Hello and welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! I’m sorta nervous about today’s post, not gonna lie. I want to make clear from the beginning that this post is not aimed at anyone. I just noticed some things in Christian fiction in general that bothered me and I decided to write a post about it. This has been weighing on my mind for quite some time and I felt it needed to be shared.

Please don’t take offense if you happen to disagree. That’s totally fine! I just couldn’t get away from this post and felt God wanted me to share it with y’all. Think of this as one of Ryana Lynn’s Ramblings *halo* So! Without further ado, let’s begin, shall we?

*Ducks as a million books are thrown at me*

*Drags myself out from under the mountain and dusts myself off as I sit on top*

*Smiles nervously*

 
Please keep an open mind here. I don’t mind a story that includes a couple falling in love and getting married, though I tend to get bored if that is the main plot of the story. I’m just not a huge romance fan. But every once in a while, one stands out to me as amazingly good and I so enjoy it.

But.

I’m tired of recommending the book and having to say, “This book is so good, but there’s a lot of kissing in it,” or “I marked out the bad parts, but the message is so good!”

People. I know everyone has their own beliefs about touching and kissing before marriage, biblical or not. And I’m not here to fight that battle with you right now. I have a Bible reason that I didn’t hold hands, hug, or kiss my husband until my wedding day, but that’s for another time.

As a married woman, I look back over books that I adore and cringe. Couples are hugging, patting a shoulder, touching their hair, kissing (though not necessarily detailed), and getting electrocuted…

Okay, so that last one is me making fun of a cliché romance writing technique. *halo* if you know, you know 😊

I’m gonna keep this as G-rated as possible, but writers, words are powerful. Words paint pictures and evoke emotions. That’s not a bad thing! But when used wrongly, they can lead minds astray. Talking with my husband about things I never even thought were issues in writing has opened my eyes to just how bad a seemingly innocent touch can be.

Can we control our readers’ minds? No. Can we be sure that even something written innocently won’t lead someone down the wrong path? Absolutely not. We have no control over that. But we do have control over what we write. My rule of thumb is as follows when having couples (even married ones!) interact. I ask myself, would I behave this way in front of someone? Would I be embarrassed if my internal thoughts about this moment were played over a loudspeaker? Is this something lovely, holy, honest, pure (Philippians 4:8)? If the answer is no…

I won’t write it.

Keep things pure and holy in your writing; you represent the King.

This is not to say I’m perfect. I may have written something in innocence that in hindsight, I would like to change. And I’m not judging you if this is you. We all make mistakes! We need to show grace to each other and be understanding. Give each other the benefit of the doubt! But ultimately, remember Who you are writing for. God is our ultimate audience.

*takes a deep breath and screams as another hailstorm of books come reigning from the sky*

*Climbs back out of the pile and pants for air*

Seriously, where are y’all finding all these books?

 
This some is more of a matter of opinion. I get SUPER annoyed when reading a Christian non-magical fantasy and God doesn’t have His rightful Name. *suppresses a scream*

Okay, I get it, it sounds neat, especially if you are writing a world with less than common names. And I have read and LOVED some books where God was given a different name.

You are probably thinking of some right now.

I am NOT shaming any of the books you might have thought of. NOT IN THE LEAST.

THIS IS MY OWN OPINION *halo*

But here is what comes to my mind when this happens. I’m afraid we are trying to trick people into reading our books.

Again, hear me out.

I’m not saying that is the intent. And again, I’m not judging anyone because I honestly don’t think this is the goal of most. But by not calling God by His Name, I almost feel like it’s a way to trick non-believers into reading a Christian book. Are we ashamed of Who our God is? Are we afraid of offending someone? Are we more worried about getting the lost world to read our books that we will hide our intentions under a pseudo-diety?

There are so many Names for God, there’s no need to invent new ones! Pilgrim’s Progress refers to Him as God and the Lord of That Place and the King of the Celestial City (another name for Heaven, which was common in its time). The Holy War refers to God as King Shaddai (El-Shaddai, a well-known Name for God), and Jesus as Prince Emmanuel. I would love to read a book that used more names of God! There’s El-Roi (the God Who Hears) for example! Or Elohim (Creator), Jehovah-Jireh (God Provides), or I AM??? There are so many others and I’m just scratching the surface with some basic ones!

I’m not against fantasy (as long as it’s a non-magical, totally different subject, please don’t hurt me 😉), and I will still read books that include different names for God as long as the book is Biblically sound. But if I ever write a fantasy, well, let’s just say that I am gonna have fun picking just the right name from God’s long list of Majestic and Awesome Names!

