Inspirationals: Don't Force The Message

This Sunday I was sitting in our Bible Study at church as we were focusing on our studies for Lent. Now let me first state, I have not, nor will I ever likely enjoy working with those devotionals many of the churches use for their studies. It was actually this grumbling I had running through my head that got me thinking about the topic for today.

The problem with these devotionals is simple. The editors of these collections are trying too hard to
get their message across. They force the issue. They take passages from the Bible that are pretty random and pretty general, and then, often through a manipulation of words and phrases, try to turn the passage into something much larger. For me, it is just this reason that I turn away so many inspirational romances. The authors are trying too hard to force the "message" and "the word" down my throat.

Let me first state that I do believe writing inspirational romance is pretty tough. There are a ton of restrictions put on the author based on the publisher's guidelines as well as the audience buying the books. But there is also the issue of balance. Somehow the author has keep the romance as the central story arc, and yet, at the same time, weave in that inspirational message for the reader as well. Remember, it is the romance and use of "faith" that brings the characters together, and, in many cases, bringing one of the characters "back into the light." This is simply a tough balance.

I am working with one of my authors on just such a struggles. We are constantly having to go back and find a way to "back off of the preaching." The goal is simple. We want to see the characters with the faith demonstrating that behavior and thought that the other characters might be lacking. We want to see through action, and not so much talk, a transformation and teaching moment about faith.

Whenever I speak of inspirationals, I always return to one of my favorite authors from the Bible - Paul. He frequently spoke about the concept of "justification by faith" and not by "works". In essence the ideas was not so much about telling people you were a person of faith. It wasn't about going to church so many days, or following certain rituals. It was living in a life of faith and those "actions would just follow." Gal 3:11: "The law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: "the righteous man finds life through faith.."

For those inspirational romances, the relationship will be found through faith.

Just some Lenten thoughts mixed in with some publishing this Monday morning.

Some Thoughts On Inspirational Romance

I went back and took a look at some of the posts I had in the past on this and thought I would bring this one up again. We're talking inspirational romance today.

This is a genre I do like to read if it is done well but also one that makes me completely cringe when I see it done poorly. This is also a very competitive market right now so if you want to write in this genre, you have to be dang good at it. Writers can be extremely successful with inspirational stories if they know what they are doing. Too often, when I see inspirationals come across my desk (which up until recently were accidents) I see stories that are really forced and lack that "umph" necessary to really be competitive in this market. Let me explain.

Writing inspirationals involves much more than simply having the characters pray about everything, remind themselves what they are doing by throwing scripture out every now and then, and eliminating the sex. Writing inspirationals really goes back to the same things I keep screaming about time and time again - what is the theme and thesis of your story? Out of all of the genres out there, the theme is beyond important with inspirational writing. In many ways you have to think of these stories as being fables with a single message you want the reader to walk away with.

Let's first talk about what an inspirational romance is. When we look at the basic elements of this genre, we are looking at how one or more of the characters are transformed over time through inspiration and religion. Because it is also a romance, along the way, we are watching the growing attraction and emotion occurring between the characters. All of the plot and character development through the story is guided by a single theme or idea that you want the reader to walk away with.

If, for example, you wanted to build a story around John 4:48 "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe," you might set up the story where the heroine, involved in say an underprivileged education program has to bring the corporate hero down to her level just to see where the money is going to. Basic, straightforward but a theme that can guide the entire story. Because it is a theme, the author is not going to come right out and say this is what the person is teaching. Instead, the actions, tone and certainly the plot elements will always circle back around and give us one more piece of information to understand the theme.

Think of it this way. In the Bible, Jesus speaks of 6 parables that are really designed for the general public. Each of the parables adds an element to the over-all message/theme he is sending to the people. These would include:

• The Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13: 3-9)
• The Wheat and the Tares (Matt. 13: 24-30)
• The Lamp Under the Bushel (Mark 4: 21-25)
• The Mustard Seed (Matt. 13: 31-32)
• The Kingdom Like Leaven (Matt. 13: 33)
• The Seed Cast Into The Ground (Mark 4: 26-29)

In this case, each of the parables, although telling a different story and a different aspect of the Kingdom of God through the eyes of Jesus, is set up to provide one small piece of the bigger story. With inspirational romance, we see the characters doing the same thing as they encounter new conflicts and complications throughout the story.

We come to the next element of inspirational romances - Bible quoting. Because these are themes that just melt into the story, does this mean that the characters can't quote scripture or pray? Quoting scripture is fine, if this is something the character would do naturally. I do think, however, that far too many authors force the scripture quoting into the story and then things sound a bit forced. What we should be seeing in the story is very similar to the ideas that the Apostle Paul talks about with his idea of "justification by faith." The thing that comes first is the faith and then the actions follow, not the reverse.

One of the inspirational romances that I remember really doing a great job of getting a message across to the readers was Carla Capshaw's The Protector and I believe this does a great job with showing how the
inspirational message is really guiding the characters. Why does it works so well here? It is set in ancient Rome so the characters are really lacking the ability to run around and quote Bible passages. It is strictly the faith issues that are guiding the characters.

Now there are certainly restrictions of things that can or cannot be included in inspirational romances, but most of this is because of the book sellers and who their market is. Sex, language, alcohol usage and so forth are issues that need to be addressed when writing in these genres. Please note however, that just eliminating the characters having sex or cursing does not make a story an inspirational romance.

The key to all of this is to be subtle. Use the Scripture and use the message as the theme to build the story around. It takes talent but you have to trust yourself to do it. Don't force the story.

This is an exciting genre to write in but one that does require A LOT of research on the part of an author to be successful. This is also a genre that you need to have the right agent for to help you. Some of the agents out there really understand this genre well. As for me at Greyhaus, the only area of inspirational romances that I will work with are the Love Inspired Lines of Harlequin -  Love Inspired, Love Inspired Historical, and Love Inspired Suspense. I am going to leave the navigation of the larger single title inspirational presses to my esteemed colleagues.

