Book number ten is well underway. I didn't begin my writing career as a "Christian writer". Rather I began as a struggling Christian who writes. My first two books, Freedom Race and Captured, are not specifically Christian. I don't market them as Christian. As I grew as a woman and as a Christian my books evolved and the themes naturally gravitated towards Christianity. My characters are strong women with real problems, issues, imperfect lives. I think I sometimes have difficulty marketing my books as Christian because they are not squeaky clean. Some, like Angel in Lessons Learned, have lived extremely sinful lives. Some Christians will argue that my characters are inappropriate and should not be read by Christians. Okay, so be it. Christians who cannot handle people who have lived less than perfect lives should not read my books - or maybe they should.
I want non-Christians, struggling Christians, baby Christians to read my books and connect with the characters. See how they handle struggles and life and how they grew and gave their lives to God. Remnant actually started out as a "non-Christian" story. Being a Christian, the book naturally took a turn and looked for a higher power. Some may be pleasantly surprised by the ending. I know for a fact, some people were miffed at the ending. That's okay, too.
My challenge right now is, how do I teach the Good News of Jesus Christ in fiction? I played with that in Man in the Mirror. This book, I want to take it a step further. However, it needs to not sound "preachy". I'm about to write a Bible study scene. Should I write the entire study? Should I write parts of it and narrate the rest? Christians are instructed to "go into the world" and take the Good News. I feel led to do this through fiction. I have readers of this blog and of my books from all over the world. If God gives me the words to write in this book I believe I can plant seeds that God can grow. Challenge accepted.
To God be the Glory.
I would love to hear from you. How do you feel when you read about Jesus in fiction? How have you seen it done well? Poorly? I've read a lot so I can give my own examples but I want to hear from you!
Showing posts with label Man in the Mirror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Man in the Mirror. Show all posts
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Looking for books in all the right places.
Are you looking for a good book to read? Look no further
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| Remnant, Colleen Wait
Remanant is free today, 3/7/2013 on Amazaon.com
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In addition, Man in the Mirror is free tomorrow, 3/8/2013 on Amazon.com
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| Man in the Mirror, Colleen Wait |
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Books and writing, Writing and running....
Yesterday, when I returned home from seeing Les Miserables (one of my all time favorite books) there was a big box at my front door. Inside was....
I looked over the contents for a moment and thought, wow, I wrote those. It was a very surreal moment. I may never be #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list or sell millions upon millions of copies, however, as my husband so aptly put it, "Very few people have written even one book. You have accomplished much." He says the same thing about my running.
He's right. I may never win. I may never be rich and famous, however, I have put myself out there. I have run the race. I put my heart into words, opened myself up to judgements and criticisms, rankings and place.
It's odd. Until now, I have never compared my running to my writing. I'm not the best at what I do, however, I work hard, train hard, do my very best. Whether or not I win the race or the readers love my writing isn't all that important. I love what I do. I love to run and I love to write. Once, I told someone that I wished there could be a mind-controlled tape recorder so I could do both at the same time.
Another similarity is how I commune with God. On my runs, long or short, I pray. It's our time and I covet that time with Him. Sometimes, it's what motivates me to get out the door. When I write, I often use the scriptures and I will spend hours reading and studying to get what I think fits the story. Before I write anything, I pray. What does God want me to write? Even now, I stop to pray, what do You want me to say? My hope, my prayer, is that someone will be reached for God through my writing. If I publish 20 books and one person comes to Christ through my writing, then I have done what God has instructed me to do, "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'' Mark 16:15.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says it well:
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
It is my prayer, dear reader, that you will also read this and be inspired to run to get the prize.
Happy New Year
Be Blessed
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| Colleen Wait's books |
I looked over the contents for a moment and thought, wow, I wrote those. It was a very surreal moment. I may never be #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list or sell millions upon millions of copies, however, as my husband so aptly put it, "Very few people have written even one book. You have accomplished much." He says the same thing about my running.
He's right. I may never win. I may never be rich and famous, however, I have put myself out there. I have run the race. I put my heart into words, opened myself up to judgements and criticisms, rankings and place.
It's odd. Until now, I have never compared my running to my writing. I'm not the best at what I do, however, I work hard, train hard, do my very best. Whether or not I win the race or the readers love my writing isn't all that important. I love what I do. I love to run and I love to write. Once, I told someone that I wished there could be a mind-controlled tape recorder so I could do both at the same time.
Another similarity is how I commune with God. On my runs, long or short, I pray. It's our time and I covet that time with Him. Sometimes, it's what motivates me to get out the door. When I write, I often use the scriptures and I will spend hours reading and studying to get what I think fits the story. Before I write anything, I pray. What does God want me to write? Even now, I stop to pray, what do You want me to say? My hope, my prayer, is that someone will be reached for God through my writing. If I publish 20 books and one person comes to Christ through my writing, then I have done what God has instructed me to do, "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'' Mark 16:15.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says it well:
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
It is my prayer, dear reader, that you will also read this and be inspired to run to get the prize.
Happy New Year
Be Blessed
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