Writing the Christian Romance - Question and Answers

May 2008

Anne McDonald:

Tonight, I'm honored to introduce a woman who is the greatest giver I know. Gail has shared her writing tips for years to whomever needed it. Please give a warm welcome to Gail Gaymer Martin

Patti: clap clap

denice: yeah clap clap

Anne McDonald: Gail welcome.

Gail Gaymer Martin: Thanks, Annie. It's been a long time since I've done a chat but I'm happy to be here tonight.

adroland: yay! welcome, Gail

Gail Gaymer Martin: Thanks so much for your kind words.

Anne McDonald: Gail, you've done something that many writers would kill to do...you've published with Writers Digest. Could you give us a glimpse into your new book and how you caught the publisher's attention?

Guest767: Yeah! Let’s hear a drum roll! ga

Gail Gaymer Martin: I know it's amazing, and it happened in 11 days from my agent submitting to a sale. They really wanted that book. As you know from those of you who write Christian Romance - there is no book on the subject. You can find books on writing Christian fiction and writing secular romance but none on writing Christian romance -- and it's very different.

I had lots of things to include in the book but they wanted me to focus on what made Christian fiction different from secular fiction - and so I had to rethink my book and focus on 11 chapters.

The book covers these topics: characterization and creating the hero and heroine, emotions and the senses sexuality, spirituality, POV, dialogue, introspection, plotting and selling the Christian romance novel which also includes working with agents and editors as well as information on Christian fiction conferences and organizations. I'm not sure how many of you have purchased the book but I've received so many wonderful comments through email and also some good comments on www.Amazon.com

Anne McDonald: The floor is now open to questions. Please raise your hand by typing ? and wait to be called on in turn

Guest767: I want to know if you can autograph a book for me

Gail Gaymer Martin: Yes, I have an order form that people can use to purchase books from me. You pay a discounted price plus shipping costs, but if you already own the book, if you send me an envelope (legal size) addressed, I'd be happy to autograph a book label -- can't remember what they're called -- and mail that to you.

Anne McDonald: Gail, was publishing with Writers Digest different than your previous publishers, and how? ga

Gail Gaymer Martin: Yes - it's very different writing a non-fiction than a fiction novel. For those writing fiction, editors expect an agent to send a cover letter with the author’s short synopsis and three chapters. In the cover letter, the agent can talk about how great you are <g>.

But with non-fiction, an author must present a whole different set of information as part of the proposal. The editors want first of all to know who you are, why you have expertise in a subject, what you've done in the past in terms of writing and how you plan to help promote and sell the book. The more active a writer is important. Since I'm a cofounder of ACFW and I speak all over the country at conferences as well as speak at churches, etc. that really was helpful. I also write on three blogs.

Also they want a synopsis of each chapter -- what it will cover --- as well as three chapters of the book. They also want to know how this book is different from others written on the subject. That was good too because there is no other book. They didn't just believe me, but did a search and came back saying, "You're right." It was a long process to write the book, but I loved. it.

I thought I'd try to publish with a Christian publisher but my dear friend Randy Ingermanson said, "Why not go with the top of the line. Writers Digest." I'd thought about that but didn't think

I'd have a chance, but Randy was right. Praising the Lord for that.

Bonnie: I haven't had the pleasure of reading the book yet and so am wondering what Gail would say are the biggest differences other than the obvious, between secular romance and Christian.

Gail Gaymer Martin: Bonnie, I think Christian fiction means that the author must look at the world through a Christian’s worldview. By this I mean we can't just think of saying prayers and quoting scripture, but just as our lives are controlled by our beliefs, our values and morals -- and our behavior, our characters must do the same. When we make mistakes, we not only hurt others and ourselves, but for a Christian, we hurt or affect our relationship with our Lord. So as we approach our stories, we must show how real Christian's deal with life each day and it's different than you will find in many secular books. Naturally sexuality is different, plus no swearing, no gambling, etc, but some of those things are allowed in some Christian fiction, depending on the publisher, the author's reputation, and the story line. But normally we try to make our stories open to all believers as well as others who might read our books.

Guest767: I think Gail answered my question because she said Randy I. suggested she go with WD. I think it's wonderful!

