How many of you still have it languishing in a file somewhere, unsold and unloved?
-Robin Lee Hatcher
I know the Lord had reasons for letting that happen, but in truth, I had a LOT to learn. Some of it, I learned in that first editing experience; much I still have to learn. I was privileged to get to rewrite that first book recently and while I chose not to start from scratch, it was nice to be able to apply some of what I’ve learned to fix some of my newbie mistakes.
I do have a couple of novels written after that first one that have yet to see the light of day—and probably never will. -Deborah Raney
At any rate, I have a good many completed and partial manuscripts filed away somewhere that have never been published and never will be. They represent some 8 to 10 years’ work. I don’t consider them a waste of time; I consider them the foundation of my career.
I was learning how to write. They taught me. -Ann Tatlock
,
much to my surprise. I was busy with my architectural practice and aware of the odds against publication, so I made no attempt to see the novel in print. I never called or wrote anyone.Then I had an apparently random encounter with a newspaper editor, which led to endorsement of Whom Shall I Fear? by a Pulitzer prize winning author, representation by a major New York literary agency and an offer from Simon and Schuster. Throughout all of this, I was just led along.
I still had never sought out anything. Unfortunately, Simon and Schuster’s offer was contingent on replacing the name “Jesus” in the novel with the “more generic word, God” (this was long before Mel Gibson’s movie). Some people today probably think I should have gone along in the interest of being “missional” or whatever, but I viewed it as a test of faith and refused.
S S walked away, the literary agent got angry and dropped me, and Whom Shall I Fear? went back on my shelf. Then a pastor friend heard this story and told someone he knew, who in turn contacted his own literary agent on my behalf.
Again, I didn’t go looking for them to do that. Whom Shall I Fear? was ultimately published by Zondervan Publishing House, and here I am five books later, retired from architecture, writing full time with book number six in the pipeline and the rough draft of number seven coming along nicely.
I’m pretty sure this writing thing is a calling. -Athol Dickson
Third written novel was Cast a Road Before Me (women's fiction and prequel to Sidewalk). These were all for the secular market.
Just when I was about to make my first sale in the secular market (Sidewalk), God called me to the Christian market.
I took back my books, told my agent they were no longer for sale, and rewrote the two women's fiction as Christian novels, then rewrote Eyes of Elisha. Cast a Road sold first, followed by Eyes of Elisha (in a two-book contract, with the second book being "blind"), followed by Color the Sidewalk for Me (also in a two-book contract, with the second being "blind"). So my first written novel--Sidewalk--was my fourth book to sell, coming after a book I hadn't even written yet, nor had any idea what it would be.
However, I will say that when these doors started to open (after a 10-year-journey), they opened quickly, and these contracts came in fairly short succession. (The entire story of my 10-year journey to publication is on my blog--"How I Got Here.") -Brandilyn Collins
I had written other novels, but my first published novel was actually sold off of a proposal, meaning I hadn't written it yet.
But the publisher was familiar with my writing style. - Rene Gutteridge
I sold the first novel I wrote and went to contract for it, but withdrew it before it could be published due to myriad rumors of upheaval within the publishing house (and enough confirmation among friends to support the rumors). A little later, I decided it probably shouldn't be published, because it wasn't good enough for publication.
I fed it to the shredder a long, long time ago. -BJ Hoff
First novels are very important to your learning curve. But don't make them cul-de-sacs.
Get on to the next one, and be thinking about the one after that. I did sell my first novel, but that was after several years as a screenwriter. My first few scripts didn't sell but I learned more with each one.
-James Scott Bell
My first attempt sat in a drawer for a long time before I finally pitched it. Trust me, it wasn’t publishable. I consider it a learning exercise, as most first manuscripts are.
–Angela Hunt
I wrote and sold my first novel in 1982 to the secular romance market. At that time it was a hungry market, just about anyone who could put pen to paper and write a cohesive story sold. I take pride not so much in publishing, but having remained published all these years.
Every author fears selling one or two books and the well runs dry. Even more amazing, I don't have a single unpublished book! Lots of ideas that never flew, but no full length books.
-Lori Copeland
I did sell my first novel, A Sweetness to the Soul. I have several short stories lanquishing in my drawer though. -Jane Kirkpatrick
I was already established as a published writer of both nonfiction and children's books when I approached a publisher with a proposal for a novel in 1997.
The good news is, they gave me a contract. The bad news is, I hadn't written a novel yet, "waffle" or otherwise! It was very scary to go public with that first effort, Mixed Signals!
-Liz Curtis Higgs
They're always there.
Looking. Longing. It tears into the very grain of my soul, the knotty fabric of my spirit.
I plead and plead, never again. Voiceless, I can only send out the thought: Don't do it! But then those cold, shriveled fingers slip through my handles, and the nightmare begins again.
I am opened and the eyes look up. Between those strange ears. Expectant.
As if I am the repository of all sustenance and pleasure! The place where tasty dreams come true! A treasure trove for mouth and tongue.
How can I possibly be all that when the old biddy keeps forgetting to put any bones in me? I can't take it, I tell you! Somebody stop her!
When I was a tree I made the acquaintance of many dogs. Oh yes. But at least I served a purpose then.
I found them innocent, these canines, doing only what God designed them to do.
It was the hands holding the leashes, or standing far off, who bear the shame! The way they talk to these creatures, as if they owned them!
Wasn't it Pascal who suggested that man is a reed, but a thinking reed? I wonder if Pascal had a dog. If he did, I would suggest--
She approaches!