*Ducks*

*Lowers my hands when nothing happens*

*Gets hit in the head by a few books*

Well, at least it wasn’t a mountain this time!

 
I love clean books. Don’t get me wrong. I love my middle-grade Scholastic books about soldiers and marines or animals or whatever the topic was. I love them!

But I just want to give a friendly little warning.

We are Christian writers, right? We don’t just write for pleasure or profit, though those tend to come with the territory. We write with a higher purpose. We write for Someone.

And that Someone is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Master Author.

The Creator of the Universe.

The God Who literally is giving you the ability to breathe, read this post, or have it read to you.

*Clears throat*

Um, the One Who blessed you with the ability and desire to write.

The One Who gave you readers in the first place.

Need I continue?

We don’t write for ourselves. We write for Him. And as such, it’s a shame when we waste our talents writing “good books.” There’s so much more to writing than that! Yes, we need clean, but we need Light! A lantern is useless without the flame! Salt is no good left in the shaker! The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12)! And He said to us in Matthew 5:14 &16, “Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Wow.

There is so much to unpack here.

Notice first that word light. It’s not saying that we are Jesus or a god. It is referring to us being a reflection of Christ, like the moon is to the sun. He is the Son, we are the moon (yes, that spelling is intentional 😉). We are to reflect Christ so they can see our…

It says it right there.

What do we call our books?

Our WORKS in progress.

Our good works. God didn’t give you the ability to write so people could read it and pat us on the back. He gave us the ability so we can show people our talent and GIVE. GOD. GLORY! That is the whole point of writing! That is why we suffer through the agony of writing, revising, beta reader comments, and editor feedback. And we can’t forget those reviewers either.

It's all for God’s Glory! Not our own! What a high calling and privilege! What an honor and responsibility!

See why writing clean fiction just doesn’t cut it?

Write with purpose. Write the Light into your story and don’t disguise it with a bushel basket! LET IT SHINE AND BURN THAT BASKET OF SATAN!

*0.0 clears throat again as I step off my soapbox*

That’s all I have for you today. I sincerely hope this has been a blessing or an encouragement to someone. I don’t know why God wanted me to write this. I honestly don’t. But please think over what has been said and see how God can use it in your life!

Did I miss anything? What are your thoughts on the matter? What are some things you think Christian Authors need to improve in? Comment below (keep it Christ-honoring please and no calling anyone out by book or name)!
 
Have a Blessed Day and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

One of my subscribers asked me about writing romance into one’s story. More specifically, what was acceptable in Christian fiction. I originally wrote this post back in February 2020, lol! I’m gonna go ahead and post it as is since I just really liked the opening! Enjoy!

It’s February (😉), and for a lot of people, the one thing at the forefront of their minds, as far as holidays go, is Valentine’s Day. It’s cute and fun, but I have to admit, it’s pretty low on my list of favorites. But today, I want to talk about something associated with the holiday: Romance. Specifically, is it okay to include Romance in your Christian novel? Now, these are my personal preferences, so please don’t get angry with me if you disagree. These are my observations, and I hope these are helpful to you. Let’s dive in.

Full disclosure: I’m not a huge fan of romance in books. Let me clarify exactly what I mean. I don’t mind a couple getting married in a story. I don’t mind a brief kiss between a married couple, as long as it’s not detailed. I don’t mean people saying I love you (if they are engaged or married). I don’t mind seeing a relationship develop through the story. But most “romance” books don’t line up with that. I can’t stand characters holding hands/kissing before marriage, a story solely focused on the relationship (unless it’s a courtship story), you get the idea.

The Bible says, “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Corinthians 7:1, King James Bible) unless they are married. Because of this, I don’t have my characters holding hands, etc. if they are not married. (I mean, sure siblings might but you know what I mean 😉)Most romance books draw attention to physical attributes and set young people to thinking and desiring things that God doesn’t have for them at this time in their life. It’s wrong to let your heart wander into areas that, for the time being, God has put a keep-out sign on.

But is there a way to depict a relationship in a way that is good, proper, and Christ-honoring? After all, Marriage is a part of life. I’m happy to tell you that there is!
 
Surprise! It’s a Wedding!

I love when I find a book that does this. Isabella Alden often informed her readers that Characters had feelings for each other by merely throwing the wedding right into the middle of things! No hints, or minimal at best.