Gail Gaymer Martin: Randy's a great pal.

adroland: Would you say this is a good book for writers moving from the secular romance genre to the Christian fiction market? Although I’ve been a reader of inspirational romance for as long as I can remember, I’ve only recently felt led to write it. I’m published in the secular genre, but I’m finding inspirational romance is a horse of a different color to write (market wise).

so many different 'rules'

Gail Gaymer Martin: I think this book will provide an excellent guideline for a published author to understand what goes with Christian romance and what doesn't. The rules are different - and you may not agree, but it's more difficult to write a story that really captures your heart and passion without being explicit. It takes talent to show the love growing and the passionate feelings and yet present them in a way that seems real and appropriate for Christian readers. It's a challenge.

The chapters on sexuality would be very helpful as well as creating the hero and heroine, because that is far more than a good looking body. I give directions to create a loveable hero and heroine who are appealing but with a depth that goes deeper than good looks or sexy ways.

There you go -- sexy is a word we can't use, usually. <gg> Another chapter is weaving in spirituality. That takes a great deal of understanding of biblical truths and how to show them without being preachy.

Dragon Riding Mouse: How can one keep a romance from being too fluffy, but not make it into anything else (i.e. romantic suspense)?

Gail Gaymer Martin: I love romantic suspense. It's one of my favorite genres. If you can find a copy of Finding Christmas or A Love for Safekeeping (I know they're available on Amazon.com) and read them, you'll see. Even Adam's Promise would be a good one. I have murder and attempted murder in all those stories and yet the romance is there as well as the excitement of a real suspense.

By the way -- I hate fluffy romances. I wrote two novels for Silhouette Romance and asked to be removed from the line. I just couldn't write fluff.

Bonnie: There is a lot of talk about the Christian market pushing the envelope so to speak on romance. I mean getting edgier and allowing more sexuality, etc. What do you think? is this a trend and is it here to stay?

Gail Gaymer Martin: Bonnie, I think it depends on the publisher. Edgier for the sake of edgier is not going to sell. Edgier because it's a story that needs to be told will. For example, a story about child porn sounds edgy -- but if this is a deep story with a Christian's life being affected by this type of problem, it might be a go, again, depending on the publisher.

I think what's happening is that publishers have begun to realize that Christian's need "real."They know that the world is changing and we don't live in a cave or a box. We must deal with the world around us and we can't continue to write stories that doesn't touch real life. I want some of this to happen. For example, for so long we couldn't write about divorced characters. Everyone had to have been single or their spouse had to die. That's not realistic. No, divorce isn't something we want to extol but it is real. Alcoholism affects many of our lives. We need stories about unfaithfulness and real issues. Many publishers have begun to allow them. I'm grateful.

Patti: For an aspiring writer, would you advise using an agent?

Gail Gaymer Martin: An agent is a necessity for most publishers. My book talks about this at length. Very few publishers accept unagented material. The only two who do -- and I mean those who are traditional publishers who pay an advance on royalties and royalties -- are Steeple Hill and Barbour. The rest require an agent or to meet the author at a conference and invite them to submit.

By the way, American Christian Fiction Writers conference is in Minnesota this year, and we're having tons of agents and publishers there. This is an excellent way to meet them.

Bliss: I want to thank you for your wonderful work and your insightful book! I never thought I would be called to write Christian Romance, however, I know God is calling me to that. I started to research the genre and found your book immediately. Praise the Lord for timing and THANK YOU for making this much easier for me. I know the Lord has led you to do this! I pray you will be greatly blessed for all you have put in this! God Bless you

Anne McDonald: (since Gail has an appointment at the top of the hour, the floor is now closed to new questions. I'll call on those who have already raised their hands)

Gail Gaymer Martin: Let me respond to Bliss. Yes, I truly believe that God lead me to write that book. I thought about it for 3 years and let the idea pass, and one day, I felt in my heart it was something I should do. I'd had knee surgery and it was perfect timing. I had spoken to Randy when I knew I was facing the surgery -- and it happened. The 11 day sale proved to me that God is in charge. He's awesome. Thanks so much for your kinds words. Now I'll shut up. <gg>

Mary: Glad I made it here – always seem to get the international time zones wrong. Gail, I am so glad Writers Digest has your book out as they are more readily available here in Australia than some other publishers. At my talks and workshops here I recommend your book! Can you share if you found working with their editors very different from your other publishers – keeping in mind what you’ve already said about the difference of the Christian worldview.

