Resources for Christian Writers

Recently my friend Morgan and I were discussing "cliche Christianity" and how detrimental it is when telling a story of truth and beauty: oftentimes Christian fiction (which is its own genre; I'll elaborate on that later) is unrealistic, shallow, preachy, and full of jargon and phraseology that non-Christians don't understand. As Christian writers, we lamented that so much Christian "art" isn't artistic at all. We discussed our struggles in our own writing to both glorify God and create a story that captivates readers of all faiths--or no faith. Because if truth isn't accessible to the rest of the world, what's the point of telling it?

If you are a Christian writer, dear reader, you may struggle with this as well. How does one write beautiful prose, flawed characters, morally ambiguous situations, and engaging plot, and work for the God at the same time?

The idea that writing can't be both Christian and artful is a false dichotomy, an assumption garnered by the fact that much Christian fiction--a genre focusing on explicitly Christian storylines--isn't artful. But just because a genre tends to fail doesn't mean it can't succeed.

And it doesn't mean all Christian writing is poorly done, either. I consider myself a Christian writer, and I've never written Christian fiction. My genre is fantasy, sometimes sci-fi, and on rare occasions realistic fiction. For me, to be a Christian writer is to be a Christian and a writer. God has called me to use my writing for Him; that doesn't mean I have to switch genre.

Here are some tips, inspired by my discussions with other Christian writers, on how to avoid "cliche Christianity" in your writing, whether you write Christian fiction or not.

1. Keep it realistic. Yes, Saul became Paul in a blinding flash of light, and the prodigal son ran into his father's arms--but those are rare instances, not the norm. In good writing, there's a gradual character arc, which starts with a dysfunctional character. His beliefs are challenged, his coping mechanisms for his brokenness fail him, and he finally faces a situation where he cannot reach his utmost desire without changing. Personal change is slow, because it requires hard work and breaking bad habits, both of which run against human nature.
2. Go deep with your themes. No one likes a story with a moral--a surface-level call to action that everyone already knows they should be doing. Instead of a moral, use a theme. Themes are deep. They are hidden within the story, never stated outright, never made obvious, but revealed in subtle ways, such as symbolism, a subplot, or the natural consequences of a character's dysfunction or change. Make your reader work to find your theme, and they'll be more likely to be moved by it.
3. Don't preach. Yes, I already said not to use a moral. A moral is one way of preaching. But a seemingly perfect side character or mentor who always says wholesome things, always does what's right etc., is not only unrealistic (all people are flawed), but also preachy. A character who never messes up grates on everyone's nerves. They make us feel bad when we unconsciously compare ourselves to them. We secretly hope something terrible will happen to that character, but it never does. It seems like they're being rewarded for their holiness. That's another unrealistic form of preaching. News flash: most of the time, we are not rewarded for holiness on Earth. Even the best people are going to suffer like heck for no discernable reason. Other ways one might preach in one's writing include the totally evil character who faces drastic punishment and the unhappy character who has a super messed-up past and always tells everyone not to sin or they'll end up like him. These are stereotypes. Avoid them.
4. Eschew Christian jargon. Christianity, like any activity that a select group of individuals participate in, has its own jargon. Repentance, salvation, testimony, Communion, brothers and sisters in Christ, transfiguration, Trinity, saw the light, following Jesus, in the world but not of the world, Resurrection, and hundreds of other words and phrases are perfectly fine if you know what they mean. If you're writing for an all-Christian audience, feel free to use them. But anyone who hasn't grown up in the church probably won't know what some words and phrases mean, simply because they've never heard them used in certain contexts. Heck, I have grown up in the church, and I didn't really know what "in Christ" vs "Christ in me" meant until a few months ago when the youth pastor preached a whole sermon on it! Christians use so much figurative language and so many euphemisms that at times, it seems we're not speaking English. We have our own language, and we use it without realizing it sometimes. If you really want to get through to nonbelievers, pay attention to the words you use. Don't use jargon.

Additional Resources for Christian Writers

If you want to go more in-depth into how to write good stories from a Christian worldview, here are some resources to check out. (I may add to this list in the future.)

The Christian Writers' Reading Challenge

Quick self-promo: I've done a series on great books for Christian writers, with reading plans and study questions included. Check it out in the Christian Writers section of the blog. :)

Websites

Story Embers

The Habit

Redeemed Reader (book recommendations from Christian moms)

Books on Writing

Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys by Carol Alwood (not specifically Christian, but full of good writing advice)

Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

Beate Not the Poore Desk by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Wordsmithy by Douglas Wilson

The Roar on the Other Side by Suzanne U. Rhodes (on poetry, specifically)

Books in General

Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language

Tree and Leaf by JRR Tolkien (this is a collection of works by Tolkien--focus especially on the short story Leaf by Niggle, the poem Mythopoeia, and the essay On Fairy Stories)

12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson (he's an atheist, but he recognizes the importance of themes in stories and how they improve our lives)