Jan here, pleased to host Jodie Wolfe as our guest today! Jodie and I met here on Seekerville where we quickly learned we have at least one thing in common: our love of SNOW! (Even in February!)
When I heard Jodie has a new book coming out, I thought you would all like to hear from her! So take it away, Jodie!
* * * * * * *
I write Christian historical romance. Some would call it historical romance with a spiritual thread. You may ask, "What exactly is that?"
1. Weaving a Tapestry
Writing fiction with a spiritual thread is like weaving a beautiful tapestry. Each thread of color is needed to make an elaborate picture or story. The spiritual aspect of the novel is interwoven seamlessly like many other elements such as setting and plot. It's a necessary part that works in conjunction with others to create a fully functioning story.
Have you ever looked at the back of a tapestry, cross stitch, or embroidery project? It looks like a snarl of thread. Most times you can't tell from the back what is depicted on the front.
I set the spiritual tone of my new release, Taming Julia with this line:
"Dear Lord, please don't let that creature be my new wife."
My hero, Drew Montgomery, is a pastor who sent for a mail-order bride he had married by proxy. Let's just say he wasn't too impressed when he first met his new wife.
2. A Thread That Can't Be Removed
When writing an inspirational novel, the spiritual element has to be woven into the story line, making it impossible to remove and still have a working novel. It shouldn't be like a 25 pound bag of bird seed. Let me explain. Most times when we purchase a big bag of food for the birds, the bag is sewn shut. It appears to be a snarl of threads. But if you pull on the right string, the whole mess will completely unravel. All it takes is pulling on the correct thread. So too, if you removed your spiritual element, the whole novel would unravel because it's such an integral part of your story. That's how you want to write inspirational books.
Now it's your turn: What tips do you have to weave in your spiritual thread throughout your novel? Tell me in the comments below, and you'll be entered to win an ecopy of Taming Julia (US).
About the Book and Author:
Taming Julia by Jodie Wolfe In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery's sole desire is to serve God, but his congregation's ultimatum that he marry or leave, forces him to advertise for a wife by proxy.
Jules Walker strides into Drew's life wearing breeches and toting a gun and saddle--more cowboy than bride. After years on the trail, she's not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family, and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.
Buy Taming Julia here!
Jodie
Wolfe
creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She is a member of American
Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Romance Writers of America (RWA), and COMPEL
Training. She's a contributor and co-founder of Stitches Thru Time blog. When not
writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading,
walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.
Find Jodie on the Web!
Facebook: Facebook: Jodie Wolfe author page
Amazon
Author Page: www.amazon.com/Jodie-Wolfe
Well, I just love that line about the new wife, LOL! Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteJodie, welcome to this side of the page!
I brought coffee, tea and fixin's...
And cannoli doughnuts, an amazingly delicious confection of a doughnut stuffed with cannoli cheese filling, then chocolate frosted. Only one reason why I will never be a skinny woman. One of many!
Enjoy one while you chat with Jodie!
Thank you for the doughnuts, Ruthy! And tea... I haven't had my first cup yet this morning!
DeleteI'm finally getting around to my first one. :)
DeleteGosh, Ruthy, you're making me wonder why I didn't stop by for a donut first thing this morning.
DeleteOh yeah, I was packing up the 33 boxes of books we donated to a local church book sale!!!!!
Thank you for the warm welcome, Ruth. :) On this cold morning, hot tea and a doughnut sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Jodie! We woke up to snow this morning - just a dusting, but enough to put a smile on my face!
DeleteAhh! I wish I was there. It's been such a disappointing winter in PA so far. Warm temps and rain which is unusual for us. I keep praying for a big snow storm.
DeleteHI Jodie! Congratulations on your new release. I loved Drew and Jules' story.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Barbara!
DeleteI hope to read Taming Julia soon.
Aww, thank you, Barbara. :)
DeleteI hope you like it, Jan. :)
DeleteJodie, what a way to open a book.
ReplyDeleteYou like tough heroines, don't you? I remember "Elsie/Elmer."
Weaving in spiritual themes for me goes back to the old GMC formula and also getting to know my characters. IF I KNOW THEM, I can figure out their spiritual need, and it's part of their overall growth pattern. But it has to be part of who they are. In my debut, "Westward Hope," Caroline was already a Christian and her big spiritual arc was learning to forgive Michael. Michael's big spiritual arc was accepting God's forgiveness and forgiving himself for what happened in Ireland. And I wove those together by having Caroline unwilling to be yoked to an unbeliever.
As Christian writers, we are on the front lines more than we realize. I've had people in my library talks ask me, "Well, just how much religion is in the story?" I don't know how to answer that. it's not like something you can measure with a measuring cup. I usually just smile and say, "Well, it's the Oregon Trail and I wouldn't want to go through that without God."
I've also had at least two FIERCELY secular readers who congratulated me because they thought I was going to bash them over the head with religion and apparently I didn't.
