I looked for things to read, and everything is really old. Is no one writing now? Is there no one with anything recent to share? How about some beta reading? I'd be happy to provide input to anyone who's working on something now.
It seems I have chosen the most difficult path possible—a Christian fiction novella.
It is what it is, so I guess I'll find out if there's a market for it.
I looked for things to read, and everything is really old. Is no one writing now? Is there no one with anything recent to share? How about some beta reading? I'd be happy to provide input to anyone who's working on something now.
I meant the former.Hi pschmehl. If by "Christian writers" you mean writing fiction that will be marketed as Christian fiction, it doesn't seem there's a whole lot in SYW. If you mean Christians writing any fiction then I think there are a lot of us.
CJ
I've never put anything in SYW. I have dependable first-readers and a crit partner who holds my feet to the fire, and an editor who's savvy about all my bad habits.
That said, C-fic these days bores me to sleep. I haven't read anything good since Susan Meissner's A SEAHORSE IN THE THAMES and this next project may be my last C-fic ever. My indie stuff is all general market and that's where I feel more at home these days.
I can't do that. So, I'll labor away in the nether regions and pray for the best.Like Deb, I finally stopped working in the Christian market, for reasons too many to list. Pitfall, the first of my new suspense series, sold to a general market house in 2015, and absent a big (read: BIG) nudge from God, I doubt I'll ever again write for the CBA.
Deb & Gravity --- what made you leave CBA? I'm having my own issues with what direction I want to go in, and I'm curious about what things are nudging you away from CBA.
I started out thinking I should write for the CBA. Finaled in the ACFW Genesis contest back in 2006 (lost). Joined the discussion loop. Tried to read more C-fic.
The more I tried to fit in and the more C-fic I read made me realize, like Gravity, I don't write what C-fic pubs will buy and readers will read. The rules are wicked strict. Once I admitted the fact and shifted my focus to mainstream publishing (and rewrote my losing book FIVE times), things started to happen.
YMMV. This is how things are working for me.
Thanks. Sorry I kind of derailed the thread, but my experience so far has been frustrating. The pool of legit agents is ever-shrinking, and I've queried almost all of them.
I submitted my novel to the ACFW contest last year (not sure if it was Genesis??) and I was so frustrated by the feedback. My book starts with my MC being asked to leave her church after her husband's affair. The pastor is a douche. Of three judges, two of them scored me *very* high - 89 and 92 out of 100, with great feedback, and the third judge scored me a 47, because "a pastor would never behave this way." (Newsflash, judge... it happens!)
I'm in several FB groups for C-fic readers/writers, and sometimes I'm just astounded at the comments and expectations.
On the other hand, I'm torn because there are people like me who are hungry for C-fic that reflects real lives and tough situations. *sigh*
Carrie in PA, that third judge lives in an alternate universe. What FB groups are you referring to? I'd like to join them.
If you want a pen pal, I can be one. I won't write anything else, so I'm not going anywhere no matter how difficult it is. I'm not in this to make money. I'm in it to get my stories read. Fortunately, you don't need an agent now. You can self-publish.
IOW, they want non-human characters. That's ridiculous. I think I'll stick to self-publshing. The last thing I need is to deal with "Christians" with a stick up their butt.Even C-fic "romantic suspense" might have an uphill climb in the mainstream market. I vividly remember Barbour's guidelines from 10 years ago. They've since taken them down, so I don't know if they've changed. But back then, the rules included: No character may drink, dance, or attend a Hallowe'en party. If a character (even a villain) needs to tell a lie, it must be cleared with the editor. At the end of the book, MMC and FMC must both belong to a Bible-believing church.