should be.

David once said, "I will not offer to the Lord that which cost me nothing."

Amen. Our offerings cost a lot . . . in terms of work, study, and yes, critical thinking for private perusal. We dig deeper and spill our hearts, unveiling our most private places in the hope that what we write will reach farther than a person's intellect or funny bone. We write to influence hearts and lives. We write so our words can be a tool of the Spirit of God.

Well, I'll climb off my soapbox for now. Tomorrow, after an interview in the a.m., I have to write the first 5,000 words of my WIP.

Maybe I'll get to bed early. :-)
By Angela on Sunday, July 17, 2005 @ 9:21 PM


for this post

 
Anonymous BJ Hoff Says: 8:16 PM  

Angie--

The roaring sound you hear is my applause. Long and loud and gleeful.

BJ

 
 
Blogger Accidental Poet Says: 1:22 AM  

Angela, you are "lifting the bar". I've just been poking around your website and read the letter from the reader who was disappointed that Peyton MacGruder had no conversion experience. I just have to say ...I applauded that. The message is so completely there that a conversion experience would have been heavy handed and intrusive and disappointing. As it is, The Note is the first book that has made me cry in a long, long time. Thank you for that.

Susan Plett

 
 
Blogger Robin Bayne Says: 7:06 PM  

Great post!

 
 
Blogger Cindy Says: 9:04 AM  

Hi Angela...I loved this post, and used part of it as a "Quote o' the Day" on my own blog.

As a lover and defender of Christian fiction myself, I think you couldn't have said it better!

 
 
Blogger Sherry Says: 2:42 PM  

Aren't book reviewers supposed to review? Can't we speak the truth in love? Wouldn't you want reviewers to write honest assesments of your latest novel---not just puff pieces? I try to write honestly and, yes, critically, about the books I read in hopes of helping readers and writers to find each other. Sometimes I must say that I didn't like a book, that I thought it was poorly written or just didn't work for some reason or another. I agree that personal slurs are off limits, and there are times when the it's best to say the least you can and leave it alone. However, for the quality of fiction offered by Christian publishers to improve and continue improving, we must have critics and discerning readers.

 
 
Blogger lisa Says: 1:39 PM  

Great post, Angie. Here, here! I think it would be fun for any lay-reviewer to offer up their own life's work for our review!! Hey, Bob, nice spreadsheet, but I think you should've used a different font. Julia, you didn't line up the hamburger, the cheese and the bun just so. Dr. Brown, I don't like to see blood during surgery, and you always have blood during surgery!

I could care less anymore what reviewers who have no credentials write. The internet gives anyone on-line a voice. But it doesn't give them credibility.

After all is said and done, them that can write novels, do.

And all the the self-hype about there not being a market for the good stuff in Christian publ., read: "The wonderful, insightful, poetic sort of thing *I* write that's far better than all the pedestrian drivel out there" simply isn't true anymore.

Oooh, nice place to rant a bit! If I did it on my own blog . . . I might burst into flames or something! :O

 
 
Blogger Anna Says: 2:21 PM  

My response to this lovely post can best be summed up with: thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou. See? This is why all I need to see is "Angela Hunt" on a book cover, and it's in my basket.

After reading much Christian bashing on other blogs, this is a wonderful answer. Yeah. What she said.