If you know your characters well enough, it's organic. But it's still work. I struggle with the actual moment of "coming to Jesus" and those are some of my most rewritten scenes.
Off for a while, Ruth I will be back for a doughnut.
Kathy Bailey
Hi, Kathy!
DeleteIt sounds like you handled your spiritual thread perfectly if your secular readers didn't feel like they were bashed.
And I love the way you handled your library talks, too. :-)
I agree with Jan, Kathy. It sounds like you do a great job weaving in your spiritual thread throughout your books.
DeleteI also love the way you handled the library talks. :)
I agree with your choice of organic, Kathy. I think that if spirituality is organic to our own lives, it should come through in the same way in our stories.
DeleteWelcome to Seekerville, Jodie!
ReplyDeleteI'm setting out cups of homemade yogurt and granola to go with Ruthy's cannoli doughnuts - they sound so delicious, rich and decadent! I'm refilling the tea caddy, too, and hired a barista to handle the coffee orders. I think he said his name was Captain Jack Sparrow...he said he had worked this venue before!
I'm looking forward to reading your new book! It sounds like both of your characters have unmet expectations (big time!) and it will be fun to see how they work all of that out. :-)
Chuckle, I love your description of the barista, Jan. :) Thanks again for inviting me here today.
DeleteMy characters have a lot of unmet expectations. That's kind of like life, isn't it? We have to learn how to deal with those unmet expectations. The challenge is to do so and still allow our faith to shine through.
You're exactly right about unmet expectations - how our characters face those challenges reveal their faith (or lack of it.) Again, just like real life!
DeleteWelcome. Congratulations. This book is on my list. I love your idea of the tapestry with writing. I like to use the analogy of how God sees us. We look at our lives and we see what would be the back of the tapestry in progress, all messy. God looks at our lives and sees the front of the tapestry, making a masterpiece. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteThank you for the warm welcome, Lori. I'm so thankful that God sees us in progress as the messy back part of the tapestry as well as the beautiful picture in process on the front of the canvas.
DeleteHi Lori! I love this line: "God looks at our lives and sees the front of the tapestry, making a masterpiece." And I'm so thankful He does!
DeleteAmen!
DeleteOh, my word, what a great opening line, Jodie. That right there makes me want to read the book. I'm headed over to Amazon right now.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm back. Now about weaving that spiritual thread. It has to be organic and true to each character. An eighty-year-old widowed pastor's wife is going to think about/approach life much differently than a young man who views the church as condemning and authoritarian. So weaving in the spiritual thread is different book to book, character to character. I love how you equated it to a beautiful tapestry, because it does have to be woven in, not simply a stitched in afterthought. Then it merely sticks out like a sore thumb. ;)
Aww, thank you, Mindy. :)
DeleteThose novels that have the spiritual element thrown in at the last moment definitely do stick out like a sore thumb! Great analogy.
I love that opening line, too, Mindy! It's one of those I-wish-I-had-thought-of-it-first lines!
DeleteChuckle. Thanks, Jan. :)
DeleteJodie, great to see you in Seekerville. I know your topic talks about the spiritual thread, but wow, you hooked me with that first line! Weaving that spiritual thread through our stories is necessary and learning to do it skillfully isn't always easy. I loved your analogy of opening the bag of birdseed...I just conquered that "thread" problem with a bag of rice, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI hope you join us again and share how to build your opening hook!
Hi Audra! Thank you for the warm welcome.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, there's been times when I can't find that one thread to pull that will make the bag of seed completely unravel and I use the scissors instead. That's also something you'd want to avoid when developing that spiritual thread. :)
Jodie, your book sounds delightful! Love the title and the blurb! Sounds like a fun read, for sure.
ReplyDeleteI also loved your mention of the back of a beautiful tapestry with all the knots and snagged thread, etc. That backside reminds me of the work authors go through to create a story. The pretty side is what the reader sees, probably never suspecting how difficult some of the scenes were to write...and get right. An entire blog could be written about the two sides of a tapestry. Something I'm meditating on today.
Congrats on your success!!! Always love seeing your comments in Seekerville.
Thank you, Debby. :)
DeleteYou're so right about the two sides of a tapestry when it comes to creating a story. Sometimes we go through a lot of agony and grief in the writing process so that the reader sees the 'beautiful' side of the story.
Jodie, what a great blog. It really got me thinking about how I weave a book together.
ReplyDeleteI know one of the things I sometimes marvel at is, I'll create a character with some little backstory tidbit or quirk that is almost a throw-away, fun thing then later, when I'm digging around, advancing the story, I'll remember that tidbit and suddenly it makes perfect sense and expanding it is so natural.
I can never figure out if I had an inkling from the moment of my creation, or if my head has just latched onto it in desperation.
:)
Welcome to Seekerville and CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL, perhaps it's genius on your part, Mary. :)
DeleteThank you so much for the warm welcome and congratulations. That means a lot to me since I've been a fan of your books for quite a while. It's such a joy to be here today.