Look at her! Oh so innocent and sweet! Like a termite on steroids sweet!
Like Dutch Elm disease sweet!
Yo, Lady! Hello!
You didn't put anything in here! So how do you expect to get anything out? What is wrong with you?
A pinecone has more sense! A knot hole more brainpower!
Quit bringing the dog in here and filling it with false hopes!
Now look at her. She's turning to the dog with a sad smile and a shrug. The dog cocks its head, then its eyes come back to me.
Oh, the sadness of all creation is in those eyes! And I die a little. My sides begin to warp.
Glue chafes my skin. My nail holes become stigmata.
What was it Nietzsche suggested?
That if you gaze for too long into an abyss, the abyss gazes into you?
He should have been a cupboard. He would have gone insane a lot faster.
Alas, unless I am filled I cannot give. That is the nature and destiny of cupboards and man.
Fill me, I say!
And then I can live out that rule of gold. For wasn't it Jesus who said Do unto others as you wood have others do unto you?
Here at Charis Connection and on other blogs, there's always discussion taking place about the differences in the way writers write.
To no one's big surprise, we've discovered that each of us has to take the road that's right for the individual, the road that leads us where we want to go. Some things can be thought of as standard, things that can be assumed: a writer will usually be an avid reader; a writer will--hopefully--want to learn the craft as thoroughly as possible; a writer will spend the necessary time and energy to produce a "finished" product--a manuscript that's as well-written as possible.
Other issues aren't standard and never will be.
Some writers seem to work in a firestorm. They write fast. They're prolific.
And the quality of their work doesn't suffer from the speed at which they're able to produce. Others (I'm one) don't write fast, indeed can't write fast, even though we sometimes wish we could. It doesn't necessarily follow that slow writers are better writers.
We just...
write more slowly.
Some writers plot an idea to smithereens. Others don't plot at all.
Some plot by outlines and character charts and detailed notes. Others plot through their characters alone--in other words, as their characters develop, so does the plot. Some writers are strong on characterization.
Others struggle mightily with bringing their story people to life. Some detest action scenes, while other writers thrive on a plot engine that charges through the story at breakneck speed.
Amid all the differences discussed, however, we've discovered that we share one fundamental quality in common: each of us.
..all of us.
..have to write the way that works best for us.
When I first began to write fiction, I experimented with most of the "rules" handed down by "experts"--some of which were included in the writers' guidelines distributed by the publishing houses--about outlining, plotting, characterization, timelines, scene and chapter structure, conflict and resolution, setting, dialogue, theme, style, and voice. I figured if I followed closely the approaches the "experts" took, I'd have to be doing it right. After all, it worked for them.
The problem was that one expert did a 50-page outline or synopsis, another outlined by jotting down a few words for each chapter. One expert couldn't begin to build his setting without staying on-site for at least three months, while another watched a couple of videos and made a few phone calls. One expert did extensive character sheets, so specific he knew what kind of toothpaste his character used and what he usually dreamed about on Saturday night.
Others got to know their characters by "living with them" while they vacuumed or took a walk--but never committed anything to paper. One expert said you had to charge through the first draft without ever stopping to catch your breath or look back. Another said she could only move on to a new chapter after carefully editing the one she'd just completed.
Some experts said you must write quickly. Others said no, you must write slowly or your work will be sloppy.
Those early attempts at listening to the expert voices in the writing world helped me to realize fairly soon that everyone seemed to have a different idea about what "worked.
" I also learned that much of what was touted as a sure-fire, 12-step method to writing the novel didn't work for me.
Not that the basic rules don't apply; of course, they do. And the old saying about needing to know the rules so you can break them?
Well, some shouldn't be broken. Others beg to be. However, the rules are rules for a reason, and you ignore them to your own folly.
But your writing approach, your way of working--all that goes into making you the writer you are--has to be the method that's best for you. There's some room for change, for experimentation, for trial and error. You can train yourself to be more productive, to learn better work habits, to waste less time.
You can build your vocabulary as you go. You can conquer the point-of-view beast. You can delve more deeply into characterization, add more depth and nuance to your scenes, sharpen your dialogue.
You most definitely can form the habit of continually improving your craft. But there are some things about the way you work that aren't meant to be changed, and to force change could end up being destructive to your writing.
When it all shakes out, you simply have to be the writer you are, work the way you need to work to do your best, and refuse to be confused or frustrated by the fact that what's effective for fifty other writers on your internet group or the ten members of your critique group isn't effective for you.
That doesn't mean you're going to know all this when you're first starting out. Give yourself the time and patience to find your way, and don't let a few detours discourage you.
From all of us at the Charis Connection
If you're reading this blog, you probably have an interest in Christian fiction.
You may enjoy reading it, you may be writing, editing, or publishing it, or you may be taking your first steps toward learning how to create your own short stories or novels. Whatever your reasons, here's what we're about: we're a group of novelists who publish what has been called "Christian fiction," "faith-based fiction," or "fiction with a Christian worldview." Our contributing authors have a few things in common--collectively, we've published numerous novels for Christian publishers.
We have a genuine passion for the art of the story. We are dedicated to continually improving our craft as we strive for excellence in every book. We believe the art of story to be a legitimate, viable means of attracting others to a loving God and Savior, who frequently used story to communicate deep truths.
We believe in what we're doing and have made a commitment of our time, effort, and faith to constantly deepen the quality and broaden the outreach of fiction written from the perspective of a believer in Christ. Our ultimate purpose is to glorify the One who gave us the gift of creativity.
Whatever brought you here, we hope you receive a blessing from your visit.
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