Subplot

This is a side storyline. A passing mention that Joe and Missy are courting, but not making it the focus of the story. It’s just a side detail. Not a lot of page time. Just a fact of life, these two are in a relationship. Or mention they are praying about it. The best way is to always draw the focus back to God, seeking His will and the sacred responsibility of marriage. It’s not something flippant and shouldn’t be treated as such.

So How is a Godly Relationship Conducted?

This is referring to a specific series of books that every young person should read. Called The Courtship Series, there are 4 books written by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Castleberry, and they are soooooo good! It’s not lovey-dovey but God-centered and family-oriented. I highly recommend them. They compass many different situations that may come in the life of a Christian life person. Three are about young ladies, and the second book is from the young man’s perspective. All 4 are five-star reads.

First and foremost, pray about your story and what God wants you to do. Read over your scene. Imagine Jesus reading your book. Are you blushing at the thought? Better do some editing! Secondly, remember who your readers are. I have a lot of young ladies and young gentlemen who read my books. I am not about to be responsible for leading them to think things they shouldn’t be, such as someone else’s appearance. In the confines of marriage, some of these things are acceptable, but if it’s not your spouse, why do you care? I personally don’t want to know everything the couple in the story thinks of each other. It’s none of my business!
 
So, in short, I don’t have a problem with wholesome relationships being included in a story, but romance…not a fan.

Hope this was helpful to you!

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

It has happened.

2020 is over.

A new year is here! I just love new years…

Okay, so hello, hey, howdy! It’s been a good while since I’ve been around here consistently and I’m so glad  to be back! To anyone who is new here, welcome to Life of Heritage Corner! We are so glad to have you here with us!
You heard me right. I said we!

If you saw my Merry Christmas post, you are aware that I got married last December! You have no idea how hard it was to keep that a secret! I wanted so badly to share, but I had to wait for the right time. But as of December 19th, 2020, I am now Ryana Lynn Miller Peterson!

Now I know you probably want details, and I am more than eager to share a few, but I am working on a special post to share with you in February! But for now I can tell you this. His name is Jacob and he’s a preacher and Bible teacher!

That’s not the only thing that has changed for me. This Tarheel Gal is now in living in Maryland! Don’t worry, I’m still the same southern girl I’ve always been 😉 I’m just living in boarder territory now! So, with that in mind, I suppose I should be updating everyone on just what to expect here on the blog!

As of right now, I am resuming my posting schedule of Mondays and Fridays (Psst! Subscribers get bonus content and bonus posts on Wednesdays!), but there is gonna be a slight change. Book reviews will be extra posts as a rule, with more writing/history type posts coming your way. But don’t worry, my book list posts and spotlights are still going to be making their way onto the blog, as are my devotions and missions spotlights! Devotions will be as close to the 1st as possible and Missions spotlights on the first Monday of the Month. The following Mondays will be writing/bookish posts with history coming up on Fridays!

I don’t know about y’all, but 2020 was an amazing, busy and crazy year for my family! I have to shake my head as I see all the negative remarks about 2020 and laugh at silly remarks I made to my family, mostly in jest. Aside from the political unrest, fearmongering, and losing two special people to cancer (nope, they didn’t catch the-virus-that-shall-not-be-named), 2020 was one of the best years of my life! Here’s just a sample of the reasons why!

Three nieces got saved this year!

My cousin got married!

We were able to help my grandpa organize several aspects of his house and clear out a building for out of town company!

I published a book and made good headway on 3 more!

My sister had a baby!

I got to work at the polls! Yep, it was in person and I enjoyed every minute of it!

We were able to take my grandpa and my uncle (who is down syndrome) with us on a trip to Tennessee to see the Christmas Dixie Stampede!

I married the man of my dreams and moved to a new state! And just saying, I love our apartment 😉

On a bittersweet note, my grandma (Dad’s mom) and grandpa (Mom’s dad) are no longer suffering with cancer and are safe in the arms of Jesus, at rest at last. I miss them terribly and while I am so happy for them, I am very sad for me… I miss them more than I can express. As a result of these funerals, my dad’s cousin got saved and we were able to witness to nearly a dozen lost family members! God is so good even in our hardest trials!

I have been doing word of the year segments for going on three years now and I have enjoyed it so much! In 2019, I chose the word Stand (Click here for that post) and in 2020, I chose the word Vision (Click here for that post). And no, I didn’t pick it because of 20-20 Vision. I hadn’t even thought of that until two months after I chose it! So, without further ado, let’s unveil the Word of the Year 2021!

