WRITING CRAFT - CHRISTIAN ROMANCE (Part Three)

How much sexual and spiritual content?

What do most inspirational romance readers (and publishers!) accept?



Saw these in Texas, 2009

This again depends on the readers own personal background and preferences.

As far as I am aware, most publishers are primarily  marketing to Christian Bookshops.

However, Barbour Publishing have sold their Christian Romance Book Club, Heartsong Presents, to Harlequin. It now comes under Harlequin’s Love Inspired Heartsong Presents line. At least in America they should be more available in any good shops that already stock the Love Inspired line.

How I would love to see these released in Australia and New Zealand by Harlequin Australia and made readily available side by side the other Harlequin lines in places like our department  stores. 

It is important that whatever kind of inspirational romance novel you want to write, do read publishers' specific submission guidelines. e.g: They are under Extras on the Harlequin website pages for their inspirational lines

http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=1735&chapter=0

I noticed their HP line requirements are still very much the same as Barbour required when I submitted to them back in 1992. For example, it states these are, “Contemporary and historical inspirational romances with an evangelical Christian worldview focusing on faith, hope and love.”

Eleven Key elements are then listed, including: “No drugs, alcohol, gambling, profanity or immodest dress. No dancing in contemporary stories. No graphic violence or sex within the course of the story.”

I am absolutely delighted that my hard-working friend, Narelle Atkins has signed a six book contract for Heartsong Presents. As far as I am aware, besides myself and one from Jennifer Ryan years ago, we are the only three Australians to have Heartsong Presents books published. I do not know of any in the Love Inspired line. Where are you all? Would love to have many, many more available for romance readers in our own countries.

Narelle is one of the administrators for our ACW writers' group and blog. Very Exciting things are happening in her writing life. Do click on her name and check out her website. 

The Love Inspired books are longer novels and the guidelines are similar but also includes: “Relationships that emphasize emotional intimacy rather than sexual desire.”

And I believe this should be the standard for most, if not all, inspirational romance novels whether they be the category kind Harlequin publishes or other single titles.  

There are publishers who may accept “edgy” romance manuscripts but I strongly suggest this is NOT wise for unpublished authors to try. All love scenes even between a husband and wife stop at that “bedroom door.” 

Of course these guidelines also include points about including faith elements in Harlequin books.  

 

Handling spiritual content. 

I hope you read a wide variety of inspirational romance novels. Which ones did you think included spiritual content the way you prefer? Were you challenged by the faith elements? Did you like having scripture references so you could look them up yourself? Were you blessed in some way? They should be the kind you need to study and try  to write.

Always take note of who published them but remember also a publisher may vary what they accept. Obtain the submission guidelines for the ones you would like to submit to. If you cannot find them on the internet, ask for them to be sent to you via email or post. And I strongly suggest you do that first before commencing your manuscript. Of course, the very best way is to go to writers’ conferences where publisher representatives are present so you can ask them specific questions!

 I have read some books over the years (including Heartsongs) that have characters only going to church, saying grace before meals, have ‘good” morals, but the characters really not very much different from many in sweet romance novels. Quite frankly, I expect more in ones I read but there may be other readers who simply prefer that. However, for me the spiritual lives of the characters has to be woven into every aspect of the novel. Having said that, of course no one likes to be “preached” at.

 

For all writers today, the catch-cry is to “SHOW not TELL”. This is even more important in Christian fiction.

Wherever possible SHOW faith by the actions or lack of action of the characters. Remember it is “by their fruit you will know them.” However, I believe how realistic these elements become in your book will ultimately depend on your own personal experiences – your own Christian walk and what you have observed in others. While any writer without any active faith of their own can research and study faith elements for hours, I doubt if those elements will always ring true. Showing your own faith and how you have seen or heard how God works in your own life will give the most realistic, spiritual content in your manuscript.

 

More "help" suggestions:  

I  have been a member of Romance Writers of Australia since it commenced and owe so much to this great organisation as well as the Faith Hope Love chapter of Romance Writers America. Over the years I have only missed attending a few of the great RWA conferences in Australia. It was such a thrill and privileged to meet other international inspirational romance writers in 1999 at RWAmerica's national conference. If at all possible don't miss at least one American Christian Fellowship Writers conference. The one Ray and I went to simply blew us away.

 

I have only been able to share so little in these posts about inspirational romance. There is more you should be aware of that romance readers - and publishers - expect. For example, space has not permitted me mentioning the special element needed for a romance book on that very first page, first paragraph to capture the reader. 

