Listen . . .

                                  

No one wants to listen to advice from an author who hasn't sold much of his or her work. Writers want to hear from those elite authors who've ended up on The NYTimes Bestseller List or have actually repeatedly and impressively sold their novels in large numbers, causing the average reader to remember their names, not just the title of their books. Who can blame them?

Perhaps these special authors have discovered the secret key or code to producing, marketing, and selling fiction. Notice I didn't say "good" fiction. Because, honestly, sometimes what sells well isn't written well, uses a clichéd plot, stereotypical melodrama, and/or cardboard, smarmy, or super-hero characters. What does this mean?

It means many things. A specific audience was ripe for picking up that drama, comedy, thriller, or period piece and the writing techniques were inconsequential to the subject of the book. There was just enough emotion, laughter, blood, or lace and swords to capture a significant part of the reading population at any given time. The simplicity of the story gave a good many readers just what they wanted for entertainment, escape, and excitement. Somehow it worked.

Could other writers follow their successful leads and reap the same benefits? We see those attempts frequently from publishers wanting to cash in on what appears to be working, i.e. Amish/Mennonite novels; Vampire novels. Trends that work for a season flood the market until signs of saturation reduce the inventory.

I'm not one of those authors who qualifies for giving advice of any kind concerning writing endeavors. In spite of that disclaimer, I will say I've learned that different types of writers exist, and some of them will do whatever it takes to be published. Others not so much. E-publishing has given the second group opportunities to fulfill their writing pleasures be they good, bad, ugly, or indifferent. Everyone has an opinion about who should or shouldn't be published, but it's almost become a moot point. Those willing to compromise and meet the needs of editors/publishers to secure a contract find a certain satisfaction in obtaining their goal(s).

Having said all that, I've found, for myself, authenticity matters most to me. The heart or the head, and very often it's a combination of both leaning heavily toward one or the other, dictates how authors write their stories. Big surprise I lean toward the heart - which isn't always a good thing. However, writing a novel must immerse me in its deep waters, only allowing the gasping eruption surfacing back into my current reality in order to function in the day-to-day. The story absorbs me into each personality and produces the voices and circumstances of those individuals. It has to.

So how's that workin' for ya, you ask? Well, it works for me. However, it hasn't produced bestsellers or an author who will give you advice or pretend what she has to say will in any way affect how you choose to write your novels.

Nicole Petrino-Salter spent over 30 years within the Thoroughbred horse racing industry. Now she writes love stories with a passion. Devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ, her family, friends, and pets, you can find her most days on her blog hopeofglory.typepad.com where she welcomes your visit. Author of the novels The Famous One, Breath of Life, Hope of Glory. Raw Romantic Redemptive

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Confessions of a Rebellious Writer . . .

                                                                                                                                                                                   

You don’t have to like what I write. I can’t make you like it. I can’t stop you from liking it. You are out of my control. That’s a good thing.  Because control issues speak loudly in the writing community.  And not in a positive way.

Sometimes as writers and readers we have to concede someone else knows what they’re doing even if we don’t like it.

I concede formulaic novels with pristine grammar and safe characters fulfill the reading desires for a number of - or perhaps the bulk of – Christian fiction readers.  I applaud the ability to follow the rules and stick to the norm, to what’s expected, and to what has worked for many years in the overall genre.

But this rebel does not concede that I must do the same. “Good luck with that!” you say.  Well, I don’t believe in luck, but I do agree with the exclaimed concept. A rebellious writer in CBA doesn’t fly.

“Why are you so rebellious?” you ask, perplexed. And I answer, “It’s because I need to like what I write. I need to write what feels real to me. I can’t dress it up to meet some standards I view as foolish or ridiculous. If that seems harsh,” I say, “then I apologize. Not for what I write, but for coming down hard on some literary choices which equal that of annoying ‘politically correct’ paragons designed to contain and restrain offenses.”

The truth is you can’t write anything without offending someone. “Someone” will decide you stink as a writer and assign you to the one-star reviews on Amazon. Someone else will chastise you for using adverbs profusely, head-hopping, dialogue tags, “and” or “but” to start sentences, or breaking any rule you can’t stand.

“So there should be no standards?” you gasp.

Of course there should be standards for fiction authored by Christians, but the ultimate standard is established between the Holy Spirit and the author. And those authors who dare to circumvent some of the restrictive measures put in place by some publishers must decide for themselves how and where to publish. Since rebellious writing in Christian circles most likely earns you a trip to e-publishing or a vanity press, you must choose what works for you.

Writing rebels don’t compromise well. Rebels can’t find an easy middle ground when they truly believe in what they’re writing. Rebels believe in common sense standards which uphold Christian principles, not Christian opinions.

We walk a lonely literary path in Christian publishing, but one aspect of this decision ignored by readers and writers who disagree with our choices: we walk our path with Jesus who goes before us to make it straight. He is who we follow. Not the disgruntled .  .  .

Nicole Petrino-Salter writes love stories with a passion. You can visit her daily at her blog: hopeofglory.typepad.

       

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