Inspirational Romance

This is a repeat from an earlier blog post.

We're talking inspirational romance today. This is really a tough genre to write for but really one that is in hot demand if it is done well. Writers can be extremely successful with inspirational stories if they know what they are doing. Too often, when I see inspirationals come across my desk (which up until recently were accidents) I see stories that are really forced and lack that "umph" necessary to really be competitive in this market. Let me explain.

As I point out in the title of this post, writing inspirationals involves much more than simply having the characters pray about everything, remind themselves what they are doing by throwing scripture out every now and then, and eliminating the sex. Writing inspirationals really goes back to the same things I keep screaming about time and time again - what is the theme and thesis of your story?

When we look at the basic elements of this genre, we are looking at how one or more of the characters are transformed over time through inspiration and religion. Because it is also a romance, along the way, we are watching the growing attraction and emotion occuring between the charcters. All of the plot and character development through the story is guided by a single theme or idea that you want the reader to walk away with.

If, for example, you wanted to build a story around John 4:48 "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe," you might set up the story where the heroine, involved in say an underprivledged education program has to bring the corporate hero down to her level just to see where the money is going to. Basic, straightforward but a theme that can guide the entire story.

Now, does this mean that the characters can't quote scripture or pray? Absolutely not, but this is not the only thing they should be doing. What we should be seeing in the story is very similar to the ideas that the Apostle Paul talks about with his idea of "justification by faith." The thing that comes first is the faith and then the actions follow, not the reverse.

I am currently reading Carla Capshaw's The Protector and I believe this does a great job with showing how the inspriational message is really guiding the characters. Why does it works so well here? It is set in ancient Rome so the characters are really lacking the ability to run around and quote Bible passages. It is strictly the faith issues that are guiding the characters.

The key to all of this is to be subtle. Use the Scripture and use the message as the theme to build the story around. It takes talent but you have to trust yourself to do it. Don't force the story.

Scott

Getting Inspired With Inspirationals

One of the reasons I decided to represent romance and women's fiction was the message I get from the story I read. I love the feel good endings. I am a sucker for the happily ever after. I have found that for me, inspirationals work very much the same way. The goal of the story is to really get across a great message of humanity and faith to the reader.

But, a great inspirational can do this in such a way that you don't see it until it has run you over. The message is subtle but powerful.

I am a firm believer in the Apostle Paul. O.K. I got a lot of that from my grandfather who was a Methodist minister. That connection led to the writing of my first book of poetry, Pulpit to Poem: Grandfather to Grandson. But enough about me. The key that Paul stresses is the idea of "justification by faith." Faith and personal growth come from just accepting and believing and not about "doing" certain things.

When it comes to inspirationals, this is what I love the most (and also why I have turned away so many). Great inspirationals are not going to be based on the insertion of Bible quotes everytime you turn around. I always joke about this. I have read stories that are so heavy with quotes I want to barf. "Samantha listened to the toast pop up as she looked at the pile of dishes. This reminded her of a passage from Habbakuk..." Really? I don't think so.

The ultimate goal of an inspirational is to watch someone who is missing faith come to it. We want to see someone guide someone else back to the safety of that faith. Add a romance into the story and you have a complete package. Not only do we get the happily ever after from the romance, we also get the satisfaction of watching the characters learn something about their faith. The added bonus is also the reader understanding something about themself!

Now, to answer a question many of you might be asking. Why don't I represent inspirationals beyond Steeple Hill. The answer is simple. The Christian book market is TOUGH!!! Agents have to know this industry inside and out. This is something I simply am not immersed in. Could this change? Sure. But for now, it is best if you are interested in heading to those bigger houses, to head to agents that specialize in inspirationals.

Scott

Inspirational Romance - It's More Than Prayer and Scripture Quoting

We're talking inspirational romance today. This is really a tough genre to write for but really one that is in hot demand if it is done well. Writers can be extremely successful with inspirational stories if they know what they are doing. Too often, when I see inspirationals come across my desk (which up until recently were accidents) I see stories that are really forced and lack that "umph" necessary to really be competitive in this market. Let me explain.

As I point out in the title of this post, writing inspirationals involves much more than simply having the characters pray about everything, remind themselves what they are doing by throwing scripture out every now and then, and eliminating the sex. Writing inspirationals really goes back to the same things I keep screaming about time and time again - what is the theme and thesis of your story?

When we look at the basic elements of this genre, we are looking at how one or more of the characters are transformed over time through inspiration and religion. Because it is also a romance, along the way, we are watching the growing attraction and emotion occuring between the charcters. All of the plot and character development through the story is guided by a single theme or idea that you want the reader to walk away with.

If, for example, you wanted to build a story around John 4:48 "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe," you might set up the story where the heroine, involved in say an underprivledged education program has to bring the corporate hero down to her level just to see where the money is going to. Basic, straightforward but a theme that can guide the entire story.

Now, does this mean that the characters can't quote scripture or pray? Absolutely not, but this is not the only thing they should be doing. What we should be seeing in the story is very similar to the ideas that the Apostle Paul talks about with his idea of "justification by faith." The thing that comes first is the faith and then the actions follow, not the reverse.

I am currently reading Carla Capshaw's The Protector and I believe this does a great job with showing how the inspriational message is really guiding the characters. Why does it works so well here? It is set in ancient Rome so the characters are really lacking the ability to run around and quote Bible passages. It is strictly the faith issues that are guiding the characters.

The key to all of this is to be subtle. Use the Scripture and use the message as the theme to build the story around. It takes talent but you have to trust yourself to do it. Don't force the story.

Scott