Writing A Christian Fantasy-HELP

@godlyfantasy12 First of all, this makes a HEAP of sense and I am just so pleased to hear that you want more of God in your books! It honestly breaks my heart to hear Christian writers think/feel like they can’t include God in their books (particularly fantasies) for fear of being preachy or unable to reach the secular market. But I want to remind you, sister, and the rest of y’all too, that we have been called to preach the Gospel to all nations (including the book nations) and that Christ has equipped us with all we need to write stories that glorify and edify Him – so don’t ever think you can’t do it. On top of that, our focus doesn’t need to be on reaching x-amount of people, selling x-amount of books, or being lauded as the #1 most touching and inspirational story – that’s not what matters. What we need to focus on is putting our story in God’s hands and trusting Him to place it into the hands of the readers who need to read it and here the message you’ve woven in. We can’t possibly be responsible for finding the perfect reader who fits our message just so and forcing them to read the book – so we leave it to God. Have you ever stumbled across a Facebook post or a blog article that just spoke to you – and right when you needed it? That was God – not the writer. God put that message on their heart at just the right time, and He led you to their words just when you needed them.

Anyway, my point is that you don’t have to stress over it or plot it down to the last detail – let God guide your story, your message, and your book into what and where it needs to be.

As for impacting people…it’s not a pipe dream. At all. You won’t know until you’re in Heaven how many souls were touched by your writing – because they will be, I can promise you that. God is working through us to impact others – nonbelievers and fellow Christians alike – and as long as we submit to His will, IT WILL HAPPEN. That’s His desire and plan for all of us, and God’s will is always implemented and fulfilled.

Personally, I’ve found that something just as amazing as prompting a reader to get saved or learn more about God is when Christian readers are touched by my writing. Honestly, I don’t think I write for nonbelievers – although I know God can use me to reach them. I just think that the messages in most of my books are meant for believers – and I have heard from Christians who have read my books and told me that my writing inspired them to live for God, seek His will, and strive to do more for Him. And, y’all, that…that is saving souls. Because that person I inspired will go on to write books that are placed in the hands of unbelieving readers who will be prompted by the Holy Spirit to know Christ. It’s like a chain reaction.

As for your specific questions, when I first started, I planned to write Christian fiction, of course, but there wasn’t much of an end goal in mind until I was probably halfway through with Held Captive. Just…the words, the themes, the messages that God entwined into that story inspired me to press on and really tailor my writing for reaching and inspiring my readers. My grandfather later told me after reading it that were he not already saved, he would have gotten down on his knees and accepted Jesus because of the heavy saturation of the Holy Spirit in my book. I knew then that I could and I would touch someone in some way.

So now my writing is actually very preachy (and pirate-y too, of course). With pirates, who are often morally grey with extreme sin struggles, I’m able to write messages of true faith, redemption, salvation, the importance of Christ’s sacrifice, grace and mercy, and more. I feel like my chosen subject (or God-inspired subject; I wouldn’t say I’d ever really chosen it myself) opens up a lot of doors that other stories and subjects wouldn’t. I also try and focus on revealing God’s power and the power of the Holy Spirit through us to my Christian readers.

I feel like a lot of Christians have overhyped preachiness (feel free to disagree). We assume that by mentioning God, having our characters pray, featuring speech about God, and including conversion scenes, we have automatically turned off all secular readers forever and that most Christian readers will be bored. Maybe that’s true in part, but I believe that diluted Christianity is the same as no Christianity, that we are called to be bold and unashamed in our writing – no matter how the world feels about it. If that turns off readers, that’s their prerogative. But God will reward us for our faithfulness to His call and will use our willing spirits in mighty ways. Preachy novels will be read – by non-Christians who will experience God in an awe-inspiring way and by Christians who will feel encouraged and equipped for life’s trials. How will anyone come to know the Lord if Christianity is diluted to church once a week and prayers over meals? There is no conviction or power in that – only complacent religion. We must break free from the chains of conformity and begin to take back media and entertainment – literature especially – for God. We can’t let secular fiction and today’s culture trample the good news of Jesus Christ, now can we?

Anyway. Wow. Dude. That was…a rant. And probably not what you were looking for. Sheesh.

Okay, so my non-rantish advice would be to pick a theme/message. Maybe it’s forgiveness or trust or something like that. Focus on the one theme. Why some books seem preachy is because they’re all over the place – each chapter presents a new problem, and each problem calls for a sermon – you know? If you can focus on just one issue, one point, and slowly resolve it with new revelation as the story goes on, then you’ll avoid being preachy. All you really need is one strong, punch-in-the-gut moment (a sermon, conversion scene, just a really powerful quote) to make an impact.

But don’t rely on that one moment to allow you to skimp the rest of the time, you know? Stay your course, keep you eyes on the prize. Catchphrases aside…keep your objective in mind and your content aligned to that objective. Just because you have one good quote doesn’t mean the rest of the book can be limp and full of badness. (I really can’t explain that well…does that make sense?)

One thing about fantasy that’s just generally awesome are allegories. From C.S. Lewis to Anne Elisabeth Stengl…fantasy allegories that put the love of God and struggle of light vs darkness into perspective. The only issue with that is that most secular readers wouldn’t be able to catch on to any serious symbolism…but on that note, what would be cool is if you wrote an allegory that portrayed God’s love and made readers hungry for something like that in real life. Then you could always have an author’s note explaining the truth in the allegory and who God is, etc. Just an idea.

