Today, I got the paperback proof for the long-awaited fourth book of the Dronefall series. Do you know what that means?
It means it’s actually happening. The series is moving forward at last, and you guys are going to see my latest novel before the end of the month. And the end of the month is coming around pretty quick.
Actually, I won’t keep the secret anymore: Dronefall Four, Nightstare, is already within reach for all you ebook readers out there. Yep, if you prefer ebooks, you can get it right here. Also, you might like to know that the first three books are still on-sale for 99c each, if you have any catching up to do. I’m bringing them all up to full price on June 1st, so this is your chance if you want to snatch the first half of the series for less than a latte. Here are the links: Dronefall, Lightwaste, Rainchill.
Boy, it’s great to see Nightstare in physical book form. I’m not showing it to you yet, though. It’s got that ugly watermark stamped across it right now. Tomorrow I’ve give you guys a proper cover-reveal here on the blog, and give you the first look at the back cover copy. In the meantime, here is the spine (with the ugly watermark) alongside those of it’s older sisters. It’s starting to look like quite the series.
And we’ve got two books to go! I’ve already started on book five. I hope you guys have enjoyed watching my progress as a writer so far. It kind of freaks me out thinking about how much better Nightstare is than Dronefall one. But that’s the nature of a long series. Keep reading guys. I promise it keeps getting better.
So, since I’m going to be posting every day this week, I suppose I should learn how to write shorter posts, right? I’ll sign on now. See you tomorrow—with the cover and the blurb!
Welcome to episode seven hundred forty-three of A. L. Buehrer doing everything but what she said she was going to do.
Well, as you might have noticed, it is now April and you still don’t have Dronefall Four, Nightstare. Turns out, Things Are Taking Longer Than I Expected™ and April has become the official launch month for Nightstare. Which is actually lucky for me, because the poetry collection isn’t materializing fast enough to make an appearance this month. So, at least I have something coming out in the next thirty days to keep you interested. Turns out, writing poetry every day (especially when you haven’t really written poetry in years) kind of takes a lot out of you. Read: I became very frustrated, overextended my creativity, ran it all straight into the frozen, gravelly ground and burnt out. Don’t do that, people. Very bad for your health.
So, I spent the end of March holding my horses. Actually, first I had to go find my horses and confirm that they weren’t actually kelpies. In the non-metaphorical universe, this consisted of chilling out, getting some rest, rethinking my goals, and remaking my plans. Funny thing about me is I actually really enjoy changing my plans, if I get to do it on my own terms. So, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past two weeks, or so. Things are looking better now.
I’m now easing back into producing things again. I’ve been doing a lot of drawing, and getting my plot around for my next project. I’ll possibly start work on Dronefall Five today, which I’m looking forward to.
Here is the revised outlook for you:
·Dronefall Four, Nightstare will be coming out this month in ebook and paperback. In the meantime, the first three books are still on sale for 99c for Kindle. Please help yourself.
·The second poetry bookhas been postponed until I actually have what it takes to do it justice. I’m thinking you’ll get it sometime this summer. It’s still coming.
·In honor of poetry month I will be releasing Songs from the Small Hours as an ebook for the first time. So keep an eye open for that, if you prefer it to paperback, which is available here.
·The Top Secret project is still on schedule for May. I’m very excited about it, so please stay tuned!
So there. Not so bad, is it? It really doesn’t look like too much of a letdown, now that I see it written out. I’m starting to get excited to work again. Burnout passes, everybody. But sometimes you have to take really intentional breaks to recover. I’m not very good about taking breaks on purpose, but that’s an important skill to master.
It can take a while, but eventually, you’ll start loving what you do and doing what you love again.
The release of the fourth book of the six-book Dronefall series is fast approaching. Finally. Whether you’re new to Dronefall, a longstanding reader who’s been with me from book one, or a casual bystander who might have stumbled across this post by accident, I want to treat you to a quick self-interview to answer the questions that may or may not be going through your mind right now.
