Profanity and Sex in Christian Writing

Several weeks ago, agent Terry Burns, who is a fellow-agent with my agent, Diana Flegal, posted a blog article on Hartline regarding Profanity in Christian Literature.


Another agent, Chip MacGregor, posted an article on this same topic on July 24, entitled Sex and Language in Religious Books.

Not only did I find these agents’ thoughts full of wisdom, I enjoyed the plethora of great responses from readers. Not all Christians embrace the same thoughts on this touchy subject.

What do you think of the use of swearing and sex in Christian writing? Do they have a place, if used to show a change from darkness to light in a person’s life? Or can one convey the same message by showing, not telling?

Dare I Admit This?

I hate to admit this, and I'm hoping some of you do it too, so I won't feel alone. Please tell me you do. And if you don't, I don't want to know. Because that would mean you're either a better person than me, or that I'm full of pride.

Are you ready for my confession? Turn your back so I won't be embarrassed to tell you...

As I'm reading, I sometimes think "this isn't very well-written. I could do better than this! How did this person get published? They must be the cousin of the editor's next-door neighbor's dog groomer."

I know, I know, who am I to criticize another's writing when I've not yet published a book? And, you're right. I shouldn't criticize. Not just writing, but anything or anyone.

But the more I learn how to do it right, the more noticeable the boo-boos are.

I think the craft books and conferences and writing blogs are meant to teach me to correct and improve my own writing, though. Not pick apart others' work.

So, I repent of my fault-finding. But it'd still make me feel better if I knew you did this, too.

What About YOU? Nightingale or Chickadee?

Every Monday I ask a question, to get to know YOU better. Ready for today’s? Are you an early bird or a night owl?

When we first married, I loved to sleep in as late as possible, sometimes ‘til noon.

We often stayed up late watching old Burns and Allen reruns

(If you don’t know who they are, you need to find out. Click on the above link for a fun blast to the past).

When I got a job as a teacher’s aide, I had to start work at 8:00 a.m.

Two years later, we began adding babies to the mix, and needing all the rest I could manage, I switched from a nightingale

 to an early rising chickadee.

Now I’m usually in bed by 9:00 p.m. and am up before 5:30 a.m. Even on weekends when I can sleep in, I rarely get up any later than 7:00. As they say, the early bird gets to the blogs first.

Your turn…

5 Secrets for Overcoming Writer's Block

If you’ve been a writer for more than five days, writer’s block has attacked you. That dreaded black hole of non-creativity sucks your brain into it at unpredictable intervals. Especially if you’re working under a deadline, you can’t afford time to sit and gaze at whiteness—you must get words on the page. But how do you pry your stubborn muse out of the black hole, and start producing again?

Here are my five tricks that work—nearly—every time:
1. I pray. Sounds too simple, I know. But it works. Instead of searching the dusty corners of my weary brain for words or ideas, I go to the One who created words, who is the Word made flesh, and ask for help. Mostly my prayers sound like this: “Help me, please. Give me words. Empower me to get my message across, Lord.” We don’t need to impress the King. He already wants to help us. He’s just waiting for us to ask.

2. I step away and do something mindless for a bit. Fold laundry. Bird watch. Pull weeds. Anything that requires little thought relaxes my tied-in-knots mind, freeing it to produce again. I must be careful I don’t step away too long, though. More than an hour of mindlessness can lead me to procrastinate. But a short break often motivates my brain into working mode again.

3. I free write. Remember this exercise from eighth-grade English class? I use it still, with excellent results. If I need an idea for an article, a hook for an opening, or the best ending for a story, I open a blank document and let my fingers dance. I type whatever thoughts breeze in, not stopping to edit. I’ve never made it to the end of the page before the perfect idea, hook or ending pops out and I’m stylin’ once again.

4. I read a book or article written by an author whose voice I admire. Something about reading superb writing causes the imaginative juices to bubble and boil, until they overflow into my heart and release my imprisoned muse. I may need to read only a paragraph, a page, or a chapter before I come out of my frozen brain state. Once it worked with a single phrase.

5. I exercise. I know a few of you don’t want to hear this, but the dreaded E word helps increase creativity by sending much needed blood to the brain and increasing serotonin levels. As much as I dislike exercise, I must admit I think and write better after a workout. And if I go too many days without a workout, I turn into the opposite of Miss Sweetie-Pea. So.


Did I miss any? What do you do to overcome writers block in your neighborhood?

Never, never, never give up!

Ever feel like you’ll run out of time before you accomplish all your dreams and plans? Before you quit, you may want to read these stats:

• Colonel Harland Sanders was 65 when he launched his Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise business;
• Grandma Moses was 78 when she began oil painting;
• Laura Ingalls Wilder was 65 when she started writing her Little House on the Prairie series;

And Myrrha Stanford-Smith, an 82-year-old teacher, just landed a 3-book deal for her fictional accounts of William Shakespeare. Read about it here.

Makes you want to go out and skip some rope, doesn’t it?

Please don't give up on your dreams.

God hasn't.

Follow Him; He'll lead you to the fulfillment of all your dreams,
and more.