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The Steve Laube Agency

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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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The Moral Protagonist: A Key Difference

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 6, 2014
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angry

This is entirely an opinion, but in my reading of general market fiction versus Christian fiction, I have noticed one key difference:

The protagonists don’t have to be moral.

In Christian fiction, the protagonists must be moral or have a great desire to be moral at their core, even though they may make mistakes.

Christian fiction offers a Christian world view.  The characters’ circumstances test their moral fiber. Readers want to see how the characters deal with their situations and trials, and the resulting consequences. Whether or not the characters experience a happy ending will depend a lot on the genre and story itself, but the characters should grow in and/or find sustenance in their faith.

In general market romance fiction, the characters can be of any faith or no faith. More likely than not, the issue of the characters’ faith won’t be visited at all or might be explained or dismissed in a phrase. Often, the characters are swept up in circumstances they must overcome, but they won’t draw upon religious faith to solve their problems. Their solutions may or may not reflect a moral choice. More likely they will reflect the necessary choice to their survival.

When I read about amoral protagonists, I appreciate belonging to a loving God all the more.

Your turn:
Are you comfortable reading books with amoral protagonists?

What, if anything, do you think Christians can learn from reading books with amoral protagonists?

Leave a Comment
Category: Craft, Creativity, Genre, Romance, Tamela, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Genre, Moral, Protagonists

And Another Thing, Your Baby is Ugly

By Dan Balowon February 4, 2014
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Have you noticed how much of public and private discourse so quickly moves from a simple disagreement to a personal attack?

I was attending a sporting event not long ago and the people sitting around me in the stands seamlessly moved from displeasure how their team was performing to calling the players, coaches and referees all sorts of names that had nothing to do with how they …

Read moreAnd Another Thing, Your Baby is Ugly
Category: Book Business, Craft, Dan, Get Published, Rejection, The Publishing LifeTag: Rejection

Fun Fridays – January 31, 2014

By Steve Laubeon January 31, 2014
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If you've ever been on a conference call this video absolutely hilarious.

Our agency has regular video conference calls since we are in four states and four time zones. It can get a little goofy sometimes.

Read moreFun Fridays – January 31, 2014
Category: Fun Fridays, Steve

Why Did I Keep Reading?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 30, 2014
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As I believe I've mentioned on this blog, along with Christian books, I try to keep abreast of general market books. But I admit, I don't always finish reading the books I begin reading. So what makes me stick with a book from cover to cover? Here's just one example for nonfiction:

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune  by Bill Dedman …

Read moreWhy Did I Keep Reading?
Category: Book Review, Craft, Creativity, Reading, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Book Review, Reading

First Lines of Best-selling Books: How Many Can You Guess?

By Karen Ballon January 29, 2014
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It’s 71 degrees outside as I write this, the sun is shining for the first day in weeks, and there’s a gentle breeze tickling the suddenly budding tree branches outside my office window. As you can probably imagine, I’m having a LOT of trouble concentrating on work.  So I thought I’d share something fun with you.

I always wonder how much of the books we love actually stays with us. So let’s do a …

Read moreFirst Lines of Best-selling Books: How Many Can You Guess?
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, first lines

Is Christian Fiction Dying?

By Dan Balowon January 28, 2014
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Last year, a couple Christian publishers stopped publishing fiction.  Some publishers are nervous about it and in a wait-and-see mode. Others are excited about growth potential.  The answer to the title question is no, but it is certainly interesting to explore the reason behind such widely diverse opinions on the subject.

NOTE #1: For full disclosure, I am a member of the advisory board for …

Read moreIs Christian Fiction Dying?
Category: Awards, Book Business, Dan, E-Books, Get Published, TrendsTag: fiction, Trends

How Entering a Writing Contest Just Might Change Your Life

By Steve Laubeon January 27, 2014
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Guest Post by Susan May Warren

Far East Russia in the middle of January has all the charm of a mausoleum. Our missionary family lived in a three-room flat on the ninth floor of a cookie-cutter apartment building that, to the untrained eye, resembled a recently shelled building in Chechnya. We had no running water during the day, no telephone line and the Siberian wind froze the windows shut, …

Read moreHow Entering a Writing Contest Just Might Change Your Life
Category: Awards, Get Published, Guest Post, SteveTag: contests, Get Published

Fun Fridays – January 24, 2014

By Steve Laubeon January 24, 2014
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This silly cat made me laugh for the longest time. (wait for the one minute mark...)

HT: Stephanie Laube

Read moreFun Fridays – January 24, 2014
Category: Fun Fridays, Steve

Five Reasons Not to Brag

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 23, 2014
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We've all done it -- bragged -- whether intentional or not. Not only should all glory go to God for your accomplishments, but bragging may not get the reaction you think. Say you tell someone you made ten million dollars last year. Rather than the reaction you're expecting, you may instead:

1.) Look foolish. Ten million dollars? I paid more than that last year in taxes.

2.) Hurt someone …

Read moreFive Reasons Not to Brag
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, TamelaTag: Career, Communication, Success

Knowing Discouragement’s End

By Karen Ballon January 22, 2014
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A guest blog by Mesu Andrews

Mark Lowry is one of my favorite comedians. I heard one of his performances many years ago, and he quoted a single, profound phrase found 457 times in the King James Bible: “It came to pass…”

That’s it. That’s all.

It came…to pass.

And then he challenged the audience to remember those words the next time they faced an impossible situation, the depths of …

Read moreKnowing Discouragement’s End
Category: Book Business, Guest Post, Karen, The Writing LifeTag: Discouragement, The Writing Life
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