Book Review by Carolyn Davis
The Complete Guide to Writing and Selling the Christian Novel
By
Penelope J. Stokes, P.h.D.
In her book, The Complete Guide to Writing and Selling the
Christian Novel, Dr. Stokes addresses techniques for maintaining a
consistent point of view when writing for the Christian market. It’s
written from a problem-solving perspective, geared to both the new as
well as the experienced writer.
Christian fiction is about writing an imaginative story
while maintaining Christianity’s basic truth. Dr. Stokes addresses the
motivation behind the writing of a Christian novel, as well as what a
Christian novel actually is. She points out that fiction is a good way
to get across a spiritual fact, but reminds the writer that the novel
should not become a sermon. A reader of a Christian novel is not
looking for a sermon or a prayer, but is looking for hope.
It is not the publisher that sells the Christian novel, but
the customers who are ordinary people. Dr. Stokes describes how writers who
want to succeed in the Christian market must realize the limitations of
the Christian book publisher. They must also follow the basic Christian
theology in an interesting and unique way. Her book addresses
the creation of viable Christian characters and how to refrain from writing scenes that include graphic worldly situations but one that still deals with profanity, sex and violence. She also reviews the many different genres and why each is important to publishers, booksellers
and novelists.
Dr. Stokes’ book tells the writer how to present ideas to a
publisher as well as what should be included in a proposal. In any
great idea, passion and pride must be presented in a delicate balance
and prejudice excluded. This is difficult for many a Christian writer
and Ms. Stokes offers tips to avoid this temptation.
Dr. Stokes looks as writing as a gift and a calling, and also
as an emotional and spiritual work. Her book is about developing skills
and about being the person that God called you to be. It’s about
putting down roots, leading the disciplined life and professionalism.
It’s about being teachable and setting priorities, planning and
plotting. Dr, Stokes discusses the difference between a
character-driven story and the plot-driven story.
In writing the Christian novel, Dr. Stokes claims that
one must be able to make miracles believable. Fiction is a product of
the author’s imagination and the writer cannot make the readers believe
the improbable. Dr. Stokes addresses the Christian writer’s desire to
create unbelievable coincidences and other pitfalls such as "miraculous"
endings. She describes how to give birth to fictional characters and
the relationship between the character and the plot.
Christian novels must have a balance between good and evil.
Dr. Stokes discusses the human characteristics that all characters must
have and shows the writer how to move beyond stereotypes. Falling prey
to prejudice cuts the writer off and the tendency to preach is a grave
temptation. Political correctness must play a part in the development
of Christian characters and Dr. Stokes offers some great pointers for
writers to help their readers identify with the inner conflicts in those
characters. She teaches the writer how to give characters their own
names, voices, and with effective dialogue, how to avoid confusion
between the author and the characters. She also tells the writer how to
manage multiple viewpoints without frustrating the reader and how to
shift the point of view to a new character.
The book gives examples of the appropriate formats to use
when submitting manuscripts as well as important things to remember when
writing query letters.
I highly recommend this book to all writers who are
interested in the Christian genre as well as other genres. It’s
interesting reading and holds a wealth of knowledge. Obviously, Dr.
Stokes brings her years of experience into play in this book. I will
read it over and over. This is one well worth buying.
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