REJOICE

But let those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee.
Psalm 5:11
King James Bible

As Christians, we have so much to rejoice in! And as a personal goal, I am trying to find something to rejoice about everyday, small things, big things, things that don’t make sense and things that do. Will I succeed? That is yet to be seen, lol, but it’s the goal!

Well, I do believe that is all for now! Thank you so much for joining me for yet another year here at Life of Heritage Corner!
 
Writing Prompts: Do you do a Word of the Year? If so, what is it? What was your 2020 highlight? What is something you can rejoice about today?
 
Writing for Him,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

I mentioned this book to my subscribers a few weeks ago, and I promised a full review, so today, that’s exactly what I plan to do!

Euphonics for Writers by Rayne Hall
(2015)
3.5 Stars

Learn how to touch your readers' subconscious with subtle tricks.

Certain sounds have certain effects on the mind. By using words which include those sounds, you influence how the reader feels

Rayne Hall is the author of the bestselling Writer's Craft series. Her short stories have been published in many anthologies, and some of her books have been translated into several languages.

 *I cannot recommend anything else she writes as I have either not read or would never read them*

I found out about this book through this article, and I was truly intrigued. I had a free Kindle Unlimited Subscription, so I decided to check it out. The concept of using specific sounds to evoke a setting for a scene was fascinating to me and something I certainly plan to play around with. Like the author said, too much can ruin the story, but a light sprinkling can make your story shine!

I didn’t appreciate some inappropriate adult-rated content that was in the book (she was using this for all genres, and some aren’t fit for anyone’s eyes and got skipped!), so I wouldn’t just hand this to a young reader without editing it first. There were also two short stories at the end that are inappropriate (horror and ghost stories) that I skipped. Other than that, I think it was a useful manual and one that I would like to have a print copy of so I can censor it and put it to use!

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello all! Today I have a lovely writing book to share with you that I greatly enjoyed! I’ve wanted to read it for months now and finally got around to it! Before I get started, I should let you know the author generously gifted me a copy, requesting I review it, but there was no stipulation on it being a positive or negative review. All thoughts are my own and I am excited to share them with you!

Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland
(2011)
5 Stars

Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?

Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:

•Help you choose the right type of outline for you
•Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
•Aid you in discovering your characters
•Show you how to structure your scenes
•Explain how to format your finished outline
•Instruct you in how to use your outline
•Reveal the benefits
•Dispel the misconceptions

Includes exclusive interviews with ten respected authors, answering important questions about outlining.

Outlining can organize your writing and help you take your stories to the next level. Find out how!

This was an incredibly helpful writer’s guide. As a self-proclaimed “Plotser” (someone who plots and writes without one, half and half) this book has helped me see some corrections I need to make in my process. While I may never be able to plot a book fully, she had so many helpful tips and examples for making your book the best it can be! I plan to reference it often! Below I’ll share some samples of some fun tips! Even if you never intend to plot your novel, I recommend you give it a read. It’s worth your time, trust me. Now, I didn’t agree with all the works she chose to highlight for her examples, and if I remember correctly there were two bad words, so watch for that. Otherwise, this book is a gold mine!

|| If you’re a visual learner, you may find it useful to create folders of pictures related to your story. “Cast” your characters, scout likely settings, and collect pertinent props. By associating pictures with particular scenes, you not only give yourself extra details with which to flesh out the scene, you can also help yourself spot plot holes or inconsistencies. I began keeping a folder of story-related pictures while writing Dreamlander, and this practice has rapidly become one of the most useful (not to mention most fun) tools in my repertoire. When stuck on scenes, I will often surf the Internet for related pictures. More often than not, when I find a picture, I find my missing puzzle piece. ||

|| The story we put on the page will never be a perfect representation of the story in our imagination, so it’s little wonder we aren’t always aware of where our stories fall short. But here’s a little trick to narrow the gap between your idealization of your story and its printed reality: Write yourself the “perfect” review before your story ever hits paper. If you could have a professional reviewer read your idealized concept of your finished book and totally get it—completely understand everything you’re trying to say with your characters, plot, dialogue, and themes—what would he write about your story? Close your eyes for a moment, emotionally distance yourself from your story, and pretend you’re that reviewer. ||

|| Nothing wrong with those words (they’re the tools of our trade, after all), but give…focusing on the raw sensations {a try}. Close your eyes and visualize the scene you’re writing. What colors stand out? What can you smell? What does your body feel like? This is the best way I know to find those all-important “telling” details that bring a scene to life. ||

That’s it for now! Have a Blessed Week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22