Lane Alton Writes

Hmm…

When I started LaneAltonWrites on Tumblr, Wordpress and Blogger, it was in the hopes of building an early fan base during the anticipation of releasing my first Christian novel. Aside from the Internet serving as a low cost/extremely effective method to market myself, I really didn’t know what kind of content I would be posting. I really hadn’t skimmed through more well-known authors’ blogs to see what they discuss but I figured it was mostly upcoming events and appearances, milestones, the status quo of a upcoming book, and possibly a splash of their personal life.

I came to the conclusion that the easiest way to commit to blogging is to post whatever I want. Posts about writing, Christianity, my life, my friends, my family, my strengths, my weaknesses, and my struggle to fully understand Christianity in a changing world. I don’t know who many loyal fans or visitors I will acquire along the way but I hope that this will all work out for me.

Christian Author = Christian?

One of my biggest concerns with writing and publishing a Christian Fiction novel is the uncertainty of how the public will embrace me. Particularly, the believers of Christianity, who would expect an author of Christian publications to be Christian. I am a promoter of peaceful coexistence, and I would consider myself to be a humanist. I choose not to label myself as a Christian author for two reasons: the first, I believe that religion is a commitment, not just a label. The second is that it is hard to transition from one writing genre to another.

I have my own morals, I have my own beliefs. I see so many young people who proclaim their love for God, but act differently. I’ve met the ones with piercings and tattoos and the ones engage in sinful activities during the weekend, then repent on Sunday. Look, my intentions are and will never be to ridicule anyone or their actions. I just don’t want to be one of those people. I don’t need to claim I’m Christian, I’ll let my actions speak for me. I don’t need to boast of my knowledge of the bible, because there is so much more to Christianity than will-power and self-restraint. I don’t want to conduct speeches about God and the Bible at churches, I want to speak to anyone willing to listen about what ever I have to say.

I can be honest when I say that the last time that I attended a church gathering was in 2010. I am spiritual, not religious. I feel like some Christian churches are spiraling out of control. The way that some Christians conduct themselves outside (and sometimes inside) of the church leave me with a negative experience that makes me want to explore a relationship with God on my own. I also feel like when a person constantly emphasizes on his or her Christian beliefs to others, that it gives the general public the opportunity to scrutinize and judge a person based off of their actions; questioning whether each action is Christ-like or not. 

My other concern is that I have written other novels that I hope to release which are not based on religion but more so forgiveness and life. I don’t want to be confined to one religious background, race, or gender, nor do I want that to reflect in my writing.

Am I wrong to feel this way?

Update.

Sorry readers, it’s been far too long since my last post. The whole point of creating my blog(s) and Twitter were to update my small audience on my milestones at least every other day. Unfortunately, between working with my web designer and other personal obligations, social networking gets the least of my attention at the moment.

As far as the collaboration with the web designer is concerned, I should have launched my website several weeks ago (Late February-March) but I’ve been very apprehensive about hiring a freelancer to execute my vision. Many assure me that they can design an attractive website, but their portfolio shows otherwise. (x_x) Hopefully, my new hire can exceed my expectations, and settle my uncertainty.

On a lighter note, in the upcoming weeks, I will be enrolling into a few writers associations to network with other authors as well as find some regional writers conferences to attend.