Everyone have a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend! Please join me in welcoming Yvonne Randle to the writer’s blog in a discussion on writing for the Christian Romance Genre.
Christian Romance is one of the hardest genre’s to write for. Why, do you ask? Glad you asked. Christian Romance itself is an oxymoron for singles, but it’s a wonderful title for married couples. When writing Christian Romance you must be mindful of the tone you set throughout your book. You are representing our Almighty God, and you certainly don’t want to mislead your readers when it comes to integrity, spirit, ethics, and right and wrong.
Writing Christian Romance: When designing your characters you want them to have one or two flaws that need to be consistently threaded throughout your book. The dilemma’s they face should be solved by the end of the novel.
Crafting your scenes should depict wholesome attitudes and venues. After all, your characters are ethical, even though they may be on different levels. If one of your scenes is at the home of a male, let’s say, then they shouldn’t be there alone. Their consciences/spirit should not allow that to happen, or you could use that situation as a struggle they overcome.
The plot should be of redeeming quality also because the entire purpose of the book is to glorify God. Say you have a female who is very vulnerable due to a situation she’s either in or just come out of, then the male has to be the stronger Christian and preserve her virtue. In this way he becomes a man of honor and ethics.
If your book addresses a married couple, your scenes should be sensual but not lustful. You want to show the character of the couple. They love each other, so they depict this love through conflict resolution and communicating with the other person’s best interest at heart. The couple should not gossip about anyone. They should be on the same page when rearing their children. Overall, you want to show that the couple may have conflict, but it’s not the end all to their marriage.
Yvonne Randle… is a gifted writer, inspirational speaker, mother, daughter, and CEO of Loving Relationships. Educationally, she holds two B.A. degrees, her first being a Born again Christian, and her second in Human Services.
Yvonne is also a regular guest on WVON’s AM 1690 Recovery Radio program where she speaks out against domestic violence, does workshops for churches, and has been featured on The Total Package TP Forum, Triton College’s Radio Station, has taught classes at the OCEA conference, and featured on
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thefirstbornsonshow#, the Darlene Hunter Show.
Yvonne’s experience as a Christian and domestic violence survivor has given her the tools to inspire and encourage others. Yvonne’s passions are to educate others about the horrific pandemic of domestic violence, change the negative perception of self-published authors, and to show young women that God the creator loves and cherishes them for who they are as individuals.
yvonnetheauthor@gmail.com
708- 227- 6646
http://www.lovingrelationships.biz
Have any of you tackled the Christian Romance? Please share your experiences with. We’d love to have you join in the conversation 🙂
Clara54 Writer's Blog 
Hi. I just read your post on Yvonne Randle with interest. I like the things you gave as requirements for Christian Romance stories. Then you asked if any of your readers have tried writing Christian Romance. Well, I have, and it has been extremely rewarding to me. My book, (italics) To Walk Alone (end italics), was self-published before self-publishing became as popular as it is today. To raise the money to get it done by a “vanity” publisher, where I had to order x number of books for a given price, I sold advance orders, where people paid me in advance for their copies. I was in need of a little over $3000 for 1000 copies, and I raised almost all of that in advance. I was really proud and thrilled.
The book was only marketed to a limited readership, but it was very enthusiastically received, and I’ve sold most of my first print run in spite of the limitations. I’ve been asked–even begged–to write a sequel, but haven’t felt inspired to do so. Instead, I’m working on a couple of stories about other heroines. But To Walk Alone was loved by both genders and all ages, from four or five years of age to senior citizens.
I’m going to try a reprint of TWA, I believe, and then market it more widely. Of course, today’s publishing world is much different, and a lot more “writer-friendly.” This encourages me to go forward with the reprint.
In addition, I’ve recently self-published a non-fiction title, “Is Your Jesus the Bible Jesus?” I believe this is a subject much needed in the midst of all the confusion among professed Christians today.
Finally, I wrote TWA with a real burden for the irreparable damage done by backsliding, as my heroine, Miriam, turned from the holy way and reaped tragically as a result. Although she regained her experience with God, her life and that of many others was forever altered. But her romance triumphed. The fiance’ she abandoned along with her Savior was still waiting when she made her broken and wasted return to the fold.
I found great satisfaction and fulfillment in writing the story of Miriam, although I call it more of a “prodigal daughter” story than a romance. But the romance is there, and the book has a lot of intrigue as well. Folks sure do praise it, and they keep buying it, as the years pass.
Thank you for the chance to share my experience with Christian Romance. May the Lord be near and dear to you!
Marie Fowler York
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Welcome Marie,
Sounds like you’ve been writing a while in this genre. I Congratulate you on your achievements.
Much continued success!
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What Men Want from Romance When it comes to romance, guys get a bad rap. The conventional wisdom is that they are an unromantic bunch, who’d rather chug a beer in front of the TV than sip champagne by candlelight. But men can be just as romantic as women, though they often express it in different ways. With the help of Matthew Milner, founder of GuyCritical.com, we’ve uncovered just what makes men swoon. Below, GuyCritical’s panelists, who answer women’s relationship questions on the site, bare their souls. Relationship experts Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D, author of What Should I Do? 4 Simple Steps to Making Better Decisions in Everyday Life (Perigee/Penguin Putnam), and Michael Webb, founder TheRomantic.com, offer additional insights.
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