CHAPTER 42

INSIDE CHRISTIAN FICTION

BY PENELOPE J. STOKES

“Jesus,” Madeleine L’Engle says in Walking on Water, “was not a theologian. He was God who told stories.”

And good stories they were, too—stories that shook the religious status quo to its foundations, stories that made people think, that made them wonder and question and reevaluate their own relationships with God. Sometimes they were stories that made his listeners angry. Stories about death and rebirth, about sin and redemption, about a God who cares enough to go after one wandering sheep or to search the entire house for a single lost coin. Stories about an outcast who becomes a model of godliness by helping a wounded enemy. Stories about a father who forgives even before his wayward son has repented. Intriguing stories. Disturbing stories. Stories that comforted the afflicted—and afflicted the comfortable.

If you don’t believe stories have power, watch what happens in your church on some sleepy Sunday morning. The pastor drones on about justification and sanctification and nearly every other religious term you can think of, and then suddenly says, “Let me tell you a story.” Heads pop up, spines straighten, and eyes open. Ah, here it is. Not doctrine or law or history, but a story. We can relate to a story. We can hear it, glean its meaning, and make our own applications. We can find our own truth in its words—truth that may have more influence for change than all the shoulds in Christendom.

MAKING IT IN CHRISTIAN FICTION

Writers who hope to succeed as novelists in the Christian market need to understand how the CBA (formerly known as the Christian Booksellers Association) works, and to take into account a number of primary considerations before attempting to sell a proposal.

Like any other marketplace, the Christian publishing market has its benefits as well as its limitations. For the Christian who wants to write high-quality moral fiction, CBA publishers offer the opportunity to publish in an environment open to spiritual truth, and to reach an audience hungry for that truth. In most cases, a writer does not need to have an agent to get a reading from a CBA editor, although many Christian writers these days are opting to ally themselves with literary agents who specialize in marketing to CBA publishers. Many Christian publishers are smaller than the New York megahouses; thus, a writer may find that the atmosphere in a Christian publishing company is warmer and more intimate, and that Christian companies tend to give more attention to their writers. In general, Christian publishers are a bit more open to untested writers and more willing to take a chance on a new writer if the author’s work shows promise.

The limitations of publishing with a CBA house relate primarily to theological and financial issues. Theologically, the more conservative publishers expect fiction to have a strong evangelical content and an overt moral lesson or spiritual “take-away value.” Other less conservative companies emphasize quality of writing and development of plot and character, but still demand a certain level of theological rectitude: characters who are identifiably Christian (or who come to Christian faith during the course of the story), a biblically based representation of God, and a worldview that reflects the justice and mercy of God, where the good get rewarded and the evil get punished.

In financial terms, many of the smaller evangelical publishers do not have sufficient working capital to invest enormous amounts of money in marketing and advertising. Advances, particularly for new writers, are generally minimal, and first print runs tend to be small. But the larger, more profitable big-name companies in the CBA are beginning to match some of the New York houses, offering substantial advances, good royalty schedules, and excellent marketing.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

A writer who wants to publish novels in the religious marketplace needs to have a clear idea of the distinctive features that separate Christian or evangelical fiction from general-market fiction. In general, the Christian market is geared toward the conservative end of the evangelical spectrum. Readers, booksellers, editors, and publishers expect a certain level of conservative Christian theology. This perspective does not always have to appear in the form of decisions for Christ, sermons, or prayers, but it must be visible in some form.

Some Christian publishers provide a detailed doctrinal perspective for potential writers in their writers guidelines; others require the use of specific Bible translations for any Scripture passages that may be used. And almost all publishers are looking for particular kinds of books that fit into their publishing grid. In addition to genres that fit the specific niche of each evangelical publisher, most CBA publishing houses will be looking for the following issues in the novels they acquire.

• A clearly articulated Christian worldview. A Christian worldview is based on the assumption that God is in control of the universe, and that true meaning and fulfillment in life are based on a relationship with the Almighty. This does not mean that bad things never happen, but that evil will be punished in the end and good will prevail—either in this world or in the world to come. A Christian worldview offers a perspective of a universe that includes spiritual vision, order, and moral resolution. Christian writers do not have to blind themselves to reality, but their writing must hold out the possibility of hope.

