Good Morning and Welcome!
Before I turn the blog over to today's guest let me take a moment to Thank each and every one of You who have patiently followed my virtual book tour for Kyleigh's Cowboy. Your love and support mean the world to me! This week I'm sharing excerpts on Patricia Kiyono & Alina K Field's blogs. If you've pre-ordered the book through Amazon - THANKS AGAIN! If you haven't, you can not only order but read it 1 week early through Smashwords! Click HERE for details but hurry! This is a limited offer.
Now without much further ado, please give Carol James a huge hug as she returns to share with us some thoughts on The Sacred Call of the Christian Writer. Take it away, Carol!
Why am I writing? What were my goals and motivations when I began? Did I want to achieve fame and fortune? Have a book (or two) listed on the New York Times best-seller list? Be able to support my family or make a nice little nest egg for my retirement? I can imagine some of you snickering right now…
None of these is a bad reason to pursue writing. All of them have value. But for a Christian writers there can be only one reason to write. Because you’re called.
I love writing redemptive romance. One reason is because it’s formulaic and has a built-in timeline that helps me craft the story. Hitting four major plot points (Inciting Event, Point of Commitment, Black Moment, Satisfying Ending) help me with pacing and keep me on track. But what happens between those four points?
Before I put the first words on paper, while the ideas are spinning around in my imagination. I choose a Bible verse or two (Oftentimes, I’ll have one verse for the hero and another for the heroine.) and a hymn or Christian song as the foundation for the story. As I write from point to point, I constantly circle back to the truths expressed in the verses and the lyrics of the song. It’s the best way I’ve found to help me stay “on message.”
As a Christian writer, I’m called to step into the deserts of my readers’ lives and bring them hope and truth. But how do I measure that? In the story of the ninety and nine, the Good Shepherd leaves the many to find the one. I hope this is as much encouragement to you as it is to me. Touching the life of one, or two, or three with my writing is as valuable as touching the lives of a multitude.
So, be faithful to your calling, whatever it is, and trust God with the rest.
Raised as an Air Force brat, the longest Carol James ever lived in one place was a year and a half. Maybe that’s why when she and her husband bought their first home over forty years ago, they stayed put.
Wife, mother, grandmother, and dog-mama, Carol loves writing stories of redemptive romance. When asked the difference between redemptive romance and standard romance, she replied, “A standard romance has two main characters––a hero and a heroine. A redemptive romance adds a third. God.”
Sign up for her quarterly newsletter and receive a free short story: https://www.carol-james.com/staying-in-touch.html
Oh MY, Carol....what a lovely message and SO timely as I release a new book! THANK YOU.
Hope you enjoyed Carol's post, Friends and that you take her words to heart as you share your gifts and talents with the world. Speaking of gifts, check out Carol's latest release, A Time for Singing at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, GoodReads, Booktopia, BookBub and Pelican Book Group.
Check out Carol's previous visits to our blog HERE.
THANKS for dropping by, Friends. Until next week, take care and God bless.
PamT
19 comments:
Pam, thanks so much for letting me share today.
A lovely message for all writers. Writing for God, sharing his word and message through our stories, is a blessing. We need more stories that add God, that bring hope and inspiration. Thank you for reminding me of this today, Carol
Mary, thanks for your kind words. What a privilege we have as Christian writers.
Such an inspiring message! Your comparison with the lost sheep is spot on. Beautiful. ❤️
Penny, thanks so much for your comment. We have to measure our "successes" by different standards than what the world might offer.
Wonderful post. Thank you for sharing. D.
Lovely post. So glad you're writing these inspirational stories! And yes, touching even one reader is a blessing. all the best!
Barbara and DV, thank you for your kind words.
Wonderful words of encouragement and wisdom, Carol. I love your books. You can definitely see your love for Jesus.
Barbara, Thanks for your kind words. And thanks for stopping by.
What a beautiful post! I can’t wait to read this book, Carol, and your point of view as a Christian writer was so uplifting and reaffirming. Pamela, thank you very much for hosting Carol. I look forward to more inspiring posts such as this one on your lovely blog.
Gina, Thanks for your encouragement. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I hope you get an opportunity to read the book.
Thanks for your encouragement, Carol. You pegged the reason we write. Several Bible verses came to mind as I read your post. We do what we do for our Lord. It isn't about us.
Amen, LoRee! Thanks for your comment.
Thank you, Jacqueline.
Great post, Carol! I really like the phrase, "Redemptive Romance." Is that your tag line?
Hi, Kelly. Thanks for stopping by. Yes, Redemptive Romance is my tagline…
Thank you for your inspirational message. And congratulations on your new book!
Gail, Thanks for stopping by.
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