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Okay, so I’ve got a question and I need some ideas. Recently my church and I have been called to focus more on God, and while im not supposed to give up writing it is to be secondary.
That being said, I want my fantasy writing to portray more of God’s glory, and while it already has christian messages and good messages woven throughout, I want to make it better without making it obvious and preachy, ya know? I want people who aren’t christians to read it and, honestly, sometimes super preachy Stories annoy me. just saying lol, and I’m talking about where every other sentence they mention God, and while thats great, it’s not really….accurate?
Anyway, I wonder if anyone has ideas for writing christian fiction/fantasy without being too preachy and how to weave it into the plot and story. There are so many christian romances, and while I know there are christian fantasies, sometimes the romances or ones set in modern times, or historic fiction is the one most commonly known for Christian values, but I want to write Epic fantasy, which dragons and creatures.
I know that Tolkien and CS Lewis are incredible examples, but there books are a bit…odd just due to the time they were written, and the men were incredibly smart, so the way they write and the stories they tell aren’t the stories I write or that are written much anymore, if that makes sense.
So, does anyone have any ideas?
Ik Gracie that u write more historic romance, but still you do have pirates of all things in ur christian books. How did u feel when you first started? Did you ever feel you weren’t doing enough to promote God? And that goes for anyone who’s been published. And did your books really seem to impact people, or is that just a pipe dream I have to make myself feel better about writing because I’m writing “For God”.
Hope this makes sense lol. I’m really wanting to delve deeper somehow into writing more for God’s glory without over spiritualizing everything, and I know prayer is going to help with that, but any advice would be great too! Thanks!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
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@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.
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Anyway, that was like leagues long and maybe that helps you some. *shrugs* I at least got a rant out, if nothing else.
@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.
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
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@devastate-lasting Haha, thanks. I didn’t intend for it to end up that long at all. XD
@gracie-j thank you!! And yea hope I didn’t come off as wrong about the preachy thing. I mainly meant I get a bit annoyed when it’s literally every other sentence is a sermon, and there’s no plot or story. That’s terrible I guess but….😅
but thanks so much for that advice, especially the finding a theme and sticking to it, because that makes it so simple to me and one like “wow. Duh.” Like I knew that but hearing (reading) someone else saying that makes it click ya know? So thank u!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
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@godlyfantasy12 Gosh, girl, no! I’d just been thinking about this earlier and all of that just…came out. XD
You’re so welcome! I’m glad that helps!!!
@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!!!
"It's easy to be caught up in stardust and whispers when reality is so dark and loud."
The Art of Deception (my sci-fi) is the preachiest with Christianity that I’ve ever been, and I’m loving it.
Used to, when I wrote Fantasy, I thought like what you’re saying. How will I ever reach a non-Christian audience if I talk about God a lot?
Well, (like Gracie said!) maybe that’s not where God is calling us. We become so focused on saving souls for Jesus that a lot of times we forget about our own brothers and sisters and their struggles.
When I was 13-15, I struggled with my faith. I was still a Christian, but I was questioning a lot of things, and with that came this heavy attack from the enemy telling me things like “if I was a ‘true’ Christian I wouldn’t be questioning my faith’ or ‘I’m not good enough to be a Christian’ and thoughts like that really messed with me!
But they were lies. They were weapons formed by the devil to pierce my armor.
I said that to say, during those days, I extremely could have used a ‘preachy’ novel, but you know what? There aren’t many out there.
Pray for God to use your work! Pray that God will enrich it with His Holy Ghost and use your words (and mind) to draw people closer to Jesus. Then write. Write a flawed, horrible character that needs redemption and gets it. Write the internal struggle between light and dark. Write something that is preachy! Who cares what the world thinks?! If God has laid this on your heart, write it! Don’t hold back from being a vessel of righteousness that God can use to pour into empty people. That’s just what Satan wants us to do, and by saying that we should make our writing ‘user friendly’, we’re giving him what he wants: A dead industry. I am a firm believer that God can even use our writing prophetically if we let Him. But we have to be willing to write what is truly on our hearts, not a sugar-coated, lightly infused idea of what God put on our heart. You’re not making candy for kids, you’re making a 5-course meal for adults.
"It's easy to be caught up in stardust and whispers when reality is so dark and loud."
Thank y’all for the advice!!!
Do y’all have any theme ideas I might could use in a fantasy? Maybe something more interesting then just ur average Love and such? Lol.
im thinking each book has a core theme (multiple themes but one main one.) but I also need the theme to fit the story as well and the characters because it is very character centric (or I want it to be lol).
