Polls for Christian Writers discussion

Hello all,

I understand this may be a touchy subject, so I will handle it as best I can. First off I want to make it absolutely clear that the topics I start in this folder are not directed at anyone. This is simply something that has weighed upon my heart for the last several years. I haven't seen many people speak on this subject, and it saddens me.

I do not wish to offend anyone. I am not pointing any fingers, I simply want to bring forward the observations I've been making almost since I learned to read. I try my hardest to speak with respect.

These will be my posts on writing. I am a writer myself, not a published author, but someone who writes for the fun of it, and enjoys writing. I am not a particularly fine writer, my style is a bit odd and I understand that as a writer I have a long way to go. However, I have been a reader for years, and I have learned to see writing in a new light.

About two years ago I made it my mission to see what made books classics and I have read as many of the famous books (and also not so famous) as I could get my hands on. I have been analysing them and trying to discover what makes a book "great" and what good writing really looks like. I've been reading and paying close attention to how a person combines their words to create an atmosphere, how the structure of a story creates a style unique to a particular author.

I am not an expert on anything, I don't know the jargon of an editor or a professional critic. I have just read a lot of books and have observed the way they work, I've trained my eyes and my mind to see things a little differently, in the hopes of making myself a better writer. These are my observations on "Christian" fiction.

Well, I'll be happy to read anything you say! This is exactly what we need -- raw truths that haven't been softened and generalized to not 'offend' anyone with their truthfulness! I'll be looking forward to future posts!

R. E. Banks wrote: "Well, I'll be happy to read anything you say! This is exactly what we need -- raw truths that haven't been softened and generalized to not 'offend' anyone with their truthfulness! I'll be looking f..."

Wow, thank you so much for the support, it means so much. The reason I felt compelled to write these is because I think a lot of Christian authors don't even know when they are doing something cliche or stereotypical, because the genre is so narrow. It's basically romance, either Western or Amish, and a little end-times apocalyptic, take your pick, that's it.

You can't do a lot of research within the genre because there's just so little worth studying in "Christian" fiction. I had to study outside of the genre I'm interested in writing in to find diverse examples of some really stellar writing. That shouldn't be. Christians have long been the best in areas of art. Some of the most beautiful buildings in the world are churches, the most beautiful paintings are of bible stories, sculptures, music, you name it and the best of the best have been dedicated to Christian themes. We are to strive for excellence, and I believe that of all genres, Christian fiction should be one of the best. We are surely capable. So I want to highlight the problems in our genre so that we can steer clear as best we can.

It makes perfect sense, and is actually sad how Christian fiction is now shallow and sappy. I've only read a few (and looked at a lot more) and had the exact same experience you described.

Well I, for one, am certainly looking forward to this. I'm not one to patsy-foot around words or hide behind the politically correct. I believe we can accomplish something here if we are truly willing to examine and discuss it without fear of "offense."

I think we are in sore need of good Christian fiction, an alternative to some of the downright ugly literature we have in the world today. I agree that we have the power to wield a shining light in this dark world and that shouldn't be limited to just a select few genres. (Though I must add that Terri Blackstock writes amazing suspense novels!!!) As a reader, I can't explain how much I truly appreciate having a clean, trusted author to go to in the genres I enjoy, so I hope to one day be that author for another little girl out there like me.