I’m a hopeless romantic.
I adore gallantry. I swoon over Hallmark commercials. I’m fond of roses, chocolates, sentimental cards, and handwritten notes.
When a heart-melting moment catches me off-guard, I’m completely undone. I’ll usually say something like, “Oh, that’s sooo romantic!”
And my husband will just grin like he completely doesn’t “get it,” but indeed, he does.
Since I’m a writer, it seems only natural then that I would write–what else? Romance!
Well, let me rephrase that. Love stories with romance. Lots, in fact.
I’m not talking about the 50 shades of pink kind of thing. I’m referring to the honest-to-goodness, God-created romance between a man and a woman whose relationship is based on Christ first.
Keli Gwyn and her beloved “Gwynly” often come to mind as I contemplate the art of romance and what it means in today’s busy, self-centered world. I like the way she shares their magic with her blog readers.
And Tricia Goyer recently spoke about faith-based romance and why she writes it. Being a mom myself I appreciated what she had to say about the content of her books.
Because we’re faced with such a myriad of choices, I think it’s important to share again why I write faith-based romance:
- Unions founded upon Christ have even greater accountability.
- I get to tackle real-life issues while applying biblical principles.
- I’m able to share the salvation message as my characters’ stories unfold.
- I can create romantic tension and gentle love scenes WITHOUT incorporating X-rated views into the bedroom.
- I don’t have to curse or use foul language just for the shock value.
- I demonstrate faith in action.
- My novels will be appropriate for teens through adults.
- I control the consequences of my characters’ choices. In other words, sin + repentance=forgiveness (but not without consequences). Sin + rejection of Christ=eternal darkness.
- I get to dispel the myth that Christians are cardboard cut-out, panty-waist do-gooders. (We’re just real people trying to muddle through life like everyone else EXCEPT that we have a loving Heavenly Father who picks us back up when we fall down).
- My novels will have HAPPILY EVER AFTER! (After all, I do write ROMANCE. And as I’ve said before, I’ll gladly leave the gruesome stuff and sordid endings to someone else.)
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Why do you read/write faith-based romance?
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Blessings Always,
Comments 10
I write it for many of the same reasons you do. And I love to point to the Divine romance in each novel.
I don’t need to write the foul words to let readers know my characters say them, and some do. I don’t need to go all Fifty Shades to let readers know my characters have a warped sense of love and sex. I think it takes much more creativity to paint a picture without saying every. single. thing. And I have to write more valuable words and scenes since I can’t take up word count with four letter words.
Sometimes, I think writers get blocked and think, “I guess I’ll just put a filthy word in between every other one and then I won’t have to write a whole entire scene!” LOL
I digressed, I think.
Author
Jess, I love it when you digress. Makes me think I’m normal. 🙂
You made a great point. Just because we know the words and understand the intimacies between a man and woman doesn’t mean we have to paint the page with in-your-face imagery. We can still tell a vivid story and expose honest-to-goodness life truths without going to nasty extremes. In fact, I think it shows great maturity as writers when we do so.
I love this post!
I write Christian fiction because a) stories can contain such amazing truth–they hit us in a different way than nonfiction (see Jesus–he told stories!) and b) because my characters get to wrestle with the real stuff of the world and in some way, whether subtle or direct, experience Christ at work through their struggles.
Author
Melissa, exactly! What some folks don’t realize is that Christian fiction authors cover the same exact topics that everyone else does–except from a spiritual perspective. We show Christ’s love at its finest through our characters and the tough situations they are dealing with.
Thanks so much for visiting!
I love happily ever afters. Thanks for keeping it alive!
Author
Patti, my desire is to let people know that although we may encounter rough circumstances, not all situations end badly. “Happily ever after” endings do still exist. Glad you like them!
Thanks for explaining why you do what you do! I agree, it’s so important to portray realistic love and life. My books are about the romance that happens after marriage, so it’s often not perceived as “romantic.” But those difficult times where we have to trust God as a couple are some of the best ways to deepen our love, I think. I think we’re trying to glorify God with these stories, and that’s the best thing, no matter what we write! Great post.
Author
Heather, I think keeping the romance alive after marriage is a definite must and Christian fiction is a great venue in which to portray this. Thanks for the super reminders!
The Beauty of Being Different spoke to me today. Currently,
I am not pursuing my dream to write but I am busy gathering lots of ideas. I teach students to read and write at present as well as working on certifications to help struggling readers learn to read, but summers and retirement in five years are my writing times. Thank you once again as I feel often that I think differently and the more I try to “fit” in at work the unhappier I am. Then God reminds me that I am just a sojourner here and my real home is in heaven. I like the fact that you said you get to share your faith in your stories. I hope to write Christian romantic fantasies set in a different world.
Author
Laura, idea-gathering is a great place to start!
I’m not sure if you’re active in ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), but it’s a wonderful, encouraging group of writers from all walks of life. We write in a variety of genres (and there is a speculative fiction/fantasy genre that’s gaining momentum), while keeping Christ front and center. Check out the ACFW website for more info.
Never lose sight of your vision. I had to place my writing dream on hold for a long time before I was able to pursue my passion.
I wish you all the best!