Jodie, yeah, let's go with genius. I dont' get that all that much!!!! Thanks for reading my books. And now I've bought a copy of yours. I can't wait!
Delete:) You're welcome, Mary.
DeleteI'm honored you bought a copy. Hope you like it.
Welcome to Seekerville as a guest blogger, Jodie! I will admit, weaving in the spiritual thread is one of my biggest challenges, making it natural and balanced and not preachy. I love your illustration of the bag of bird seed!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Erica!
DeleteSometimes it can be hard to make the spiritual thread seamless throughout the novel, where it's organic to the novel itself without being preachy but also a vital part. That's the challenge we have as writers. :)
Jodie, welcome! Thanks for this great post! My spiritual thread varies from book to book, dictated by my character's journey. And that's often dictated by what God is teaching me at that time. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the premise of your new book! Sounds so fun. :)
Hello, Missy! I appreciate the welcome. :)
DeleteI know what you mean in regard to God teaching the author as they go through the writing process. Sometimes I think the theme is a lesson I already know, but God always finds a way for me to dig deeper in the spiritual truth I'm trying to convey.
This book has been the most fun to write.
The thread analogy is a great one. Sort of like pulling a loose piece from a crocheted afghan. It all comes apart.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new book. Sounds like one of my favorite premises.
Chuckle. Or a dropped stitch in knitting. :) It's been a long time since I crocheted, Amy. I find I do better at knitting.
DeleteThank you for the congrats on my new book. It was such a fun premise to explore.
The thread analogy is a great one. Sort of like pulling a loose piece from a crocheted afghan. It all comes apart.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new book. Sounds like one of my favorite premises.
Congrats on the new book! Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteAww. Thanks, Dorothy. I hope you enjoy it. I loved writing it.
DeleteJodie, I love the word picture of the spiritual thread being so interwoven that if you try to tug it out, the story kind of unravels. Susan May Warren encourages writers to figure out the lie their characters believe and the truth they learn by the end of the story. I. have found this so helpful to guiding my spiritual thread through the story.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that being said before too concerning exploring the lie. Thanks for bringing it up here today, Jeanne.
DeleteI so appreciate you stopping by today and leaving a comment.
Hi Jodie,
ReplyDeleteI'm smiling at your reference to the back of a tapestry. What a snarl. And how often do we snarl our own lives when we don't remember to focus on God.
Okay, your pastor has me curious. I have to find out how he changes his mind (which presumably he does.)
Thanks so much for being with us at Seekerville today.
What a great reminder, Cate of the importance of keeping our focus on God. Thank you for sharing that!
DeleteI was hoping that my opening line, coming from a pastor, would make readers curious. :)
Thank you for taking time to make me feel welcome today!
Hi Jodie:
ReplyDeleteI just loved your opening line,
"Dear Lord, please don't let that creature be my new wife."
For a brief moment I thought it was a Henny Youngman one-liner. Then I thought, "What should the next line be?"
"No, my son, that's her daughter."
About Metaphors
I must say that I've never been a big fan of the thread and tapestry metaphor for writing. Usually there is more than one thread as in a Love Inspired Inspirational Suspense/Mystery. Also your comments about the underside of a beautiful tapestry makes me think that its beauty may only be skin deep. {Just a mental image.}
I perfer the metaphor of a stain glass window as seen in a majestic cathedral. Each of the many colors is a theme of its own while together they blend into a sublime visual experience viewable from both sides. Wow!
I can't wait to read your new book with this metaphor in mind. You might like to think of it that way too.
Please place me in the drawing.
Vince
Vince, I can always count on you to help me see something in a new light. What an absolutely lovely metaphor you make of stained glass.
DeleteOh, and your second line made me laugh out loud.
DeleteI love your description of the stained glass window, Vince. :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by today and sharing your thoughts.
Thanks for sharing such a nice blog. Read Water on the fire by Andrew Therriault Maine. Surely You gonna love this book.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate you stopping by, Andrew. :)
DeleteCongratulations on the book--it sounds great! I agree that it's a wonderful opening line. I'm just learning how to weave all the threads of a story together so I have no advice, but I love to read books where it is natural and beautiful and inspiring. So many of these Seeker authors do it so well, that hopefully I've learned enough by osmosis to make it natural in my stories, too!
ReplyDeleteI'm a firm believer that the more you read, it helps you to become a better writer. :)
DeleteSo glad you took time to comment, Glynis.
I've so enjoyed my time here! Thank you for making me feel welcome.
ReplyDeleteGreat writing advice, Jodie. I loved everything about Taming Julia.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gail. That means a lot to me.
DeleteGreat post, Jodie. I'm sorry I am so late getting to this, but I'm glad I did. I try to work the spiritual element naturally into anything I write. It really needs to be a natural sounding element, otherwise it just sounds preachy. Your book looks good. The first line is great! Please put me in the drawing.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you stopped by, Sandy. You're so right that the spiritual element needs to be naturally worked in as part of the story. If it isn't, it definitely sticks out as preachy.
Delete