Posts Tagged good writing

Four things to keep in mind when writing openings

Apr 17

Posted by njlindquist in writing exercises, writing fiction | No Comments

These are my opinions; not necessarily anyone else's.

1. Don't obsess on the opening.

Some people spend all kinds of time working on the opening to their book when they're starting the first draft. Usually, that's a waste of time, because by the time you finish the book, you will likely have a totally different opening in mind. So put something down and keep writing. Go back to the opening when you have the first draft done.

2. See that the rest of the book delivers what you promise.

The opening has to be connected to the rest of the story. In other words, you can't just give a rip-roaring opening and grab the reader and then have the book turn into something entirely different. If the book is a romance, it has to have a opening that promises a hint of romance. If it's a mystery, there should be a glimpse of trouble to come. And so forth.

3. Sustain the mood and the feel of the opening for at least the first couple of pages.

Too often, the inexperienced author has a great first couple of lines, but then switches into an explanatory or descriptive voice, as if all you need to do is hook the reader and then you can hit him over the head with all the background details you think he needs to know in order to understand the characters and the story. Instead, keep the reader guessing a little bit longer, and bring in those details slowly and carefully. In other words, you may have the reader hooked with your first couple of lines, but you have to reel her in slowly and carefully.

4. If you decide to have a prologue at the beginning, make it a real prologue.

In other words, I really am not a fan of prologues that are really part of a scene later on in the book, and are put at the beginning only because they bring some immediate action. I feel it's a sneaky way to try to grab the reader, and you're better to have less "action" and more of a genuine opening.

The two exceptions are:

A. When there is actually something that happened some time before the story begins that has a direct impact on the story, and is important for the reader to know before the story (and can't be readily worked in later).

B. When the story is being told by someone in it at a later date – as for example, the adult Scout narrates the story in To Kill a Mockingbird – and the reader needs to know this. And that's it for today.

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The dilemma of being a Christian who writes fiction

Jan 6

Posted by njlindquist in writing fiction | 1 Comment

Writing fiction would be easier if I wasn’t a Christian. I’d just sit down and write whatever I wanted. No problem.

But I am a Christian. And it has been a problem.

When I began writing 30 years ago, I had a BA in English along with the English medal for my graduating class. And I had a very strong faith in God. It seemed natural to me to combine the two aspects in my writing.

I found, however, that not all fiction written by Christians was for me. Some books, like the Narnia series, delighted me. A few, like In His Steps, challenged me. But many of the others seemed trite and unrealistic. How could I write in a genre that I couldn’t whole-heartedly endorse? (Of course I didn’t like a lot of the secular books either!)

As a Christian, did I need to write for the Christian market? Or should I just try to write great fiction, regardless of content or theme? Over the years, I tried various things. Some worked and some didn’t. Eventually, I realized it wasn’t simply a Christian/secular issue, but a far more complex one. I had to understand the various kinds of fiction, determine whether I was going to write for the market or for myself, and strive to achieve excellence in my work.

To begin with, I sorted the possible fiction markets into four categories and I decided I would not limit what I write but simply determine which ideas fit best in each category and write accordingly.

Category A

That which is commonly known as Christian fiction—stories that are comfortable and safe for evangelical Christians to read—no overt sex or violence or swearing, solid hope-filled themes, Christian characters another Christian can relate to, plotlines which teach something good for a person who is already a Christian. Likely to be found primarily in Christian bookstores.

Many Christian writers, including myself, still sometimes find writing for category A frustrating. The restrictions can be stifling. Sometimes a character really needs to swear. Sometimes there can be no happy ending.

A number of Christian writers I have talked to say they don’t read a lot of Christian fiction because in the past so many of these stories have placed the message above the character and plot. These writers say they care more about well-written stories than stories with a Christian message. But the same authors who may not read much Christian fiction may still be writing for that market. Perhaps the hope is that the level of quality will be raised, and perhaps that is indeed happening.

Category B

Stories where the main theme or themes fit with Christianity—redemption, salvation, etc.—but the story may have elements that some evangelical Christians would be uncomfortable reading. Some will be close to category A (eg. the Narnia books, the Mitford series), but others will have swearing or other unacceptable things in them. While some will be found in Christian bookstores, more will be found in secular bookstores or public libraries. (Eg. Susan Howatch.) These may be published by Christian companies, secular companies, or companies that have divisions in both areas.

Category C

Stories written by Christians but not specifically dealing with any Christian issues or themes. May be light or heavy. Likely to be found in only secular bookstores. (Eg. Dorothy Sayers, P. D. James). They are normally published by secular companies.

Category D

Stories with at least one character who comes to have a faith in God. The evangelistic overtones can be overt or subtle. The goal is normally to have the reader make a similar decision. These stories are normally quite difficult to get published, especially if they are overtly evangelical. They are not really targeted for Christians and therefore may not interest Christian publishers, yet may be too Christian for a secular publisher/bookstore.

While many Christian writers veer toward this type of book, few publishers are looking for this kind of story.

Choosing

As I struggled over the years to decide which of these categories is the best one, I finally realized that none of them is any better or more sacred than the others. In other words, God calls Christians to write in every one of these categories. Some of us will stick to a single category; others will write in two or even three categories; a few of us will write in all four. But (and this is an important discovery) every Christian doesn’t have to write Christian fiction, and it isn’t mandatory to have the gospel message in every book we write. If we seek God’s direction, strive for excellence, and ask him to use not only our writing but every part of our lives, we will be fulfilling his call to be fiction writers.

 

Copyright N. J. Lindquist, 2002. This article was first published in Exchange magazine. Not to be reprinted without permission.

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