So, let’s start with a couple of basic things for the newbies here.
What inspired Dronefall?
I’d done a lot of novel-writing prior to starting the Dronefall series, but I hadn’t ever ventured into dystopia before. Neither had I delved too deep into fiction with more explicitly Christian content. I was in a place in my life and growing awareness of the world around me that made me think it was high time. And looking back over the years I’ve been working on the project, I can’t help but think I was right.
I actually wrote a whole three-part series here on Stardrift Nights telling the story of how I got inspired to take on Dronefall. If you’re interested in a more in-depth answer to this question, definitely check that out. (part one, part two, part three)
Who is Halcyon Slavic?
Halcyon Slavic is my main character. A young twenty-something left to her won devices by a society that has isolated and estranged her for reasons she doesn’t know for certain. In the beginning of Dronefall she finally drops out of mainstream society entirely to live with her Christian friend in a rough part of the city who happens to be a drone-sniper.
Everybody has their own reasons for making a lifestyle out of shooting down the city’s surveillance drones. The deeper Halcyon gets into the netherworld of hackers and trackers and sharp-shooting thrill-seekers in cyberpunk Budapest, the more she realizes something is up. Things are not what they appear, some somebody somewhere behind all those flying cameras seems to have a problem with her. If you want to learn more, check out this two-part interview I did with her. (part one, part two)
And now, we get to questions about book four, Nightstare. Firstly…
What took you so long?
Boy, I don’t really know. There won’t be another gap this long between books in the series, I promise. I really wouldn’t do that to you after you’ve read Nightstare. That would be terrible.
I think part of the reason this book took me so long is because I had a major growth spurt as a writer while I was working on it. I’m probably still too close to the project to see it, but I bet some of my readers are going to notice there’s something stronger about book four, whether or not they can put their finger on just what it is. I hope it makes for better reading.
What did you learn while writing Nightstare?
A ton. I’m getting deep into all my characters at this point in the series. I’ve been studying all I can about character-driven storytelling and learning to plot in a much tighter but more holistic way than I ever have before. I’ve learned to love the second act. That’s a giant leap in my development.
I actually feel really confident about my pacing and character arcs, now. I think I can guarantee the second half of the series will be even better than the first half. Things really start to pick up in Nightstare.
What makes Nightstare so momentous?
Book four is huge in the scheme of things. A lot blows up in this book. (Figuratively and literally.) Things are starting to tie together, even as things fall apart for the characters. We’ve officially hit the big midpoint of the series, and from here, everything is just going to escalate. I’m really excited for it.
This would be a really smart time to catch up on the series, if you’re not up to date yet. The first three books are all available on Amazon, and all ebooks are temporarily 99c each. They’re also available in paperback and on Kindle Unlimited, if you’ve got a subscription for that.
So, keep an eye out for updates. We’re getting really close to liftoff, here.
Well, man, have I got the next three months cut out for me.
Yesterday I finally finished my standalone WIP, The Boy Who Called the Foxes. That little fact is a lot bigger than it sounds. Guys, since I was thirteen, I’ve written about twelve serious novels. The Boy Who Called the Foxes is my thirteenth, and it was the first manuscript I seriously wondered if I would actually finish. There were a lot of reasons for this, I suppose. One of them was just the strangeness of devoting time to a completely unrelated story smack in the middle of working on the Dronefall series. But there were a lot of interesting psychological reasons The Boy Who Called the Foxes felt like it was hanging by a thread. I’ll devote a whole post to that around the release date this coming fall.
So, that book is now drafted, and I am moving on to focus on other projects. First and foremost is…
DRONEFALL FOUR, NIGHTSTARE
Now, hopefully the long-awaited book four will actually come out this month. That’s going to be pushing it a little, but that’s the plan. I’ve just sent the manuscript to my formatter, who has a schedule of her own to contend with, and then, of course, there’s all the uploading and proofing business that tends to throw multiple monkey wrenches into my timeline, but that’s all that stands between Nightstare and you guys right now.