• A familiar but intriguing setting and/or time frame. According to a survey conducted by a major CBA publisher, readers are most often drawn to settings they feel comfortable with or that are familiar: American rural/small-town environments (as in Janette Oke’s nostalgia novels), and well-known historical time frames such as World War II, the Civil War, or Victorian England. These settings and time frames attract audiences because readers feel they already know something about the era and the environment.

• Universal themes and subject matter. Novels usually work best in the CBA market when they connect with some issue of current interest or universal appeal: love, suffering, injustice, moral challenges, or family relationships. Contemporary novels often approach controversial issues directly (abortion, for example), but these issues must also be approached carefully lest they become extended sermons.

• Action orientation. Action-oriented books that include intrigue, movement, suspense, danger, and ultimate resolution usually work best in the CBA market. This general principle does not eliminate the value of character-oriented books, but it’s a good idea to steer clear of psychological novels comprised mostly of self-awareness, internal insights, or relationships. Something has to happen for a book to be successful in the Christian market.

• Viable Christian characters. Conservative Christian readers look for characters they can relate to—”good Christian people.” Characters do not have to be perfect (who is, after all?), but main characters—heroes and heroines—are generally most acceptable when they have a clearly identifiable evangelical faith, along with some kind of memorable “conversion” in their history. Most Christian readers are looking for a conflict of good vs. evil, one of the universal themes described previously. At the very least, the central character must have redeeming faith values, an intrinsic goodness or nobility—perhaps a “lapsed Christian” with a background of faith that ultimately leads to recommitment. Some of the more conservative Christian publishers tend to be wary of characters who are too Catholic in their expressions of faith.

• Series plans or potential. Although some companies are now successfully publishing stand-alone novels, many publishers have found that a series is more marketable than a single novel, particularly with historical fiction.
    Compelling characters or intriguing plots lead the reader to anticipate the next book, and the series creates its own natural marketing momentum. Plans for a trilogy, a four- or five-book series, or even a single sequel can be a major selling point for a proposal.

• Strong evangelical perspectives. Certain Christian publishers insist on a strong conservative perspective that goes beyond a basic Christian worldview. These publishers will respond positively to characters who pray and see obvious answers to their prayers, who make decisions based on Scripture, and who have significant changes wrought in their lives and attitudes by the power of God working in difficult circumstances. Most CBA publishers expect their authors to refrain from writing scenes that include gratuitous sex or overt sensuality, obscenity and profanity, humanistic philosophy, or excessive violence (particularly toward women).

ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISES

Some of these limitations present significant problems for novelists in the Christian market. Since real life contains violence, sex, and profanity, how do you write “real” fiction and create “real” characters under such constraints? Perhaps the key to that dilemma lies in the Christian novelist’s perceptions—that Christian worldview. The fact is, spiritual growth and the search for truth are also integral issues in human life, issues that are sometimes ignored altogether in general-market fiction.

When personal religious compromises are necessary, they should be evaluated on the basis of the author’s own belief system. Some issues can simply be soft-pedaled, as Jan Karon has done so well in the Mitford books; others can be addressed head-on through characters who exhibit growth and change as the novel progresses. I would never advise authors to try to write something that is in direct contradiction to their personal values, but I often encourage authors to find the common ground between their own beliefs and the perspectives of their readers.

The challenge to the Christian writer, then, is to create fascinating, memorable characters and gripping plots, and still represent the validity of Christian faith in human life. Writers who employ sound principles of good fiction can find ways to communicate a clear Christian worldview without compromising the artistic and literary demands of high-quality fiction.

Jesus was “God who told stories.” And we, as writers who bear Christ’s name, have the same calling: to tell our stories with skill and craft and passion, and to allow God to use our words in the lives of others.

It is a gift and a calling. But it is also a job.

Work hard. Listen. Learn. Grow.

God is in charge of the outcome.

  PENELOPE J. STOKES holds a Ph.D. in Renaissance Literature and has taught literature and writing at the college level. She is the author of numerous novels and nonfiction books, including The Complete Guide to Writing & Selling the Christian Novel, from which this article was adapted.