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Before I pose my question, I just want to let everyone know that this isn’t a forum topic to discuss if preachiness should exist at all in our stories or how we should present God and the Gospel through our stories. I’m simply asking what I’ll write below and don’t want to have any debates on here. Thanks guys. 🙂
I’ve recently been finding myself struggling to write realistic character arcs, at least when it comes to the character finally recognizing and believing the truth. I don’t like the level of preachiness that exists in my book right now and really want to fix it. I keep using the same phrases to describe my character’s struggles, thought processes, or even how they’re interpreting the themes in their own lives. I feel like I’m either forcing my character into a decision or they’re coming to the decision way too easily. In that, the theme ends up looking forced or unnatural, almost as if I’m writing this book with the sole purpose of preaching to my readers. (Which is not the case. While I strive to give my readers truth and point them to Christ, I also want to give them an entertaining story).
So basically I’m wondering how to incorporate my theme better without reciting it to my reader. I want some subtlety, but not so much that the genre of my book would no longer be considered Christian fiction. Does that make sense?
I know that I should weave my theme through my characters… but how exactly?
Tagssss… (don’t feel pressured to reply)
@freed_and_redeemed @keilah-h @whalekeeper @savannah_grace2009 @ellette-giselle @mineralizedwritings @loopylin @hybridlore @highscribeofaetherium @anyoneeee:)Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Well, I’m not sure this will be too helpful for you, but hopefully you get something from it.
It’s my personal opinion that our stories grow with our character. I don’t like to assume what other people’s lives have been. Just because somebody comes across one way doesn’t mean their life has been easy or hard, or in the middle.
Most people experience some kind of major pain in their lives, some just get it earlier than others. When hard things happen in my life, I get a glimpse of the non-christian experience. I feel some of that anger they might feel towards God, or wonder if it’s worth sticking through it. Everyone has doubts, and getting through those things make our faith stronger. It’s pretty hard to write a experience that isn’t your own, and there is a big difference between growing up in a Christian household and becoming one early and becoming a Christain after you’ve already experienced suffering. I would recommend thinking about those times you’ve doubted God, or felt confused about your Christianity, but on a larger scale. You can still use your life experience to build your characters, even if your world isn’t dystopian and your life is intact. I’ve wondered why God is so unfair before, why innocent people suffer. If I wasn’t a Christian, those feelings could have been hatred. I think the more people live, the more they have to go off of to write difficult topics, but we can still use the life experience we have already to understand the same things. I’ve never tried to write somebody coming to Christ before, and I know it would be really hard. I never remember living life without God, so naturally I would struggle to write it.
I keep using the same phrases to describe my character’s struggles, thought processes, or even how they’re interpreting the themes in their own lives. I feel like I’m either forcing my character into a decision or they’re coming to the decision way too easily.
Writing characters that don’t seem guided by the authors hand is really hard, and I think it’s something all of us can always grow in. The main thing I would say is that everyone is different, and everyone has a different reason for not being a Christian. for one, maybe they never heard the gospel. Maybe somebody else heard it, but feels there isn’t any way God could be good. Or maybe another one simply doesn’t care.
With any character arc it needs to be important what your character cares about. What is their motivator? Do they always care about their family? Or maybe they want their honor back? Maybe they are moved by guilt? If you have these things established, then it will seem more realistic. A character moved by family might find comfort in having a Father in heaven. A character motivated by honor might come to the troubling realization that honor (And their entire life fighting for it) is only useless pride among men, and that their real goal in life lies with following God. A character who struggles with guilt over their past might find peace in Jesus’s sacrifice. We all are saved from our sin by Jesus, but we’re all different people. The bible verse that resonates with me will be different then the one that resonates with you.
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
No that actually is really helpful! I like the perspective you gave. Thank you!! 😊
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Yw! I’m glad to be of help! 🙂
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
I know you already got help from Min and I don’t have much to say 🙂 But a couple things.
I keep using the same phrases to describe my character’s struggles, thought processes, or even how they’re interpreting the themes in their own lives.
It might help to not say those phrases at all. Brainstorm all the easiest ways to say your theme in the story, and then completely avoid saying them.
Most people aren’t aware of their inner workings, or at least, don’t discover those workings themselves. Someone recently told me a subconscious fear of mine, and I doubt I would have realized it myself – even as a person who analyzes my own feelings daily.
Instead of Ev or Amidala knowing what their insecurities are, draw out the insecurities through actions and events. In what way is Amidala prideful, for example? (If that’s her arc. I’m assuming things here. XD) Does she draw pride from her individuality, her external achievements, her intellectual/emotional capacity? Pick one, and steadily tear down every leg she stands on. These legs are what she trusts in, or external things which represent her truths.
And she doesn’t know what her flaw is. She doesn’t realize why everything is falling apart around her.
If she believes she is emotionally superior to others, find places where she can’t win. She loses control of her own emotions. She is caught by surprise, by something she never thought would be emotional. She misunderstands someone close to her, like Ev. Someone else is proven to be better than her.
She keeps losing because she doesn’t consciously know about her own pride. The aha moment is when she realizes, oh, I need to change in this area.
“Everything is a mountain”
This is all speculating from reading books that do this; I’m no expert 😅
“Everything is a mountain”
Thanks so much!! I’ll definitely be referring back to your post. 🙂
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
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