So, that will be my main focus this month. I’ll be pushing the Dronefall series again for a while, and hoping I can make some new readers happy along the way, as well as giving my faithful friends who already love the series what they’ve been waiting for. And let me tell you, Nightstare was very exciting to write. We’re kind of hitting the big midpoint plot-twist of the series now, so a lot happens in this book.
While I’m powering through the chaotic fray of self-promotion, I’ve also got like…three other major projects I’ll be working feverishly on. One is starting Dronefall Five, of course. The other is set for release in April. That would be…
MY SECOND POETRY BOOK
I released my first poetry book, Songs from the Small Hours in 2018. That was forever ago, guys. I’ve been wanting to give you another collection of art and poetry for a long time, and this April, it’s happening. You would think over the course of three years I would have built up a good pile of poems, and all I’d have to do now was collect them in a file and do my art, right? Well, as it turns out, I’ve hardly written any poetry at all since Songs from the Small Hours. So what am I doing? I’m writing poetry every day until I’ve got enough for a book. I’ve literally never written this much poetry in such a short period of time, ever. In my life.
It’s actually really hard, but I haven’t written a dud yet, and I’m excited to see how this stretches me as a poet. Writing poetry, most of the time, is way slower than writing prose. And I’m discovering I’m way harder on myself about rhythm, and rhyme, and musicality, and subtext than I used to be. So, this is pretty interesting. Not to mention a little exhausting. But I want it ready by April. (Poetry month.)
I have yet another big release coming in May, if all goes well. I can’t tell you too much about it yet, since it is…
A TOP SECRET PROJECT
I have an ace up my sleeve I haven’t pulled out yet. I’m not going to tell you any specifics about it, but I’m very enthusiastic. It’s going to be pretty labor-intensive, of course, and I’ll be working with media that’s pretty new to me, but all the foundations are there. The project itself is very experimental, but if anything goes even remotely well, it’s a forerunner of things to come.
Was that mysterious enough? Should I have said “for nothing can stop these things” a couple of times in there? (If you understood that reference, you are an above-average die-hard A. L. Buehrer fan. Or stalker. Congratulations.)
…..
Anyway. So, I hope you now know enough to sympathize if I do anything truly delirious in the upcoming months. I’m going to be working ridiculously hard. And having a great time, I’m sure. Overall, I think I can promise you an exciting comeback here, shortly. I don’t often do this, maybe I should more often, but I’m going to say, if you want to keep on top of all this, you really should subscribe to Stardrift Nights. It will improve your life.
Thanks for reading to the end of this rather vague post. I hope it gave you a few things to look forward to in this soggy, sorry world. (Uh-oh, that was kind of weird. I’m already too tired.)
One night I was up rather late, as I often am, and I was thinking. You’ve probably played with this idea a bit yourself—you know, the one where you start to wonder if anybody is experiencing remotely the same reality. Do we see colors the same hue? Hear sounds the same pitch? Do some people like blue cheese because it literally doesn’t taste the way it does when I eat it? How would we ever know?
But what was interesting about my thought train that evening was what I started to wonder next. A switch was thrown somewhere along the line, and it all went in reverse. A second possibility dawned on me—one that was somehow even more stunning, at least at that time of night.
What if everyone’s reality is very much the same?
What if being you actually feels a lot like being me? What if the air we breathe, the water we drink, the stars we look up at on clear nights—what if it all comes in through the same basic human filters? What if the way we navigate our days is really a lot like any other human brother or sister? Haven’t you ever lain awake and thought to yourself—wow, you know, I could have been born anyone? I could have been born anywhere, any race, any time period, and more than likely I would lie awake one night just like this, wondering why.
“Write what you know.” That’s what people say. In fact, if you dare to branch out into territory you may not have directly experienced, a lot of people these days will make it a moral issue and maul you for it. #ownvoices. Are you a man? Don’t even try writing a female character. Are you white? You have no idea how to portray a non-white character. If you don’t have a certain disability there is absolutely no way you can write a character with that disability fairly and accurately. You just don’t understand. YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.
