Jesus, Make Them Wash Their Hands! by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

I’m a germaphobe.

The Urban Dictionary’s definition for a germaphobe is any person obsessed with cleanliness and defeating bacteria. Yup, that’s me.

I still hover over my kids at the bathroom sink when they come home from school to ensure hot water and the proper amount of soap and scrub-time is utilized. I sanitize the grocery cart, dig my own pen from my purse to sign the kids out from school, and feel the strong need to take a shower after I watch an episode of Dirty Jobs.

Yes, I’m strange. So you can see how I struggle with that passage in the Bible when Jesus eats with his disciples without asking them to wash their hands.

I can’t help my thoughts… Jesus—I really don’t want to be a Pharisee…I really am on your side, but please. Don’t make me cringe. Please Jesus, make them wash their hands!

Thankfully for me, Jesus isn’t really advocating for dirty hands. As usual, he’s making a point—likely to me. This, I think, is the gist of what he’s saying: Heidi, I don’t care how “good” you might look on the outside. I don’t even care how many rules you keep, how perfect your driving record is, how well you write, how many Twitter followers or Facebook friends you have. Heidi, I’m after your heart.

Jesus didn’t come to create boundaries and rules. He came to break down boundaries and capture our rebel hearts.

We must remember this as we write. No matter our genre or publishing history, our job as writers is to break down boundaries, to connect to our readers. To touch the very thing Jesus was after—their hearts.

Here are a few things I try to do to connect to readers and grab their hearts. Because I’m still so far from an expert on writing, I would love for you to add to the list in the comments below.

Be honest as you write. I believe this is how we find our writing voice. Forget the rules—at least on that first draft—and just write.

Get uncomfortable with yourself. Francine Rivers says that every time she sits down to write a book, she has a question in her mind. A question she might struggle with in her own walk of faith. In A Voice in the Wind the question was how to share a faith no one around her wanted to hear about. That’s the kind of question that can make you squirm (kind of like those germs). But boy, did that question aid in the making of an amazing book.

Create believable characters your readers can relate to. Characters—like real people—need both good and bad qualities.

Paint that picture. In Stein on Writing, Sol Stein says to give your reader at least one visual feast on each page. And yes, I know you’re sick of hearing it, but show, don’t tell.

That’s it for me, I’m off to sanitize the door knobs and wipe down the vacuum cleaner. Happy writing!

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Heidi Chiavaroli writes History Woven in Grace. She is a wife, mother, disciple, and grace-clinger. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has finaled in the Genesis contest and My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest.

Creating the Essential Backstory by DiAnn Mills

The other day I was having lunch with girlfriends and the topic of diet came up. Not exactly what I wanted to hear with the holiday eating taking revenge in my rearview mirror. The diet discussion continued, but instead of plans to move forward, we confessed to what we’d eaten to get ourselves into an expanded condition. In short, we bemoaned our backstories that placed us in the present.

What is Backstory?

Backstory consists of the events and circumstances that motivate a character into fresh and compelling action. What happened to the character before page one propels the story. We are four-part creatures who deal with the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental realms of our world. Our characters have the same challenges.

Robert McKee says it best: “Backstory—previous significant events in the lives of the characters that the writer can reveal at critical moments to create turning points.”

When we studied fiction writing, our instructors told us to avoid backstory that doesn’t relate to the present character’s goal or problem. How does a writer make that determination? Backstory is critical in the world of story, but a master writer discerns what part of backstory is vital and what is superfluous.

To avoid confusion, let’s define what backstory is not:

1. Backstory is not the action that fills scene after scene of a powerful novel. 
2. Backstory is not the camouflaged aspects of the story that are happening in the present. The point-of-view character might be unaware of happenings around her, but the events are still unfolding.
3. Backstory is not a flashback. A flashback is a scene interruption and slows the story by forcing the reader to make an adjustment by sending them to the past. Sol Stein defines flashback as, “A scene that precedes the time of the present story.” Readers want to experience the adventure with crisp writing that is happening now. If a flashback is necessary, transcend in and out—quickly.

Donald Maass recommends restraining backstory for the first fifty pages or so of the novel.

When is Backstory Essential? 

Long before the initial writing process begins. The history of each character is intimate, personal, and exciting. Do you remember the last time you invested hours in getting to know someone new? The person most likely did not reveal flaws and weaknesses during the beginning stages of the relationship; instead, she convinced you by words and actions that she was a great person. The flaws in her character came much later as you spent time traveling down the road of life. By then we were invested in the new friend and chose to overlook character flaws. How did that person reveal her past? What emotions did she display? Was she complex or predictable?

By learning the backstory of a character, actions in the present are easier for the writer to predict according to experiences and lessons learned.

Relationships often seem contrived unless the writer has established backstory to weave how and why characters behave the way they do. The inspiration behind these relationships is revealed in snippets throughout the story. The writer holds on to the reins of backstory as though she were driving a team of runaway horses.

Discover Your Character's Backstory

How can the writer weave a tale unless she knows what the character wants and needs? Many writers use a character sketch to analyze the past. By discovering information from every angle of character development, a writer is able to create a picture of the character’s life before the first sentence.

Take inventory of the character’s childhood. Write about the experiences that formed his/her personality for the present story. Use all seven universal emotions to learn about the character: surprise, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, happiness, and contempt. Ask the hard questions that the character might not want to discuss. Force the character to expose inner hurts and pain. In the depths of the forbidden, the writer finds the nuggets of personality, persuasion, and power.

Once the writer has searched the childhood years, move on to the teens, young adulthood, and then to the current age of the character. The more you discover about the character, the richer the backstory. Understand that not everything the character states about the past is useful, only the parts that pertain to the story. Continue the exercise in time increments until one hour before the story opens.

Perhaps the plotting and opening lines of the story will now take a different twist.

Backstory, where will it take you?

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn’s first book was published in 1998. She currently has more than fifty books in print, which have sold more than a million and a half copies.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive; Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

Connect with DiAnn: 

www.diannmills.com