Work In Progress

I’ve been thinking a lot about my work in progress.  It’s kind of like the dairy farm above–I have to regularly tend to it and work at it to keep it operational.

In the series that I’m creating, I have to keep track of the same characters because they may flow in and out of book one and two and so on.  The main characters will change from story to story, but all of the citizens in the small town I write about will eventually intermingle and still play roles in one another’s lives.

I’ve created a small town concept with folks who might be fashioned after our neighbors, relatives, friends, ministers, and hair dressers.  From time to time, new characters will be introduced as they move into the fictional world I’ve created.  They are welcomed into the fold as new citizens and all come to play a vital part in the surrounding community.

As I think through my current WIP, I want to make certain that I continue to incorporate that same “down home” country feel that is inherent in my first novel. 

Are my characters authentic?  Do I portray them as too “small town?”  Do they think and act appropriately in the culture I’ve created?

These are all questions I continue to ask myself as I write.  My goal is to write wholesome, “feel good” stories that leave my readers well-satisfied and wanting more…kinda like that first helping of mashed potatoes and gravy.  They’re incredibly yummy the first time around, and sometimes, a second helping is even more delicious! 

(Update note:  What I’m working on at present is further character development of the heroine in my WIP.  I’m throwing in a few more personal flaws–just two or three more to allow the reader to see that even Christians are works in progress!)

A question for you to ponder…Why do you think it’s important in Christian fiction to allow the reader to see that Christians, too, are “works in progress?”