Recently, I came across this quote.
“Writers don’t write from experience, although many are hesitant to admit they don’t. …If you wrote from experience, you’d get one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.” –Nikki Giovanni
I’ve written a lot of characters who are not me. Some people would be really upset about that. Some people are offended by the idea that other people might, in fact, be able to imagine what they go through. They don’t want to consider the possibility that all human experiences might be rooted in things common to all human experience. They want to divide people by gender, race, age, economic status, disability…anything—everything. I don’t know why. But that kind of alienation is the enemy of art.
When you read a book with a great lead character, you find yourself slipping into that character’s skin without even questioning it. You no longer care if they’re rich or poor, black or white, male or female. You bond to them and live their story. And, more than likely, you come to understand it. No, you’ve never been there. But because the artist took you there, you empathize. And you empathize because the author was empathetic toward the character—not because the author and the character necessarily had anything in common.
A lot of artists spend more time inside their own heads than anywhere else. The ability to create art gives us a much-needed way to connect with the world outside. It’s a miracle, actually. And even an imperfect attempt to understand others and see through their eyes should be respected. Because through empathy-driven art, it’s possible to let go of the barriers we have built between us, and see ourselves in each other.
As a Christian dystopian author, I’m not as shocked by current events as a lot of people might be. I’ll admit, it’s all proceeding rather fast, but everything does that, these days. I know where this is going. I like to think I recognize where we are. And I like to think I have a place in it all—me and my art and writing.
Some of you might remember I did a giveaway on Instagram last year. I gave away a little paper booklet called “Strange Times” that included art on the subject of the coronavirus. Little booklets like “Strange Times”, which can be reproduced with a basic photocopy machine, are called “zines”, technically. They represent one of the purest forms of self-publishing in existence.
There’s a whole culture around the publication on distribution of zines. They are notoriously counter-cultural. That can be a good thing or a bad thing as far as what they promote, but in a world where truth is rapidly becoming counter-cultural…it gets me thinking. It gets me thinking about my art, my little flashes of insight…and my photocopier.
Guys, voices like mine are disappearing. Voices you might want to hear are being silenced, and they’re going to continues to be silenced as things progress. I’m cautious on the internet, but anybody who’s gotten as far as book 2 in the Dronefall series knows I’m not as apathetic as I pretend to be. These subversive home-printed zines would give me a channel the internet never will to communicate plainly and boldly. There’s a reason these things are utilized by the fringe—they’re kinda hard to censor.
Don’t think I have any intention of creating zines just as a vehicle for raging against mainstream culture. That would go against my creative philosophy. I want to create something fascinating and nuanced and beautiful. I want to create art that points art-lovers to God. I just want to do it in a way that makes me feel free. It’s getting harder and harder to do that.
I want to create zines with poems in them, little collections of intricate sketches, photos, collages, multimedia…I want to explore comical subjects, nonsense, inspirational stuff in the vein of my Instagram posts. The possibilities are endless. That’s what I like about this whole idea.
Okay, so why am I telling you this? Because I want to share my zines with you. How? That’s kind of up to you. The nature of the medium would make it easy to send them by email. The design I use is one single-sided sheet. You could easily print and fold them yourself. But you know it would be way more fun to get them—printed and packaged and possibly with extras—by mail.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance I know who you are. Let’s face it, I’m not that famous. A lot of you are probably coming over from Goodreads or Instagram. You probably have some method for contacting me, whether it’s through a PM or by email. I want to get in touch with you. I want to share my work with you.
Are you interested? I’m not selling these things. I just love creating them and think it would be amazing to send them out to my friends via mail or email. Please shoot me a message. If you don’t have any other way, just leave a comment on this post telling me you’re interested and we’ll work something out. This is all in beta right now. I’m very flexible. We need to see how it works and go from there.