 

There are many “How To...” books and articles about writing  romance and inspirational romance available. As well as searching the websites and blogs of favourite writers, I strongly suggest you invest in some “How To” books.

Recommended:-

Writing the Christian Romance  As well as Christian romance, Gail writes sweet romance for Harlequin. It is also an e-book. Gail Gaymer Martin 

Heart & Craft  See the website of Australian romance author, Valerie Parv, especially her Writing Tips page. As well as her up to date information there, this book by her contains articles by at least eleven Australasian, multi-published romance authors.
Plot and Structure (Writers' Digest) The author, James Scott Bell is multi-published in the general as well as Christian market. I am looking forward very much to him being one of the keynote speakers at the Romance Writers of Australia’s annual conference next August.
A Novel Idea is fantastic for any Christian fiction writer. Published by Tyndale with articles by many best-selling romance writers like Francine Rivers, Robin Lee Hatcher, Karen Kingsbury, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Jerry B. Jenkins. 

So, as well as from these professionals, you’ve read various series like Harlequin’s Love Inspired Lines and books by your favourite single title authors from various publishers - hopefully including of course some Australian authors like Andrea Grigg, Rose Dee. Perhaps some of my own books also?

Have you now re-read your favourite books as a writer?
Have you tried to discover just how the writer made you want to keep reading?

You believe you have an idea that would make a good Christian romance novel. You’ve decided on what you thing is a good plot, chosen your hero, heroine and perhaps some minor characters. Better still, I hope you are now a little more aware of at least some of the expectations of avid sweet and inspirational romance readers. 

However, be warned. You need more than just an idea. You need a really GREAT Idea. The most important thing I can share with you is that you must have a really powerful, emotional story. I have read many books over the years that perhaps could have been written better. Better point of view, less typos and other technical problems that I wished had been edited. However, there are novels that contain some of these problems but have such a riveting, fascinating story I could not put the book down until that last page. And be warned, becoming a writer does make you notice these problems more than most readers and may jar you out of the story even more. 

Always remember, no matter the genre, “The Story” is the most important thing of any novel. It should be so powerful it gives many pleasant and sometimes very challenging “emotional experiences” from that first page to “The End".

Mary Hawkins is currently revising her latest Christian romance manuscript, Her Outback Cowboy, and still trying to put into practice what she has been learning about romance writing for nearly thirty years. Last December she celebrated twenty years since her first book, Search For Tomorrow, of 19 titles was published in 1993 by Barbour. She is excited it is again available as an e-book through Barbour’s Truly Yours Digital Editions.
Website and blog: http://www.mary-hawkins.com




Currently all her back list Heartsong Presents Kindle editions are on sale. Not sure when they will revert back to full price. (Unfortunately so far only Justice at Baragula, Book Three in her Baragula series, is available as an e-book )

Genre: Mystery, Suspense and Thrillers

By Iola Goulton

Ronald Tobias distinguishes between plots of the body and plots of the mind, and action plots are plots of the body. They are focused on providing suspense, surprise and fulfilling expectation, and the main character doesn’t necessarily change and grow as an individual (think James Bond or Jack Reacher).

Mystery

The essence of a mystery novel is that there is a mystery to be solved, usually a murder. The reader is introduced to a small group of characters in the beginning of the novel, one of whom becomes the detective, one (or more) the victim, and one the murderer. Writing a good mystery requires a significant level of skill: the reader shouldn’t be able to easily identify the murderer, but there should be a logic to the plot so the reader says, ‘of course!’ when the culprit is revealed at the end (as they always are).

Cozy mysteries are popular, and generally feature a bloodless off-stage murder, little sex, violence or profanity, and a female amateur investigator (with Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple being a classic example). Other sub-genres include hard-boiled (featuring the classic male detective), and police procedural (which might investigate several related crimes, and where the reader may know who the criminal is, in which case part of the suspense comes from wanting the police to catch the criminal before another crime is committed).

Fans of classic detective fiction will want to read Rules of Murder by debut author Julianna Deering. Other authors writing Christian mysteries include Mindy Starns Clark (cozy), Stephen James and J Mark Bertrand (police procedural).

Thriller

If a thriller does not thrill, if it doesn’t give readers an adrenaline rush, it’s not a thriller. (Steven James)

A thriller is usually some kind of chase to find a criminal (such as a kidnapper or murderer), often before they commit another crime. These are the books that keep you awake at night—because you have to finish them before you can sleep, just in case the unthinkable happens and a major character is killed (it does happen. Not often, but it does happen). Prominent Christian thriller authors include Alton Gansky, Steven James, Creston Mapes, Robert Whitmore and Liz Wiehl.