Writing is a calling. Books are a mission field. Being an author is like being a preacher (if not better in some ways, since preachers aren’t as mobile as books…beside the point). Words are a weapon and a medicine given to us by God, to use for His purposes. We have the power to break down strongholds of darkness and chains of sin with our words, and the power to heal broken hearts and pour life into others. Don’t even feel discouraged or less-than or like you’re not doing anything for God by being a writer. If you’re willing…if you’re trusting in Him and committing everything you do to Him (like the verse, do it for the Lord, not for men)…then HE WILL USE YOU. There’s no way around it, no doubt about it. Your writing is destined to become a tool for the Kingdom of God. I’m believing it for you, and I’m declaring it for all of y’all. We have a mission field that most people don’t – books. Books have so much power, so much reach, and we have the ability to access the potential of stories and use them for good.

@godlyfantasy12 You’re looking at someone who, a) doesn’t write Christian fantasy, b) doesn’t think about themes.

Back in the day I thought I had to write a ton of Christian stuff into my stories, like a direct allegory, preaching, the Gospel, etc. I’ve since learned.

Y’know, when he started Narnia, Lewis actually didn’t intend to have it be Christian at first. And further on, the questions he actually explored, were what would God be like in another world, outside our own. I think. I heard that somewhere.

For my own series, I think I explore a lot of those “what-if” questions. I deal a lot with sin and sinners. “What if sinners ate from the Tree of Life?” I used to think I might be called blasphemous if I tried to write a twisted “savior” who tried to save through an entirely different way. But I think at this point, I’ve realised, I can explore those questions, because I’m a writer, and this is fantasy. Tbh usually I don’t connect God and my writing but I do believe that he’s called me to glorify Him. And if these are the stories I’m meant to write, so be it.

Anyways, enough about me. What is Christian fiction? Do books have souls? Is Christian fiction meant to edify the Christian community? All of it? Or some of it? To be honest I would probably not show my work to the old ladies at my church. Because I don’t write for that age group and audience. So if I were you, I would probably keep my target audience in mind.

Above all, I feel like trying to force stuff into your writing isn’t good. Write what you want to write. It’s more natural, it’d probably flow better… If God has given you a message/story to tell, then He’ll help you write it.

Oh, yeah, and everything @gracie-j said. That was good. Even if it was a little bit long.

@gracie-j OH my WORD girl P R E A C H!!!! That was a fantastic comment and I could not have said it better myself!!!! I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said!! (And that literally makes me so happy that your grandfather told you that!!! It makes me so so soooo happy to see the Holy Spirit working through young writers’ works like that!!!) I almost cried reading all that, and I grinned really big XDo That reply right there was full of Jesus!!!

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Daisy Torres.

@godlyfantasy12

I totally get ya, girl! I get annoyed at really preachy stories as well. Which, funny thing, is the reason I want to write Biblical fiction, ’cause all other Biblical fiction I’ve read is super preachy lol. I think I may have a few tips that can help ya, and I hope they do!

1) Don’t feel the need to explicitly state that characters are Christians. I’ve read some books where they’re like, “So-and-so went to church one day and was never the same since.” I find it much more powerful when the author first shows how a character is different before actually making a statement that he/she is a Christian. A great example of this is what our very own Jenna Terese did with her novel Ignite. Ignite has a mentor character who is a Christian, but the great thing is that we know him for many chapters and watch how he acts before we’re actually told that. By watching the way he lives, the other characters as well as the reader observes that the mentor is “different.” I believe that the best witnessing comes through our actions and the way we live, not by what we say.

2) Don’t default to sermons or “preaching moments” to get through to a character or communicate a theme to the reader. A few moments where characters explicitly speak about their faith or when one character gives spiritual advice to another, are enough. While your readers probably won’t remember everything your characters said, they will remember how your characters acted and changed to become like Christ (or how some characters rejected Christ). In my novel The Apostle’s Sister, although St. Paul was a preacher I don’t include very many preaching scenes, because I want readers to see Paul through his actions and not just what he said that’s in the Bible. During my longer preaching moments, I include action and emotion beats, and I always make sure to back it up with my characters’ actions. Many readers – including myself – skim over any parts when one character preaches to another and expects the latter to listen up and immediately change their lifestyle.

3) Talk to a real-life mentor whom you trust, and ask them to look over some of your writing! Make sure it’s someone you’re comfortable with. It can be really helpful to get feedback from an older, more mature Christian, and it totally doesn’t have to be someone who writes. In fact, getting feedback purely from a reader’s point of view is highly recommended.

Best of luck! <33

@godlyfantasy12 Ooo I gotcha!

I don’t really write themes, so that’s a little harder. Just recently I started adding themes of redemption and forgiveness as well as revenge, character growth, and Christianity.

Here’s a few extra I thought of off the top of mi head.

Fear/Bravery

Lying/Truth

Prejudice

Arrogance/Humbleness

Greed/Charity

Hate/Love

Wisdom

Stuborness

Moving/Staying

Freedom/Slavery

Addiction/Overcoming

Fighting/Running

Hope some of these help!!!