Now, sit back and enjoy Stephanie's guest blog!
Weaving Messages into Your
Books
by Stephanie Faris
When
I read Megan’s book Captives, I was
struck by the way she got a very important message across without taking away
from her story. Readers know when an author is being preachy and they’ll
quickly turn away. If you can weave your message into a story in an
entertaining way, readers will actually learn…and maybe even become passionate
about the subject, as well.
In
that sense, I think writers of inspirational fiction have a lot in common with
children’s writers. There’s an art to working your message in, whether it’s the
battle against sex trafficking or the importance of adopting a pet from a
rescue shelter. In both Megan’s book and mine, we use the “show, don’t tell”
method of storytelling, which fiction writers are taught from the day we first
write “Chapter One” on a new book.
Fiction
is like real life. People respond to the examples we see. Someone is more
likely to find religion after seeing how it has impacted someone else’s life,
for instance. You’re more likely to join a weight loss program if you see how
it’s helped a friend or coworker lose weight. Children are especially
impressionable and can pick up on the examples they read in books and see in
movies.
If
children or teens might be reading your book, one of the best things you can do
is create characters who are good examples to those young readers. I grew up
reading Stephen King and Danielle Steel, so you never know who might be
learning from the stories you create. I’m sure my view of the world was shaped
by the books I read as a youth, and I only hope it was in a good way!
In
addition to making your writing more powerful, “show, don’t tell” also keeps
you from being preachy. Megan’s book proves that you can cover any issue in an
entertaining, interesting way that will inspire readers and make them want to
learn more about that subject. Take something you believe in and find a way to
work it into a story. You never know who might be reading!
Piper Morgan Joins the Circus
By Stephanie Faris
Press Kit
Piper helps some four-legged friends find the perfect home in the third book of the brand-new Piper Morgan series.
Piper is super excited to help out at Bark Street, a local animal shelter in town. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by adorable puppies and dogs all day? And when Piper sees Taffy, the cutest dog she has ever seen, Piper is determined to find a way to bring Taffy home. But it won’t be easy—especially when she finds out someone else wants to make Taffy a part of their family, too!
Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact,
her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with
the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a
Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working
in information technology. But she never stopped writing.
Stephanie is the Simon
& Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25
Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When
she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the
topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She
lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.
Links:
Free Giveaway Entry
Very true, Stephanie. No one wants to be thumped over the head with a message. If it's done right, the reader won't even notice, but they might start to lean that way.
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of fantasy and science fiction where good beat evil, so I guess that was my youthful influence.
I read a lot of Stephen King when I was young...not sure what that taught me! Maybe it means I have a warped mind?!
DeleteI love Stephen King too. I also read a lot of Danielle Steele. Put those two together and I know I'm kind of warped. :)
DeleteThank you for hosting me, Megan! Last night my husband asked me what they meant by "human trafficking" on the news and I was able to tell him all about it, thanks to your book!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's great! An opportunity for education. I'm thrilled to be hosting you today! I am hoping for a lot more success for Piper Morgan!
DeleteGreat article by Stephanie; so true not knowing who will be reading books that are written. I know in my early through late teens I read a lot of "adult" books.
ReplyDeleteCute cover :)
betty
I read a lot of books too, Betty. I love that cover too. I've loved all of the Piper Morgan covers.
DeleteI think part of it was the lack of good children's/young adult fiction back then. If we'd had the great selection of YA titles teens have now, I would have been reading those, for sure. But I turned to adult fiction because the only other choice was Sweet Valley High, which was geared toward tweens.
DeleteSo true we learn more by example and experience. Good points made.
ReplyDeleteThat is true. Thanks, Ann!
DeleteI think a message is important, even if it's just a subtle change in the character as they learn an important message.
ReplyDelete