Can You Write for God and Still Write for the Market?

I don't know about you, but I've pondered this question before. I've wondered if my novel, a story and characters close to my heart is suitable for what's selling now. Or if choosing to write a story based solely on whether or not it's sellable is still glorifying God.

In my over 15 years of writing experience, I've learned a lot. (By the way, feel free to leave a comment on how YOUNG I look for having written this many years :D) Every story I've written has helped to find an answer to this question.

Can you write for God and still write for the market? Here are some angles I've had to consider along the way:

Not All Stories are Meant to Sell

I wrote a story several years back that was...special. It was close to my heart because of trials I was going through in my personal life. It was therapeutic for me to write it. Anyway, I took the next steps of going about getting it published. Queries and all. I also pitched it at conference. To an editor. Eek! She paged through the first scene, said it was off to a great start, gave me some pointers, and chatted with me. Then she said something like, "This story is really close to your heart, isn't it?" She could see it on my face, hear it in the way I spoke about this project. It was a passion.

But you know what? She didn't request the story. And I pitched it to other agents. They didn't request the story. And I queried it with no bites. NO ONE wanted this story. Maybe because it wasn't ready, maybe because of the content, I don't know. And that's okay. I don't really believe this story, as it was, was meant to sell. It was a story God used to help me get through a tough time and because of that, it was completely worth writing.

Sometimes You Have to Go With Your Heart (no matter WHAT happens)

Ready for another story? Okay, so when I FIRST started writing Christian fiction (super quick after I became a Christian), I got a story idea. It was a God thing for sure. He gave me this idea and it made me completely uncomfortable. I can't write a story like this! It was about a woman coming back to Christ after several terrible tragedies in her life. How in the world would I even know about that when I'd just become a Christian myself and had no experience? Besides, no one would want to read a story like this anyway.

So I decided not to write the story.

I went along, wrote another story I wanted to write. And another story. Something that made me comfortable. But God wouldn't leave me alone. I gave in and finally wrote the story He'd given me. It made me cry, and moved me. I had great feedback on it.

Sure, it wasn't my niche, but I HAD to write it. I believe it could make a great impact in others lives it ever sells. And I'm fine leaving that up to God, because I (finally) wrote the story I was meant to.

Don't Forget to Consider the Market

You want another story? Okay, twist my arm. After all these other stories I'd written, I wanted to write something fun. Something fresh. Something that current readers would love! Which meant trying to write for the market. That was my main goal with the last story I wrote.

I did get a spiritual thread in there, though that wasn't my first focus. The cool thing is that the story ended up ministering to me. And if it ministered to me, it might minister to others. I wrote it specifically for the market and I must have done something right because it finaled in the Genesis. However, I really feel like God was in it as well, and that a message came through.

What have I learned from all this? God is in everything. He may give you stories just for yourself, a kind of therapy. He may give you stories you never thought you'd want to write. But His hand is in it all.

I believe in writing stories that are on your heart. They're important for a reason, even if we may not know that reason right away.

I believe in following market trends. These are the people you're trying to reach.

Can the two go hand-in-hand? In my opinion yes. Not ALL stories are meant to be published. But the rest? When feeling led to write, you can still follow genre guidelines and tweak the plot to fit with the current market. You can still deliver a message and you can, through your voice, still show your passion and heart for the story while appealing to current readers.

How do you feel? Have you ever written a God-inspired story you weren't sure would fit into the current market? Do you believe you can write what's on you heart and write for the market at the same time?

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Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.com

A Fine Balance For A WIP

I can't help it. I just love to research different cultures and pour their treasures into my manuscripts. It's the world traveler in me, and also, I have some amazing family members who have inspired me to delve into their history.

Regardless, I like to write fiction with a flare for cultural collision, whether it be an Amazonian native and a Spanish explorer, or a girl victimized by legalism and a boy impassioned by grace. 

I love it when opposites attract.

During the beginning stages of my current wip, I asked Alley Cat, Pepper, to take a peek and let me know if the culture thing was going to work in this market. Because my story starts out with the heroine and her first husband (she is widowed at the beginning of the story) Pepper asked if he was going to be the hero. I hadn't even thought of that. I was planning on killing him off *snicker* because I wanted my heroine to fall in love with an immigrant (and work out a bunch of her issues)...but then I thought,

“Hey, it might be more sellable to nix the immigrant, and have the story develop around the couple struggling in a coal town.”

I thought about it, and weighed my two ideas on the mighty scales of Market and Heart. I was impassioned by the immigrant story because my grandparents were immigrants and the story is set in my grandfather's hometown. But...I have gone down the road of an unusual story, and it ended in heartache.

Hmmm.....so what did the scales say? They tipped toward my heart and the story already forming in my mind. But I kept market in mind as my setting is America, and I have a handful of comparables already lined up. I am going ahead and writing with attention to the market without compromising my heart.

When deciding what story you should choose, it really is a matter of Market and Heart, and deciding how to find that balance that gives you a unique but sellable story.

How to consider each:

The Mighty Market:

Keep the market in mind if you want this WIP to be the one that hooks an agent or publishing contract. I semi-finaled in Genesis and placed third in a RWA contest, with a novel that bombed with agents and publishers at conference.

The unanimous answer: “It's not going to sell.”

Do I regret writing it? No way, I love the story. Do I feel like I wasted my time pitching it at conference? Eh, a little. If I had known what the market expected, I wouldn't have had a complete meltdown on the phone with my husband after my first conference appointment! ;)

So, if you have a story that you are pretty sure is way unique, and you don't have an agent or a publisher steering you in the right direction, then consider setting a goal...such as:

To develop craft...to enjoy the story...to thrive on inspiration. 

But, if you are hoping to break into the market with this WIP, then be sure to consider the market, without compromising your creative juices.

(Ok, for those of you who choose to take the challenge of writing a break-out novel, then let me tell you I am cheering you on with all my heart! :) )

Your Unique Heart:

image by qthomasbower at Flickr

After considering market, my heart begins to put its fists up. Stories that inspire me, elements that keep me up writing into the wee hours, are just not always a “typical” match in the market. So while you need to consider the market, you also need to choose a story that makes your heart speed up as you think about it, that taps into your talent and breaks the writer's block dam. If you have to tweak the story to be a better fit for the market, then so be it, but make sure you don't kill the passion, don't fall away from what makes YOU write.

It's a fine balance, isn't it?

Don't forget, you can always tuck away story ideas until you hit it big and everyone's waiting for your next novel, even if it's about a martian landing in the middle of the Sahara Desert!

So, do you have concrete examples of how you weighed the market and your inspiration to come up with your wip?
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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and CEO of a family of six.