Cover scan of Planet Comics, No. 53, Fiction House, March 1948. Cover art by Joe Doolin. Doolin, Matt Baker, George Evans, and Maurice Whitman art. Cited in Seduction of the Innocent. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve read several Christian fantasies lately, especially those supposedly for children, which have been written in a style which severely hurts the quality of the books. Now, I’m not advocating the type of story seen in the comic cover to the left. But it is certainly better than some of the dry Christian speculative fiction books with impeccable writing and editing I’ve read recently. No, I’m not going to point fingers or mention names. If the Holy Spirit convicts you, fix the problem!
If you eliminate all adverbs and descriptions,
you’re normally left with nothing worth reading
I see all the writing advice: no passive verbs, minimal adverbs, no unnecessary descriptions, tight, concise, and boring. Someone needs to tell the current crop of Christian self-published authors that until they gain a lot of writing experience, all of these things are probably necessary for their story. People who have been sold this bill of goods probably look down their noses at Lord of the Rings, Narnia, The Warrior Kind, and most of the rest of the really good speculative fiction.
Speculative fiction requires immersion into a world
As a reader I need to experience and understand the smells, sounds, sights, culture, landscape, and weather of your world. Is it good to have tight, concise writing? Yes. But it is not nearly as important as telling the tale in enough depth to develop true reader immersion into that world you so painstakingly created. Guy Stanton’s books will drive editing snobs crazy—but the worlds created and the stories told are the best I’ve ever read. If you haven’t read his books yet, shame on you! How many times do I have to tell you, these are wonderful stories.
Yes, you should write as well as you know how. If you can afford a good editor, by all means hire one.
But don’t let these concerns ruin your story!
Tell your tale well, read a lot, and your books will become better written as you develop as a writer. But, it takes practice—and several books, in most cases.
