I’m excited to welcome my friend, author Tina Ann Forkner to Women’s Fiction Writers. Tina and I met years ago online. I don’t remember NOT knowing Tina! (I think that’s a good thing and refuse to believe it has something to do with my memory.)
There are more similarities than differences between Tina and me — which is of course what first drew me to her books. What kept me reading were the stories. My favorite book (so far) of Tina’s is Rose House because it hit home. How apropos!
In this guest post, Tina brings us a grounded view of what it means for the writer and reader when either a little or a lot of faith is seamlessly integrated into a work of women’s fiction. It’s not a banner for any particular religion — I’m Jewish and Tina is Christian (that’d be a heck of a banner). But it is a post that just might change the way you think about writing and reading. I hope you’ll chime in below.
Many thanks to Tina for taking time out of her busy I-just-finished-another-novel schedule to be here!
Putting A Little Faith In Women’s Fiction
by Tina Ann Forkner
When you hear the song Amazing Grace, what comes to mind? Maybe it is the scene of a funeral or the aching memory of a departed loved one. For some, it might be a church filled with people clinging to the lyrics as the rhythm moves them spiritually. And yet, there are others who respond deeply to the song simply because of its association with freedom and hope. Amazing Grace is a song that most people can relate to no matter what their belief system, which is why I chose that song for a scene in my second novel, Rose House, when I wanted to reveal a person’s Christian heritage, but didn’t want the scene to come across as being preachy to the reader.
Preachy. The very word makes me itch. I bet it has the same effect on you and it just might be the number one reason that we as authors might be tempted to steer clear of faith in our novels, but we shouldn’t. The truth is that millions of people are searching for faith, so why not speak to their desires in your writing? Just because most people don’t want to be preached to doesn’t mean that readers want to avoid the theme of faith in their fiction. Embracing faith on some level in our manuscripts can be a way to inspire hope in the reader and it doesn’t need to be agenda-driven. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Faith – or even its absence – can tell readers a ton about our characters, their motivations, and even their world. Dealing with faith is an experience most readers can relate to in some way.
For me, my own faith heritage ended up being a part of my first novel, Ruby Among Us, and is one reason why it and Rose House were acquired by Random House’s Christian imprint, Waterbrook Press. While I’ve been told by my readers that Ruby Among Us would fit into the general market, it made the most sense for me to accept the offer from a Christian publisher who could help me find the novel’s target audience. While I am not opposed to writing for a general market publisher someday, I also love the support I get in Christian publishing. I believe that in the end story always reigns supreme no matter what market your novel is published in.
Do you have a thread of faith weaving through your manuscript? If you do, then by all means don’t censor your muse. Most readers just want to read a good story. Consider your own favorite general market novels and I bet many of them deal somehow with the theme of faith and it didn’t bother you at all. Right off the top of my head I can think of a few of my favorites that incorporate faith including The Secret Life of Bees, Peace Like a River, Jewel, Certain Girls, and Plain Truth.
You might be thinking that if you incorporate faith into your manuscript, your novel will be pigeon-holed when it gets published. It is possible, depending on your goals, but I can assure you that I have never regretted being a published author and I am more than grateful to my publisher and my Christian readers for taking a chance on me. My novels have found a core audience among Christian fiction readers, but I have also enjoyed a modest following among readers of general market fiction. I don’t feel offended at all when a reader emails me to say, I didn’t even know this was from a Christian publisher.
Lots of publishers are interested in women’s fiction that incorporates faith if it is well-written, so don’t be afraid to write about it if you want to. Personally, I don’t want my novels to preach and I’m not trying to convert anyone, but because my faith is the glue that holds my messy life together, it’s naturally going to come out in the lives of characters I write about.
When it comes to writing fiction, we all deserve a little bit of that amazing grace. Faith is complex and it’s not always easy to write about, but to ignore it altogether is to ignore our readers who no doubt grapple with faith on some level in their own daily lives. If there is a thread or even just a scene or thought of faith trying to infiltrate your story, give yourself some grace, open up your manuscript, and write it.
What about you? What are your favorite books that have a thread of faith? Can you recall a favorite scene or example in a book you have read? What about in your own writing?
Tina Ann Forkner lives in Wyoming where inclement weather affords her ample time to write women’s fiction and go about her duties as the President of her community’s award-winning library’s Foundation Board. When it is not snowing, she is usually gardening or spending time outdoors with her family. Tina’s latest novel, Rose House, and her debut, Ruby Among Us, are both published by Waterbrook Press, a division of Random House. You can find more info at her website www.tinaannforkner.wordpress.com
If you’d like to read my thoughts on Rose House, click here for: When A Nice Jewish Girl Reads a Contemporary Christian Novel. ~ Amy
I like how it happens for you, that the faith is just there, as seamless in written prose as it is in day-to-day life.
Thanks, Liz. I do hope my novels come across that way, as well. 🙂
Hi Tina–
I enjoyed reading your blog this morning and just downloaded your books onto my NOOK! 🙂
My favorite book, with a faith thread, is Kathleen McGowan’s, BOOK OF LOVE, followed by THE EXPECTED ONE. But it was the BOOK OF LOVE that made me rethink some of my spiritual issues, and I found myself wishing that the ‘history’ in the book was true. Later, I learned that the history is based on research.
