Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Write Boldly

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I have noticed something very sad about the Christian fiction of today, especially the stuff published mainstream.

When I compare it to the works of non-Christians, it just doesn't measure up. For example, I thoroughly enjoy the Percy Jackson books. I love Percy's snappy voice, as someone who has always been fascinated by mythology, the research that Riordan puts into the series is absolutely delightful. About a year ago, though, I ran across a book called Spirit Fighter, by Jerel Law, a Christian fiction about angels and Nephilim with a description that reminded me a bit of Percy Jackson.

And as I read it, that's pretty much what I found. A Christainized version of Percy Jackson (down to the fact that they were going in quest of the boy's mom, who had been kidnapped) but without Percy's snappy voice, and Annabeth had been replaced by the boy's younger sister ... and she just didn't measure up. Perhaps had I read the book in order, I might have connected with the characters better, but I had read Lightning Thief just as haphazardly, and I still ended up more impressed with that series. And while Riordan's books are well researched, I felt like Law was just making things up as he went along. Sure, the Bible doesn't have much to say about the angels, but I'm pretty sure they're not very much like how Law presented them.

Maybe there isn't enough talent in Christian circles anymore, but I don't think that's the case because there are still many authors who I recommend without batting an eye, whose work IS good, Jaye L. Knight, Bryan Davis, Jennifer Freitag, to name a few. However, so many Christian writers, perhaps myself included, are lazy. They think that having a Christian label with automatically get them sales. After all, there is so little literature being published for us, we're happy to read whatever we get.

Uh, wrong answer. To quote Lewis: We don't need more Christian literature, we need more Christians writing good literature.

We, as Christians, are called to excellence. We are to do things, with God's help, to the best of our ability. And that means, that as authors, imitating other authors and presenting characters with no development but just mouthpieces for our well-intended sermons just isn't going to cut it.

We need to write the books that can change the world. We need to write characters with flaws and strengths, who will live the messages we wish to present. They need to fail and fall, but, with God's help, get back up and carry on. You need to write stories that, though they may be gray, reveal sin for what it is in all its ugliness, though still showing how beautiful it can appear.

We need to write stories of hope and forgiveness, stories of pain and loss. We need happy endings, sad endings, and bittersweet. Most of all, we need endings that point to the True Ending, when Jesus will ride triumphant to victory.

We need writers bold enough to step beyond the line of mediocre, and to write new, original stories. We need authors who aren't afraid to step outside of the boxes that limit us. Gone are the days when we are limited by publishers who only care about what will sell. We can write those weird books that don't really seem to fit any genre. This comes with its evils of course, as the lack of filters allows some pretty nasty, even unedited books to get through, giving us a bad name, but that's why we must rise above the mediocre and polish our stories so that they shine far brighter than even the traditionally published. We don't have a big publishing company standing behind us to tell the world that we are good. We must be good.

And ... that's what's been on my mind the last few weeks. Your thoughts?

17 comments:

  1. My thoughts, exactly. I've had this conversation many a time. I feel like Christian writers should SET the bar for excellence, not strive to imitate the world simply without adding objectionable content to their works - and not just in the publishing world, but in all aspects of everything we do.

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    1. Exactly! Our books should be the best in the market, not the worst. It's so hard, though, sometimes!

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  2. This is a wonderful post, Kendra. I think as a Christian writer it's important for our work to be God honoring, but at the same time, we shouldn't be shoving a sermon down our readers' throats. We should strive for excellence, and through our excellent stories, infuse themes of grace and forgiveness, etc.

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    1. Agreed! No one likes to be preached to - but to be inspired by underlying themes is a completely different. I'd much rather see the characters live out the message.

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    2. "I'd much rather see the characters live out the message."

      And see them do it while not being perfect. A lot of Christian writers fall into the pitfall of making their characters perfect because they're supposed to be Christians and an example to the readers, etc., etc. And they usually just end up being annoying. What's powerful is when incredibly flawed characters live a Christian life. We relate to them instead of feeling guilty.

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    3. Exactly! I want them to live the message- fail and fall, then rise again. As much as I love Elsie Dinsmore, she's hard to relate to. We need Edmunds and Eustaces.

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    4. I like Edmunds and Eustaces. They have so much more powerful stories than the Elsie Dinsmores. And really, our worldview shows in whatever we write, so if we're coming from a Christian worldview, the books should be Christian without even trying.

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  3. One thing I've noticed in Christian writing circles is that it seems some writers try too hard to make their fantasy/fiction "Christian," which is one reason why it may not appeal to a lot of readers. I'm a Christian and I write high fantasy, but it's not based on Christian doctrine (although some is inspired). I don't consider my fantasy in the "Christian fantasy" genre. Christians can still write good fiction without having to based their writing around Christianity.

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    1. Precisely! I like to include Christian themes in my fantasy - and I always want to know where the God-figure fits in and how he's viewed, since it would be illogical for a world to not have any sort of religion. But I want the world to stand on its own and tell its own story, not just be a catalyst for sermons. For instance, I don't classify my Bookanias as Christian Fantasy, even though there is an Author figure. Some of my other works are way more Christian, and I do intend to put them in that category. It just depends.

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    2. That's exactly what I feel. We don't need to try and make our writing explicitly Christian or purposefully put Christian stuff in there to make sure it IS there. If we're actually Christians, it'll show through in our books just where it needs to be.

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  4. I completely agree. Right after I read this for the first time the other day, I went to read something for homework on Flannery O'Connor. She was a devout Catholic, but her stories are full of disastrous, bloody, and violent scenes and characters. Yet there was a deep allegorical aspect to her work. A lot of times, just as a character was dying, they would have a revelation and suddenly see everything they had missed out on and chose to throw away.
    Here's to writing good fiction!

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  5. I absolutely adore that Lewis quote. YES. This always bugs me. I always feel that Christian literature is either ripping off something famous or is just shoddy. Well not ALWAYS. Hehe. There are excellent books out there written by Christians. I actually quit on Christian books altogether recently because...well...quality. Although it makes me squee when I see an author dedicate their book to God (like Veronica Roth!!) and maybe Thomas Wayne Batson's books are ripping off Narnia/Tolkien, but I loved them as a kid. x)

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  6. Yes, yes, yes! Exactly!

    Here's an excellent post I read on this topic a while back that's really never left my mind since. Thought it might interest some people. :) http://kingdompen.org/writers-of-light/

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  7. Love this!! I'm working on my own Christian based fantasy and I'm working to really make it my own story. I really appreciate your take on this subject as I'm in total agreement with you!

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Hi! Now that you've read my post, hast thou any opinions that thou wouldst like to share? I'd love to hear them!

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