Good morning Christian writers, from a showery London!
I was going to write a tip today about writing what you are passionate about, but as I began, something else came to mind. It might just be from the Lord, so here it is – it’s about freedom.
Those of you who are writing in a country where you are free to write/publish/distribute Christian stories for children, give thanks to God for this today.
In some parts of the world you could be imprisoned for writing a Christian book for children – you would have to write in secret, and pray not to be discovered. Even if you finished your story, you would have to be careful where and when you shared it – you might have to write copies out by hand and pass them on at great risk, not only to yourself, but your recipients. (If this is you today, may the Lord protect you and bless your writing.)
In other parts of the world, Christian books for children are an impossible luxury. A sizeable proportion of the world struggles with the necessities of life – the sheer cost of buying books is prohibitive, even for schools.
There is an enormous need for excellent, relevant, fun Christian stories for children, all over the world. Stories that speak of the Father’s forgiveness, that show that He answers prayer, that He is always with us, stories that speak of the comfort the Holy Spirit brings, how the Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, how He guides and helps and gives mercy and strength and hope and that His love never ends. . . Books that help with literacy and give children the enjoyment of reading as well as share the good news of Jesus.
Even here in the UK, we don’t know how long our freedom to pass on Christian books to children will last – stories with the message that Jesus is the only way to God. Maybe it’s the same where you are. We can’t assume we will have that freedom forever. We need to make the most of the time we have, now.
If you feel you have been called to write stories that bring good news to God’s precious children, don’t delay. You can make a difference. Even if your story ‘only’ touches your Sunday School class, or your grandchildren, or the child you sponsor . . . every single child is precious.
Your story could be a ‘cup of cold water’ to a child who is thirsty – it could even help to save his or her life.
Don’t think, ‘I only have one talent, I’ll bury it.’
If you want to make your stories the best they can be (put your ‘talent’ to work!), you might like to consider joining the Write for a Reason course, the Monthly Members Programme. or interact with other writers on our facebook page. I set these up to help and encourage Christian writers like you, along with these free writing tips . . . please do share them with your friends because together we can make a difference. Thank you. 🙂
Janet
P.S. the next online Write for a Reason course starts next Monday. We look at plotting, dialogue, narrative voice, beginnings and endings to stories and lots more . . . as well as teaching there are exercises and assignments – it’s hard work and lots of fun at the same time . . . but the best thing is, we are writing for a reason!
Janet, how true, glad you wrote this. My novels are for adults, but I don’t go for the covert ‘Christian moral viewpoint/theme of redemption’ as I do realise that the knowledge of God, Jesus, and how this all relates to our lives is scanter than ever. I would like people to have a chance to know what living as a Christian is really like. So, I weave a story which includes Christians in it, and they are not preachy or showing all believers in a good light, but what there is about Christian things is accurate and up to date. That’s what I feel God wants me to do. It’s also why I am an ‘Indie writer’ as who’s gonna publish anything like that today…? My suspicion is that the U.K. Christian publishing houses (eg Monarch) are less overt than I am, so I have not tried them! And I do not try the USA ones as they are way too preachy and bland (in my opinion, you may disagree) for the UK market – also, they have their own authors and writing courses. Some writers, like Francine Rivers, are pretty good: but there are many dire ones, I have done a survey, buying books from our local store.
Thank you for your encouragement . . . and congratulations on getting on with the job you have been called to. You’re absolutely right, it’s not only children who need good Christian books . ..