Gail Gaymer Martin: My editors were tremendous, Mary -- and welcome to the chat. I know you talked to me about it today -- and they were so complimentary to me and my book content. I involved 28 well-known Christian authors to provide me with excerpts to use for examples. And I was able to include exercises. They were tremendous with the content and allowed me to be as open as I wanted with the Christian information even though they're not Christian publishers.

Spitfire: What are some ways one can add conflict to a romance without the stereotypical stuff (i.e. breakup, forbidding marriage, etc.)?

Gail Gaymer Martin: I cover a great deal of this in my book. Let me give you a few ideas. You can add a subplot which might be a neighbor or someone who comes into your life that adds to its confusion. They want to use your time or they cause you grief that adds to the tension in the romantic relationship. You can also have something happen to the character such as: losing a job, house catching on fire, car accident and hospitalization.

One of my favorites is having either the hero or heroine or both having a deep dark secret that they will have to share if they want to continue a relationship. You can remove a character from your story and force either the hero or heroine to take over the role that character played in the story. I have a large section in the book on how to deepen the story.

Jane: How do you work? what tools do you use and do you have a good idea when you sit down to begin a new story?

Gail Gaymer Martin: I use a computer. I rarely handwrite anything. I work from my office which is a large room where I'm surrounded by four large bookshelves and two smaller ones, two file cabinets, a worktable, a FAX machine, a copy machine, good lighting, and I also use a program called Natural Reader which is a text to voice program. The computer reads my chapters to me so I can hear the flow of the words and can also catch typos and errors like that. Ideas fill my head. I probably have 20 or more working stories in my head right now, so when I begin to feel compelled to write that story, it already has a start. It's become a movie to me. I can see it in my mind and so writing it is easier than starting with nothing. It changes and grows as I write; as new ideas come to mind, plots twists and added tension. That's the fun of creativity.

Anne McDonald: (DRM, get ready to do the drawing, please)

CCuser2833: How do you keep all of the story lines in your novels straight? Do you use story boards?

Gail Gaymer Martin: As I'm writing, I have character sheets for each character so that I keep all the info about that character straight -- such as appearance, eye color, type of car, names of family members, name of employer, greatest fear, etc. I also use index cards with plot points so that I can shuffle them around and decide which scene is most effective next. This works very well when you have multiple characters. And I have a good mind. I remember a lot. I'm not a forgetter at all. <g>

Anne McDonald: Gail, thank you so much for coming, and for donating the autographed copy of Writing the Christian Romance. DRM, who is tonight's winner?

* Dragon Riding Mouse draws a name from the barrel

Dragon Riding Mouse: the winner is... Patti!

Patti: OH!!! Are you serious?

* Dragon Riding Mouse watches the confetti and balloons fly around the room

Bliss: yeah Patti

Anne McDonald: Congratulations, Patti.

Dragon Riding Mouse: congrats

Jane: good for you Patti and congratulations

Patti: Thank you sooo much; I’m thrilled

Bonnie: Way to go, Patti.

Gail Gaymer Martin: Congrats, Patti

Spitfire: congrats, Patti!

Gail Gaymer Martin: Before I got I want to add a couple of things.

Anne McDonald: the floor is all yours, Gail

Gail Gaymer Martin: I also have a blog on writing and if anyone wants to visit it you can do so at www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com

Anne McDonald: It's the best writing spot on the internet bar none!

Gail Gaymer Martin: I cover a lot of information -- not as fully as my book by a long shot -- but I don't focus on romance but on writing in general; and not necessarily on Christian writing although I will do some entries on that.

Anne McDonald: Gail, no one teaches writing like you do, girl!

Gail Gaymer Martin: Also if you want to purchase Writing the Christian Romance you can do so by going to www.gailmartin.com and hit the hyperlink beside the book on the home page. It will take you to the order page on Amazon with no trouble.

Anne McDonald: Gail, we'll have to get you back again soon. Thanks again for sharing your time

Gail Gaymer Martin: Thanks so much for having me and I hope I gave you some helpful information.

Anne McDonald: you most certainly did. Thanks a million!

Dragon Riding Mouse: I had fun

Bonnie: Thanks so much Gail.

Spitfire: thanks, Gail

Gail Gaymer Martin: Thanks again.

Patti: Thanks, Gail (As I Snoopy dance to bed!) you're wonderful!

littlesweetpea: Thank you , Gail.

Anne McDonald: Thanks for coming everyone. Hope to see you again