Because something’s up, and we’re going to need each other.
At the beginning of 2020, I made a list of twelve goals for the year. Not extremely ambitious goals. Nothing crazy. I thought it looked pretty doable and even a bit modest considering where I was in my life at the time. A week ago, I looked at the list again. Do you know how many points I checked off?
None.
Zero.
Not kidding.
You know, 2020 could have gone a lot worse for me. I didn’t get sick, lose my job, or get mauled by anybody for my political views. I didn’t suffer much from the increased isolation and the absolute heat-death of my social universe beyond cyberspace. And with all the extra time from shutdowns and cancellations, you would think I would have been pretty productive last year.
But I wasn’t. I couldn’t focus. The chaos outside, which really didn’t bother me much, emotionally, must have taken a deeper toll on my mental state than I thought. Focus and discipline in my creative life has always been a bit of a scarcity, but never so much as in 2020.
Still, it wasn’t all bad. I think I learned a lot and discovered a lot in 2020. I tried some things I’ve never tried before (and some I’ll never try again.) But I’m glad for a new beginning.
My list of goals for 2021 is a bit different than last year’s. I’ve broken my year down into three-month sections with only a handful of things per section I want to achieve. This gives me a timeline—rather loose, but just real enough to keep me focused on a few things at a time. I’m being realistic about my reading schedule this year. Guys, I’m not a mega-reader like a lot of you are. I can’t knock out 127 books a year like the pros do. I’m giving myself a minimum: one book a month. It beats last year.
I’m also going to devote more time to art this year. And music. I want to overcome some mental blocks that went up around music during my rather rough college days. I hope to start playing the piano again—and I want to write some new songs. I’ve also challenged myself to completing one painting a month this year. People who know me in real life think I paint a lot more than I actually do. Sadly, I haven’t painted on my own time in years.
You notice I haven’t mentioned writing goals yet. That’s because I know how slow I am and don’t want to make promises to my readers. But let me just hint that this might be a record-setting year for my publishing career. I’m excited. I’ve got a ton of work to do, but it’s my favorite kind of work.
So, here’s to 2021. A new year: mysterious, likely to be momentous, difficult, painful at times—but still full of hope an opportunity. Here’s to another chance to refocus and be a light in the dark. It’s time to celebrate, because there’s at least one good thing about 2020—it shouldn’t be a hard act to follow.
Well, look at that, my favorite season has arrived. Guys, 2020 can’t be a total flop as long as the air cools and fills with migrating birds and multicolored leaves around the end of September. We’re right on schedule. God doesn’t cancel. So, hey, it’s not all bad, is it?
You know, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching and Buzzfeed quizzes. You’d think I’d know myself pretty well, but I guess there’s always more to learn. I had a breakthrough in August. Years of accumulated frustration over my career finally made me rethink my approach to my art, my promotion, and my online presence. I realized I’d been trying to do what people—strangers online and business-minded experts—insisted worked, rather than letting things grow naturally from who I am and how I have always succeeded.
There’s a lot more to authenticity than not using beauty filters on your selfies, kids. Being true to yourself isn’t just striving to assure everyone that you’re imperfect and have a lot of issues by venting about your bad days on social media. In fact, that’s something I’ll probably always avoid doing. (But that’s for another post.) Authenticity, in its deepest sense, is about living your own life—not trying to build a life that looks the way ‘it’s supposed to.’ And for me, living and creating are the same thing. I have to focus my creative energy in the way I know works for me. Even if it doesn’t check all the boxes other people say are essential.
Okay, so what does all that abstract rambling mean in the concrete world? It means a lot of things, for me. Here on Startdrift Nights, it means you’re going to see some exciting changes like you haven’t seen since I launched the blog. I’m done trying to be niche. “Stay focused,” they said. “Get into a community,” they said. And I tried that, all the while knowing I was a very distractible lone wolf who hated to be tied down in any way.
