Please bear with me for this entry. It is nothing deep, profound, or ground-breaking. It is simply my take on the inspirational romance genre of Christian fiction (that which in my mind classifies most fiction for women and breaks my heart somewhat when I read it... not because it is good, but because it gets published), and how I may be able to use it for my own gain.
I had a wonderful Friday afternoon. I came home from class, had a lovely lunch of leftovers, cleaned the house, and then sat down with an inspirational romance. You know the kind. They're the ones that are ever so prevalent in Christian bookstores. A friend had lent it to me for a fluff read, so I snuggled up on the couch and finished it in about two hours. It made me laugh, not because of wit but because it reminded me of some of the stories I tried to write in junior high.
My sister came home and I told her a bit about the book. I then began to describe to her the basic plot idea of Christian romances. It goes something like this:
So I told this to my sister and informed her that I used to write this kind of stuff in junior high and that it almost makes me sad how easily this stuff gets published.
*I would like to insert here that the book my friend lent me wasn't actually that bad. It was quite cute and made for an enjoyable Friday afternoon*
So my sister looked at me and asked, "This kind of stuff gets published?"
I nodded. She, being ever practical, responded with, "So why don't you just write one, get it published, and have a little income coming in while you're at school?"
I laughed at the time.
I have spent my entire weekend contemplating the idea. Not with writing your typical inspirational romance, but with doing somewhat of a spoof on one. And writing under a pen name so no one would ever know it was me.
It is an idea...
Such is the life of a Christian single.
I had a wonderful Friday afternoon. I came home from class, had a lovely lunch of leftovers, cleaned the house, and then sat down with an inspirational romance. You know the kind. They're the ones that are ever so prevalent in Christian bookstores. A friend had lent it to me for a fluff read, so I snuggled up on the couch and finished it in about two hours. It made me laugh, not because of wit but because it reminded me of some of the stories I tried to write in junior high.
My sister came home and I told her a bit about the book. I then began to describe to her the basic plot idea of Christian romances. It goes something like this:
- Guy and girl meet. There is some form of attraction, whether conscious or subconscious, that exists between the two. This is usually the cause for some tension and is often mistaken as at least one of them thinking they don't like the other.
- Bad things happen to the heroine. I don't mean one bad thing, but multiple. The heroine usually gets hit on by a creepy guy, is some how hurt by said creepy guy, gets sick or sufferes some sort of an injury, or is verbally abused by someone (just to name a few). The hero is always present for these and is there to rescue/save the heroine.
- The two finally admit their attraction but also admit they are better off not being together.
- The two are then driven apart until the hero comes to his senses, tracks the heroine down, admits he was a fool, apologizes, and they then become engaged. The dating process is obsolete. They admit attraction, agree to get married, and then suck face.
So I told this to my sister and informed her that I used to write this kind of stuff in junior high and that it almost makes me sad how easily this stuff gets published.
*I would like to insert here that the book my friend lent me wasn't actually that bad. It was quite cute and made for an enjoyable Friday afternoon*
So my sister looked at me and asked, "This kind of stuff gets published?"
I nodded. She, being ever practical, responded with, "So why don't you just write one, get it published, and have a little income coming in while you're at school?"
I laughed at the time.
I have spent my entire weekend contemplating the idea. Not with writing your typical inspirational romance, but with doing somewhat of a spoof on one. And writing under a pen name so no one would ever know it was me.
It is an idea...
Such is the life of a Christian single.
I spent years reading that junk. Your description is fairly accurate. You might add that, when the hero discovers he's a fool, he also realizes that he needs to say the "Sinner's prayer" and confess his sins (i.e., once admiring the "bad girl") before running to the heroine.
ReplyDeleteOH how I laugh!! I remember reading your stories back in Jr High.
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha Oh so true! And you should do it!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I can't believe I forgot to mention that part, Jenny! I will never forget reading (or rather starting to read) one series where that happened repeatedly. It was actually one of the reasons I stopped reading it!
ReplyDeleteOh, Ashley, I am glad you can remember the "brilliance" of my fiction writing back in school :P
And Erica, I just may do it!