Writing Inspirationals 101 ~ Lenora Worth

When Ane Mulligan reminded me I’d promised to do a “teaching blog”, I panicked. I’m not the most organized person in the world and I’m not the best teacher in the world. My best lesson—don’t make the same mistakes I have. So here is a little crash course in Writing Inspirationals 101.

First, don’t decide to write an inspirational as a means of “getting in the door” to publishing. This genre is not for the weak. And it’s not for those who run from trend to trend or market to market just to see their name in print.

Fortunately for me, I knew early on that I really wanted to write books with a Christian perspective. I wanted that faith element in my stories. But way back then in the early and mid-1980’s, there just wasn’t much happening in this market. I’ve always been a slow-starter, a latecomer, the last one to hop on the bandwagon.

So while I hoped for something to open up, I wrote three Avalons and two Leisures. The three Avalons were very sweet and so much fun to write. The Leisures were a bit steamy as required by my publisher but they still had the essence of home and hearth and redemption in them (as do most romance novels).

However, I knew I didn’t want to continue writing steamy novels. Since I’d made it known to my then-agent that I really would like to write inspirationals, she watched out for any markets opening up. So when Steeple Hill put out the word, she somehow got me an appointment with the SH editor at a conference in Dallas.

Some say I was in the right place at the right time and I agree. I was on God’s time. I sold that first grain of an idea on proposal and three chapters and I’ve been steadily writing for Steeple Hill since. That book was “The Wedding Quilt”, still one of my bestsellers. Why did things happen this way? I believe I was blessed because I “wanted” to write romantic stories with a faith element. I didn’t chase a market. I prayed for a market.

I’m not saying that my prayers were answered just so little ol’ me could write what I wanted, but I am saying that I had such a great need to do this that I projected myself right into it with prayer and hope and being prepared for what might happen. So watch and pray, but prepare and behold while you’re doing so.

Secondly, don’t think that once you sell one book your life will suddenly become ever so much easier. No, darling, it will change—for the good, yes. But be careful what you ask for—you just might get it. One book means you have arrived but it doesn’t mean you’ll get to stay at the party. You have to be ready with another book and another one and another one. This is commercial fiction after all—we all want to make a nice living and as I like to tell people, we are the foot soldiers in the publishing world.

There will be those who publish a blockbuster right out of the gate and only have to worry about writing another book about every five or ten years. I am not one of those. I like writing series romance and I know that this means I have to be productive and flexible. And it also means I won’t get rich over night but I can make a nice contribution to the financial well-being of my family.

Which brings me number three—about being flexible. You must learn how to do this. You will learn to fight your battles. But you will also learn how to compromise. You might have to do revisions to make the book saleable, whether you like revisions or not.

You might have to stand your ground on a plot point or an editor messing with your voice, but you might also want to give it a few books before stomping your foot like a prima donna and refusing to do your job.

Once you learn to go with the flow and follow the rules, you can certainly bend the rules here and there. And you can stomp you pretty little foot all you want in the privacy of your own home as long as you do your job. My writer friends know that my standard reaction to stress is to beat my head against the wall then figure out how to make it work. I have a very hard head.

They also tease me about being a prima donna because I have a massively impressive shoe collection, so most days I can stomp my feet in pretty red pumps or vivid green kitten heels or even my standard Earth shoes if I feel inclined to do so. But the bottom line (and there is always a bottom line) is this: Get the job done.

And that is rule number four: Learn how to work through everything—children crashing into furniture, husbands interrupting for “just a minute or two”, friends needing you to take their cat to the vet (because they are at work and can’t do this), your lovable mother-in-law calling with the wonderful job listing she saw in the paper because, honey, you really need to get “a real job”, the cake burning, the roast burning, anything but the actual house burning.

Don’t wait for peace and quiet and just the right time. There is no such thing. Be prepared for anything and take a break when you have to, but keep in mind that this is a job. A real live job. People are depending on you—your editors, your agent, your husband or your wife(he or she will like those checks) and especially your readers.

If you have story to tell, don’t hide that light under a basket. We all want to hear it. Sure it might take a lot of work and you might have to sacrifice lots of other things, but the pay-off is very rewarding. And it’s not about the money. It’s more about the letters you will get from loyal readers or the phone calls you’ll receive from someone who turned back to God because of your words. That’s better than a clearance sale at the nearest shoe store. Truly!!!

And finally, number five—and very important! You must believe in what you write in order to write what you believe. Think about that. You can’t write a book and get it published if you don’t believe in your heart that you can do this. And you can’t write an inspirational and get it published if you don’t believe in God. Inspirational writers not only have to write what they know, they have to know what they write.

They have to have the love of Christ in their hearts in order to portray that love in their words. There is an exception to every rule, of course. But for the most part, writing a book with a Christian worldview means you need to have a Christian worldview yourself. Oh, and read, read, read within the market to get the feel of what this means.

All inspirationals are not alike. Christian fiction today is as vast and diverse as the chapters of the Bible. Read as many different authors in this market as you possibly can, so you will know what you need to write and you will write what you know. Reading allows you to feel the essence of books and it also allows you to learn by absorbing the beats and tones of all kinds of books.

This is my best advice, some of which I have learned the hard way. But even on my worst days, I still have the best job in the world. I get to write love stories and I am also allowed to include the greatest love story ever told--Christ's love for us--in my books! What a blessing. Oh and one other tidbit—whether you are male or female--once you get that first contract, go out and buy yourself a new pair of shoes!


Deadly Texas Rose
By Lenora Worth
Published by Steeple Hill, Love Inspired Suspense
ISBN-10: 0373442750

When could she stop running?
A thug attempted to abduct Julia Daniels at gunpoint in broad daylight. In the very diner where the waitress worked—and across from the sheriff's office. Which meant that whoever was after the widowed mother would stop at nothing. Including shooting a police officer. The handsome deputy sheriff who'd taken a bullet for Julia and saved her life vowed to protect her and her traumatized daughter.
First, though, Eric Butler needed the truth about why she'd sought refuge in Wildflower, Texas. But how could Julia tell him when it meant putting all their lives in grave danger?