I’m not just an author. I’m never happier than when I’m splicing and mashing media. I’m a visual artist and a musician as well. The term ‘creative’ as a noun has always seemed pretty vague to me, but it has its place. Why limit myself? Why not let Stardrift Nights reflect all facets of my creative life instead of fishing around for topics that haven’t been covered better by a thousand other niche writing blogs? Want to see my sketchbook? The insights I had writing songs this summer? Before and after pics of the little Japanese garden I’m working on? Or do you really want to hear another ramble on POV?
So, I’m expanding. This blog is about to become a lot more fun. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been having much fun with it, lately. That’s why my posts have been so infrequent. I want to pour more into this blog and less into the social-media rat-race. I have a lot I could share with you. And I think you might find it more inspiring than most of what I’ve posted in the past.
For me, Fall is always a time of fresh energy. I get kind of fired up. I think it helps me coast through the dark winter months—which take about half of the year, where I’m from—and keeps me from getting in too deep of a rut. All of this is to say, you’re about to see a comeback for Stardrift Nights. One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to beat my record for number of posts published in a year. I’m going to smash that goal here in the final months.
I hope you enjoy the renovations and renewed vision for Stardrift Nights. I know I will.
I have recently noticed some Christian authors are backing away from the “Christian fiction” label. Some writers don’t want to write “Christian fiction” or at least are reluctant to call their novels that. Some believe they can reach a wider audience by avoiding the label, and others have just had so many bad experiences with reading Christian fiction in their past that they just have no interest in writing it.
Okay, just to get this out of the way, I certainly am not trying to say that Christian writers should only write Christian fiction. My debut was not technically Christian fiction, and neither are the vast majority of my short-stories and poems. Neither do I think God doesn’t use non-Christian art to his glory. I’m an advocate for both.
Here’s the real problem, and I think it’s important. When I find out why these Christian authors are avoiding the “Christian Fiction” label, I discover their reasons are often based on false assumptions. Myths. I’m going to break down the five big ones here, as far as I understand them.
Let’s get to it.
Myth #1 Christian fiction is a genre
A lot of authors, myself included, really dislike the idea of limiting themselves to a genre. We want our freedom and flexibility. We don’t want to get strapped down to one genre and be expected to write that for the rest of our lives.
What if I told you Christian fiction is not a genre? Neither is YA or MG. Christian fiction is an audience label. It can be contemporary romance, spy thrillers, who-dun-it mysteries, space opera, historical war stories, and, yes, even cyberpunk dystopia set in near-future Budapest. The term “Christian fiction” defines the expected audience.
Now, a Christian audience will expect a few things. Probably no ultra-graphic content or excessive language. They’ll also probably appreciate it if at least some of the main characters are Christians, and that Christian values are presented in a positive light, but beyond that, the genre is entirely your choice.
Myth #2 Christian fiction is preachy
Yes. Badly-written Christian fiction is often preachy. So is some non-Christian fiction, actually. But preachiness is not and 100% should not be essential to Christian fiction. It’s actually a writing flaw to be avoided. Nobody really wants to read that.
Saying you don’t want to write Christian fiction because it’s too preachy is like saying you don’t want to write YA fiction because the characters are too whiny. Yes, a lot of YA characters are annoyingly whiny, but who controls that? The author. Who controls the tone of Christian fiction? Also the author.
So, rather than calling out the bad writing in Christian fiction and saying you can’t write it because you will suddenly acquire the same lack of skill if you try it, maybe you could be a part of the solution and start writing non-preachy Christian fiction. It is possible, and you are that good.
Myth #3 Christian fiction must have a salvation plotline
There needn’t be a salvation story included at all. This is absolutely not an essential part of Christian fiction. In fact, I think we need more Christian fiction that focuses on all the crazy stuff that happens after conversion. That’s something we really need to see.
