Spiritual Concepts Outside the Box

What does it mean to be a Christian Writer?

I've asked myself that question many times, and I think there may be as many definitions as there are Christian writers. lol. Some insist if the story doesn't talk about Jesus, it ain't Christian. Others say if the writer is a Christian, then what they write is Christian fiction. Those are probably the two polar extremes. I mean, by that last definition, the Twilight series is Mormon fiction, right? Hmm.

I'm starting to think I've been going about this question backwards. Trying to define what a Christian writer is so I can decide first, if I fit that definition, and second, if I want to. So far I have only managed to outline the spectrum of beliefs and I'm not sure I see myself within the spectrum I've identified or not.

But honestly-- for myself, in my small writing world-- isn't the more important question, what kind of writer am I? Not that my spirituality isn't important. But that's much less a question to me. The question really is what stories am I trying to tell? What is the message in them? What do I as a writer have to say about life and spirituality? I think those are the questions I should be asking myself at this point.

Why do I write?

What is the message I want to share?

Those are the questions that will help me define the rest.

Review: What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy

Sally is a sweet-as-southern-tea wife, mother, and college professor who always tries to make people feel accepted and welcomed. The only problem? The sugar-coated lies she keeps piling up are about to come crumbling down.

As Hurricane Katrina barrels through Sally's former home of Louisiana raising worries for her brother and an estranged childhood friend, another storm rips through Sally's life. Her brightest student is assaulted and raped, and the dean needs Sally and her genteel southern ways to soothe the victim and her family. But reaching out to the wounded girl means facing a part of Sally's past she'd rather leave buried deep in the bayou. Can Sally find the strength to face the ghosts of her past and risk toppling the card-castle of lies her life has become?

While Sally is a deeply flawed character-- she is also a deeply sympathetic one. Who hasn't at one time said the nice thing instead of the actual truth, or hidden a painful experience behind a smile and a little "white" lie? What she discovers about herself and her life as she begins to finally examine who she is versus who she pretends to be is a soul journey we have all experienced (or should) at some level.

Patti Lacy tackles hard issues of rape and racism with honesty, compassion and understanding and reminds us of the value of the human soul, of hope and humor. Some scenes made me cry. Others made me laugh out loud. Great story, from one cover to the other. Definitely one I will cherish and read again.

You Might Have Writer's Block If...

1. Instead of writing, you are suddenly seized with the excited urge to scrub the entire bathroom with a toothbrush.

2. You feel more inspired by the possibility that you hair may have split personalities (in addition to split ends) than you do about your current work-in-progress.

3. You consider counting your daily blog post toward your word count total for the day.

4. You find yourself hoping for those annoying political survey phone calls just for an excuse to be distracted.

5. A trip to the grocery store begins to sound very appealing. After all, you are all out of munchies. Who can write without munchies??

6. You wish a guy would float past you standing in a row boat so you could chase after him.

7. You contemplate taking a nap and counting it as time spent "brainstorming."

8. The phone does ring with one of those political survey calls, and you chat it up with the survey proctor and are disappointed bordering on slightly annoyed when they insist they have to return to work now, and you must hang up.

9. You reread the last ten pages you've written and find even yourself bored.

10. You find yourself counting how many times the cursor blinks on your screen.

You Might Be a Writer If...

1. You already have a reading list for next summer.

2. Someone shares a story about a personal experience with you and your first thought is something along the lines of, "Yeah, the hero/heroine in my manuscript went through something like that. First he..."

3. You've caught yourself making faces at the computer screen and the only program open on your computer is MS Word.

4. When a friend tells you they did 5K this morning, you automatically think they mean they wrote 5000 words.

5. Your house contains at least one large horizontal surface covered with unread books.