I believe the best novels, incorporating a faith thread, are those books that push us to rethink our beliefs or expectations. I would close a novel that ‘preaches.’
But a novel that shows love, compassion, forgiveness, and growth will keep me turning the pages.
My current WIP has a strong faith/spirituality thread which pushes the character arc of my main character. I think sprituality and faith is often explored in women’s fiction because it’s such an important part of women’s lives.
Thanks again for this interesting blog entry.
from another,
Tina 🙂
Thank you so much, Tina (Great name, by the way)! I hope you enjoy the books. 🙂 I have heard others mention BOOK OF LOVE, so I will add it to my TBR pile. I like your comment about pushing us to rethink our beliefs or expectations. I’ve never read a book that made me doubt my faith, but when it has been challenged by a great thread in a women’s fiction novel, I have gone away with a stronger faith and more compassion for others.
What I like about reading some faith (of any flavor) in fiction is that it just is. It’s part of the character like the color of her (or his) hair. No explanation is necessarily needed, it just is a fact of the story. I think in my story it’s more heritage, tradition and assumptions than religion per se that’s woven through it, although its a fine line. I think these things can really make a character whole.
Great topic, great thoughts. I don’t like preachy novels either. I’ve had a couple of reviewers imply that I might not be a Christian, so maybe I succeeded in avoiding preachiness. 😉
Meg: That has happened to me, too. I’m glad you aren’t letting it stop you. 🙂
Thank you, Tina, for a truly inspiring post.
Like you said so perfectly …”I don’t want my novels to preach and I’m not trying to convert anyone, but because my faith is the glue that holds my messy life together, it’s naturally going to come out in the lives of characters I write about.” I love that. Only for me, writing about my faith (which is #1, front and center in my life) has not come easily. If fact, other then for the smallest tidbits in passing scenes and characters, it hasn’t come much at all. Why? Not because I’m so much worried about being preachy, as I worry about writing that reads “honest and true.” Just as offending as “preachy” in my estimation, is “peachy.” Characters so wholesome and sweet that they never manage to move beyond being bland, uninteresting cutouts.
I do think maybe the key just might be to more closely read books like yours that have perfected the formula, and then try interjecting a bit of faith into my next project. And of course, a prayer before typing is always advised 🙂
And thank you, Amy, for bringing us such an inspired guest!
Barbara: You are so right about “peachy” being just as bad as “preachy.” What a wonderful way to put it!
I appreciate that you would mention reading my books as examples and I hope they help, but you might also try Lisa Samson’s novels and some of the books mentioned in the comments here. Whatever you do, don’t censor yourself. Just keep at it and you will find your way. 🙂
What a great reminder, said so well in your narrative, that “Embracing faith on some level in our manuscripts can be a way to inspire hope in the reader.” And that “Faith – or even its absence – can tell readers a ton about our characters, their motivations, and even their world.” You’re so right that many mainstream books also have themes of faith – The Secret Life of Bees, being one of my favorites. My dear friend Jessica McCann’s new historical fiction novel, ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF FREE, also deals with issues of faith. Barbara Kingsolver’s THE POISONWOOD BIBLE also counts, I believe. The more I think about it, the more I realize that most stories do have threads of faith running through them. Great post!
Oh, boy. My TBR list just grew again. 🙂
The faith element in my current WIP is a subtle undercurrent but it’s there. I tackle it by way of the assumptions the characters make about a religion or belief system other than their own. My protag strolled through life with blinders on until she was forced to see people and things through a different lens with the help of someone radically different from her. I completely agree that we shouldn’t be afraid to address faith in our novels, and as you say, most can relate to it on some level. I recently finished The Bird Sisters and she touched on losing faith and the sometimes uphill struggle to get it back and I don’t shy away from reading novels that address the many flavors of faith :).
Thanks so much, Tina, for sharing your thoughts and I look forward to reading your novel.
Cat
Such thoughtful comments. I love reading all of them.
Catherine: Subtle is good. I love how you described your character as strolling through life with blinders on.
Melissa: I have THE POISONWOOD BIBLE on my shelf, but I haven’t read it yet.
Amy: I think the “heritage, tradition and assumptions” you mention add a richness to the story. It doesn’t need to go into the religion’s theology to portray the background of the character and their view of the world.
I just finished reading BEFORE I FORGET, a powerful story by Leonard Pitts, Jr., with a powerful statement on faith woven seamlessly in. Highly recommended.
Thanks, Julie! I’m sorry I’m just getting to this, but I will have to keep an eye out for BEFORE I FORGET.
I know this comment is very, very late (I am working through the archives of wfw!) but I just had to thank you for this post. Faith pays a huge part in my life but I recognise the instinct to hold back in my fiction writing. With my first novel, Of Marriageable Age, the main characters are almost all Hindu and spirituality from that culture is woven all through the book. In my other two novels, much less so. I personally would love to see more books with spirituality as a driving force; they certainly don’t have to be preachy, and as so many people are indeed searching for spiritual truths it is certainly realistic to have such characters. For now, though, I’m going off to look up your book.
Thank you for commenting, Sharon. Your books sound wonderful. I’m glad to hear that faith is a part of them. Happy Writing!