I’ve noticed a flaw in a lot of contemporary Christian thinking these days. There is an unspoken lie out there that all that really matters in the Christian life is “that moment” when you “get saved.” We’ve put so much stock in the alter call that we turn around and neglect new believers—and mature believers—in favor of going out and grabbing for more and more of those “decisions for Christ” that can be tragically transient. Christian readers really need to see the rest of the story. It’s a journey. It doesn’t end with walking out the door.
People seem to think you have to set up a Christian story like you would plot a romance. She’s lonely, she meets the guy, they struggle, he proposes, she finally accepts, ding-dong wedding bells, the end. Christian fiction can, and should be showing more of the narrative. It should expand to include all parts of the Christian spiritual journey, not just the very brief event of accepting Jesus.
Which leads into our next myth.
Myth #4 Christian fiction is an evangelism tool
This one is controversial, but the more I think about it, the firmer I take my stand, here. I do not believe Christian fiction should be created as an evangelism tool. I’ve talked about this on this blog before. I just don’t think it’s worth it to orient your whole novel around trying to convert your reader (who is most likely already a Christian) and potentially losing all interest and nuance as a result. The work of a Christian novelist is not to storify Romans Road or whatever your favorite get-‘em-saved formula is. Our goal is to create a deep, compelling, and enjoyable work of art that happens to be pretty bold about the truest thing in the universe.
I strongly believe that Christian novels have a purpose separate from a gospel tract. There is so much power in art, and so much good work to be done in this world. Use your imagination. That’s what authors do best. Explore new scenarios and learn how to confront the lies and difficulties of living through your writing. There are so many themes, so many ways to uplift and empower your fellow Christians.
Christians have so much more growing and learning to do after they convert. Christian fiction can help them. And it can help them in a fun, interesting, engaging, world-changing way.
Myth #5 Christian fiction is limiting and irrelevant
As I’ve kind of already stated, I don’t think Christian fiction should be limiting at all. I would love to see more authors who are dissatisfied with the current offerings of Christian fiction get to work broadening the field of options. There is so much that hasn’t been explored, but that doesn’t mean exploration is impossible. You have a chance to create something new.
You don’t have to write Amish, historical, or contemporary romance with a pat little massage and a quick conversion scene. Write in any genre that calls your name. Write what you love the most. Create the flavorful, non-preachy, hard-hitting, actually creative Christian fiction you’ve always wanted.
“Irrelevant” is one of those dreaded words when it comes to creating something for the world at large. I don’t think the risk of Christian fiction being irrelevant is actually that high. I think if the world thinks Christian stories and themes are irrelevant, that’s kind of a sign that the world doesn’t know what is relevant. Your Christian story matters. It can help someone. Don’t be afraid to put it out there.
The fact is, we really need some young blood in Christian fiction. We actually could kind of do with an all-out revival. For those of you who grew up hating Christian fiction because it was generic, preachy, lacked substance, lacked variety, and just overall never spoke to you—I feel you. Some of my least favorite novels I ever suffered through have been Christian fiction. But that is not because there are unavoidable problems with the whole category. It’s because of the above myths. Too many authors continue to believe them and write accordingly.
So many times have I come to the end of a really good secular story and paused to think, “Man, it was great…but there was something missing.” We, as Christian authors know exactly what the missing piece is. We have the power to put it in.
Christianity needs to keep its voice. The world is so full of antagonistic voices. I’m seeing more and more ugly twisted depictions of Christianity in mainstream fiction. We need to keep speaking for ourselves—speaking for God, through our art.
So, if you feel called at all—and if these myths, or others have been holding you back, it’s time to blast through them. You have a mission. You can write Christian fiction and make it amazing.
Writing takes a lot out of you. Writing a novel is no easy task, and makes huge demands on your time and energy. I wish there was a way to log the hours I spend just thinking through my story, without even getting into the time I spend with my head in a notebook or my hands on a keyboard. It’s definitely a full-time job.
