Writer's Inspiration for the Christian Novelist

If you stay updated on the publishing industry, then you may be aware that the future of the CBA fiction market doesn't look promising. The sales aren't climbing. Major Christian publishers are closing their fiction lines. Christian retailers are going out of business.


If you're an aspiring author who has a burning desire to write fiction that glorifies Him, you probably don't find this encouraging. But may I remind you that we serve a big God? A God who can open doors that no man can shut (Rev. 3:8)? I believe He places on our hearts big dreams because He wants us to take action in pursuing them. 


I don't know about you, but I'm not going to give up on pursuing the vision God has given me: To write fiction that touches lives, that presents the Truth. If you're needing to be reminded as to why you feel called to write in this genre, I've collected quotes that will hopefully provide just the inspiration you need to keep your fingers moving along your keyboard and write for an audience of One.   

Writing is a calling for me.   Storytelling is something God gifted me to do.   I didn't set out to be a writer.   It's just that I'm wired to tell stories and once I started, well . . . all this publishing stuff sort of happened.   If I never was offered another book contract, I'd still be telling stories.   If I end up in a rest home, I'm sure I'll be sitting in my rocking chair telling stories.   I actually believe that when I get to heaven I'll be hanging out telling stories.   That is what my soul loves to do as an act of worship.   I love to give back to the Father that which He so lavishly poured out on me.  Robin Jones Gunn 

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.  Nathaniel Hawthorne

I want to see Christian fiction speak to the hard and real issues that tear people’s lives apart.  We need writers who are willing to ask the hard questions and go through the soul-searching and agonizing to find answers – and present these stories with skill that surpasses the general market.  Some of the greatest works or art and literature were rendered by Christians.  I believe God is at work in these areas now. Francine Rivers 

He is at work on your behalf, not to make you a best-seller, but to make you the best tool for His work. As much as we’d like to think this whole gig is about selling books, it’s not. It’s about obedience. About writing, because that’s the task He’s given us. It’s about seeking to serve Him and others through the gifts He’s given us. Karen Ball

As long as we are above board, honest, and steadfast in presenting the truth to our readers, our words will be honored. When we set forth the truth plainly and simply through the example of human circumstances and how God works in the lives of everyone, we are leading our readers to a deeper, closer understanding of who Jesus is. Author Unknown 

Write what you need to read. Write from your heart and write truth. Sometimes it hurts to peel away the layers of self-deception and see ourselves in the mirror, but it will also draw us closer to Jesus. And your work may minister to others struggling with the same issues. Francine Rivers

~~~ What's your favorite quote on this list? Do you feel called to write for the CBA or the ABA market?