Medical Thriller

Medical thrillers are usually centred in or around a hospital, and involve some kind of threat or crisis, whether medical or physical. Christian authors writing in this sub-genre include Hannah Alexander, Candace Calvert, Jordyn Redwood, and Richard Mabry.

Legal Thriller

The protagonist is usually a crusading lawyer out to prove a client innocent, or investigating a corrupt organisation or system. The legal system is a vital component, and the ring of authenticity is important to the reader—there is no room for factual errors in a legal thriller. Christian authors writing in this genre include James Scott Bell, Pamela Binnings Ewen, and Randy Singer.

Crime

Crime novels, in contrast, are usually from the point of view of the criminal. As such, there is little in the way of Christian crime fiction (although a thriller or romantic suspense novel may well include the criminal as a viewpoint character).

Horror

The objective of horror is to scare the reader. Personally, I don’t see the thrill in that, and it seems I’m not alone, because it’s not a common genre in Christian fiction. Authors in this area include James Rubart, Mike Duran and Ted Dekker.

Speculative

In Christian fiction, speculative or visionary fiction includes some aspect of the supernatural, and this may or may not be biblically accurate (which can cause problems). While the plot is a thriller, it also requires a degree of worldbuilding, which will be discussed in the next post.

Based on these examples, you’d be forgiven for assuming that almost all thriller authors are men (one of the female names listed above, Hannah Alexander, is actually the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team). I think that's true. Women make up more than 80% of the membership of writing organisations such as ACFW, and probably a similar proportion of fiction readers. Authors targeting the female reader are more likely to combine an action plot with a romance plot (romantic suspense), and are more likely to be women. Personally, I find many male authors emphasise action at the expense of the character relationships.

Do you write action or adventure? How do you describe what you write? What do you feel are the essential ingredients in an action novel?

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction, and you can find out more about my services at my website, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. I love reading, and read and review around 150 Christian books each year on my blog.

Those interesting writing questions

To mark the release of my latest novel, The Inheritance, a few weeks ago, our senior pastor was gracious enough to interview me in our morning service, after which I offered my new book for sale—kind of like a ‘mini-launch’ just for the folk at our church. In the interview, I even managed to sneak in a little plea for people to look for books by Aussie (and NZ!) Christian authors at their local Christian bookstore!

I enjoyed chatting to people as I sold my books, but just as I was packing up, a rather intimidating lady approached me.

‘When you have a moment, I’d like to ask you something.’

I hurried to finish what I was doing, wondering what her question would be. Had she objected to something I had said in my interview? Did she not like the idea of Christians writing novels? I was ready for just about anything.

Eventually, she drew me to one side.

‘I’d like to ask you—how do you write a book?’

Just a simple little question! I tried not to look too shocked and hoped my mouth wasn’t hanging open. I have been asked this question before, especially during bookstore appearances, but this time I couldn’t think how to respond. You see, this lady seemed well educated and very articulate. Was she really expecting me to give her a comprehensive response then and there?

In the end, I decided to ask a question of my own—several, in fact. Was she interested in writing a book herself? If so, what sort? Would it be for her family or for a wider audience? Had she begun to write already? Did she enjoy writing?

As we talked, I discovered she wanted to write her own life story. I offered to give her some notes I have available on topics such as getting started in writing and getting published. I recommended a couple of books on the subject. I suggested she write letters, journal entries, brief articles—anything to stretch her creative writing abilities. I told her about a Christian writers’ group nearby, but she did not seem interested. On top of that, she does not use a computer and was not keen to learn.

Then came another abrupt question.

‘Well, I actually wondered if you’d write it for me.’

Hmm. Was this her real question all along? Was she hoping I would jump at the opportunity? Perhaps you have received similar requests and, like me, have had to turn them down. I have too many books of my own waiting to be written at present—and, apart from that, I am in the middle of a very busy period of promoting my new novel. I could see this lady did not appreciate all this, however, and I felt mean disappointing her.

How would you have responded to this lady’s first question? Had I been less busy, I could perhaps have offered to meet with her and talk more about it. After all, many authors have answered my inept questions about writing over the years. Is there a better or more gracious way to help such people? What do you think?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com or www.soulfriend.com.au.