Im thinking about trust being one of the themes, but need some more ideas. Whenever I looked up themes I get different answers, and I’m not sure how tos watch it because it often pulls up character arcs, themes that aren’t actually themes like I’m meaning (they talk more about tropes) I just need a simple list of themes I can go thru.
example:
Love
Trust
Revenge
Forgiveness
but I need some more, so if u have any plz share! Thank y’all for being so supportive!!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebI agree with @gracie-j @devastate-lasting and @daisy-torres
As Lin said, I wouldn’t show my writing to most people at my church or people in general that are not my peers because my books are not for kids and the majority of adults would wonder what on earth I’ve been reading and watching to come up with such stuff. not that’s wrong, but it’s very different and its fantasy XD Although I don’t directly have the gospel in my stories, I’m careful not to have anything that is wrong according to what I know of God’s word. There are wrongs done in my stories, of course, because no one is perfect, but the wrongs are clearly marked as wrong, and those around the ones who commited the wrong say as much, so I hope people will not stumble reading it if I ever publish it. I suggest Medallion and Shield my Dawn L. Watkins for a good example of the style I prefer write. The stories are written by a christian author, they’re fantasy and don’t actually talk about God but they teach christian values like redemption and forgivness.
I don’t write allegories; I find them frustrating to read, let alone write. I have read many and I like the stories and even read them again but it’s still so hard for my mind to convert the allegorical meanings to reality I can apply to my life.
Real life stories are hard for me because I find myself writing my life story which is great and all, but I have a diary for that and I honestly feel self-absorbed writing my own life down in a story XD
I do have God in my story in the sense that Dolomir (The Creator) has servants called the Nayom who are the equivalent of angels. He charges them to protect and help the kindreds he created and that when evil comes they are to give the people the choice to ask for their help, which they freely will give when asked and they do in the story, several times. I have dragons and griffons and pheonixs and owls and people who can morph into Dragons, griffons and owls. There are others as well with what you’d call superpowers that all have their advantages and drawbacks.
I openly admit that the reason I find it hard to write God and the salvation story in my stories, is because one of my greatest struggles as a believer is accepting that God allows Satan to rampage this earth and sin to go on until He ends it. I know God offers salvation because all humans are fallen and sinful, and I believe God has a purpose with absolutely everything that has ever existed, but I struggle with the question of why God would even create humans at all if he knew they’d sin. This may be shocking to you but its the truth.
I actually have a story set in our world as a historicl fiction of sorts I believe God gave me, and so I’ll follow through with it. It’s about English immagrants to Vancouver Canada ( I know, very specific) in the 1970/80s who are unbelievers and their journey of learning about God’s amazing gift of salvation as they make a home in their new world. I know it seems really simple but it’s inspired by the immigration at that time of people I know and it means a lot to me and it’s been burning in my mind for over four years. I am determined to write it and give it as a present to my family. It’s been a struggle because I want to be accurate to history.
I suppose I take more of Tolkien’s approach to God in my fantasy writing; there are the higher good powers in his stories, shown in many parts if you know what to look for. Like the wind that blew away the dark clouds during the battle for Gondor and helped the Rohirrim and Aragorn’s army to win. My favorite example that almost brings me to tears is the star that Sam sees that when they’re in Mordor in the dark; the star shines through the darkness as a reminder that there is a greater good over every evil he could possibly face and Sam recognizes this and it gives him hope.
I don’t struggle with preachiness really (you can probably tell by this message XD). If it’s to be told then I tell it openly and if someone is offended by the gospel that is for God to handle, not me.
If God’s laid it on your heart do this then please, do it! When God lays something on your heart He’s never wrong. I pray that God will guide you in how to execute what you have in mind. He will. Ask Him. If it’s His will for you to write this He will give the answers, just like He does to life’s questions. Sometimes it’s a clear yes, sometimes it is no, or wait. Sometimes, (and this is a hard one that’s come up often in my life and probably in your’s too) neither path (or all three or four in some cases) seem to be a screaming “NO NO NO” and we have to choose after careful prayer and consideration.
So sorry, I know that was long, and I hope it made sense 🙂
I'm 'a homeschooler' because cookie-making writing artistic animal-whisperer isn't a job title
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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
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@daisy-torres THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I’M SO GLAD YOU AGREE!!!!!!!!! And, girl, everything you said was worthy of an AMEN! too!!!
@godlyfantasy12 THEMES! My new favorite topic!!! XD So, I have a method…Start by looking at each of your characters and asking these questions:
- What’s their purpose in this story?
- What needs to change in their life?
- What must they learn to bring about this change?
Of course, throw in a few extra questions, depending on your story/character and needs, but starting here is great!
Let’s take my character Billy, for example. He has this tiny little arc, you could call it, that contributes to one of the many themes in BAD, so my answers for these questions would be:
- To show how great God’s saving power is
- The way he lives—he needs to come to a place of repentance and trust in God, whatever that may take (believe me, it takes quite a bit)
- What the true gift of salvation is and how to walk in faith
See what I mean? Now I know what my themes are (at least for a book entirely about Billy). Repentance, salvation, and faith. Do the same with yours and see what you come up with!! I hope that helps!
@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!!!
"It's easy to be caught up in stardust and whispers when reality is so dark and loud."
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