When life itself becomes complicated, uncertain, heavy, and exhausting, it takes a toll on my writing life. In the midst of these troubled times, when many of us don’t have any idea what life will look like next week, somehow, we have to find ways to keep calm and carry on. But with all these new demands on our minds and emotions, we all know how easily writing can fall through the cracks.
But I know and you know we can’t stop writing. We can’t give up on what brings us joy and satisfaction just because it’s harder than usual. So, what should we do about it? I hope to offer a morale boost as well as share with you some practical tips on dealing with discouragement, overwhelm, and artistic frustration in your writing when life gets hard.
I want to ask you something. It’s kind of a personal question, but why are you writing at all? Answers will vary. Maybe you have a beautiful message of hope and courage the world needs to hear. Maybe you’ve created a fascinating world in your mind and you want to invite others to explore it. Maybe you have a cast of crazy characters partying in your brain who just can’t wait to get out and change society for the better. Never mind the specifics, what you must have as a writer is a passion that drives your work. Take some time to identify it. That’s your secret weapon.
You’re not just a writer. You’re a beacon of light. The world needs your story, and if you think about it, you know why. But even with that deeper reason to press on, sometimes your mind is just too exhausted to produce anything. I’ve recently had this go on for days at a time. But I’m learning how to cope with it.
One way is to switch to another project. Not just another writing project, but something else altogether. Writing shouldn’t be all you do. I’ve found that switching to drawing when I’m stuck in my writing can be refreshing and a good way to shake the doldrums that can set in when I’ve been staring at a blinking curser for too long. If you’re one of those people who claims they have only one talent, cut that out. You don’t either. Sure, you might not be as good at other things, but you could definitely improve and enjoy them if you tried. Find some hobbies. This is a great time to do that. Branch out and find other ways to let out your creativity and get in touch with your playful side. Believe me, you’ll surprise yourself.
Sometimes I feel like I’ve just kind of lost touch with a writing project. One of the best and simplest ways to get back into it is to read back over what you’ve written so far. Dive into your world with both feet, observe your characters, feel the rhythm of the plot. Give yourself permission to edit some of it, even. Don’t get carried away, but just restructuring a sentence here and there can give you the feeling of being in control of what you create again, and hope that you do, in fact, know how to improve it. Sometimes you can trick yourself into writing again if you do this enough.
Another tactic is to try writing about your project. Don’t write the book itself, open up a fresh document, or a notebook or journal and just start writing about it. You could write about where you think you’re stuck or what feelings are holding you back from going on, or you could do what I’ve found to be especially inspiring, which is to look at it more from the outside. Try writing an analysis of one of your favorite characters or subplots and talk about how you’ve woven in the themes and your imagery. This is how I convince myself that my story actually makes some sense or is genuinely interesting.
Maybe you feel like your writing is weak or missing something. First off, it probably isn’t as bad as you think, and second, you’re probably right. Improvement is always an option. Grab some writing books or find a YouTube channel for authors and learn something new. Take notes, and try to identify the areas where you think you could get better. I recently started watching Abbie Emmons’ channel and her emphasis on using inner conflict to drive the plot finally really clicked for me. Look out Nightstare. You’re going to be the strongest Dronefall book yet.
Finally, remember it’s okay to rest. You’re not an unbreakable machine in a word factory pumping out perfect novels seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. That’s not the goal of an author. You don’t have to beat out 10,000 words a day every day. Give yourself days off. Take time to enjoy life, even when you haven’t hit your writing goals for the week. Dream about your book, brainstorm, play around with wacky possibilities and unlikely alternatives for your plot as you chill out on your porch swing or play fetch with your dog. Sometimes things just take time. Life can be overwhelming. Don’t force the joy out of writing by having unrealistic expectations for yourself.
I hope something on this little list is helpful to you if you find yourself discouraged over your writing today. I’ll have to keep it around to remind myself sometimes. Stress and chaos can drag you down and depressing turns of events in the world really do have effect on creativity. But there are ways to keep your spirits up ad keep writing. So, remember why you write, and keep shining in the dark.
