The Living Church Podcast Writing While Christian with H.S. Cross
Oct 23, 2025
H.S. Cross, novelist and former tutor (author of Wilberforce, Grievous, and Amanda), explores 1920s Oxford and a messy, God-haunted romance. She talks about characters surprising their creator. They discuss play and role‑play, the ethics of pacing and honest sexuality, and how Christian formation quietly shapes storytelling.
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Character Secrets Revealed In Retreat
- Heather Cross described a moment when a character’s secret emerged fully during a month-long retreat in Scotland.
- She said the revelation left her shaking and sobbing because it felt like encountering something alive and surprising.
Hold Your Nerve When Writing
- Heather Cross advises writers to pray or quiet themselves before writing to stay open to what comes.
- She warns that consciously forcing scenes produces poor writing and that you must listen instead of dictating.
Surprises Are The Writer’s Gold
- Heather Cross says the best surprises in fiction come from outside conscious control, often via the unconscious.
- She frames surprises as the source of everything “really good” in a story.
