Not all fiction has religious themes. But neglecting the faith (or lack thereof) of your MC means a hollow story and lost opportunities for impact. Here's how you do it right.
This was a fantastic article! Thank you so much! This makes me think about when I became a born-again Christian at the age of twenty. My behavior before my salvation was completely different than my behavior afterward. This single event propelled my life in a totally different direction than I was headed before being convicted of my sin. My faith actually helped me incorporate that level of transformation into writing for my characters as well. This was 100% accurate, thanks so much! The X-Files was such a game-changer lol.
When I was in college and discerning my faith, I had a friend ask me: "How would your life be different if you were an atheist?" I honestly had no answer for her, which made me delve into what I actually believed and ponder whether my behavior matched up. Needless to say, it didn't, and it was like a light bulb going off. I was doing what the world said I should do and not understanding why I wasn't happy. Once I changed my behavior to match my beliefs, it was like night and day. So glad for those late night dorm room conversations :)
What a great story. Your friend was wise to ask you that question! My conversion happened in college too. I was in the middle of a screenwriting class and had written a horror story that was very popular. But, after I was saved, I threw out the horror script to write a family-friendly story because I felt convicted about writing such evil material. When I presented the new screenplay to my class, it wasn't well received by my peers. Even my teacher seemed confused by my decision, lol. At the end of my college experience, I told one of my teachers why I stopped writing horror and he laughed and told me that college students usually LOSE their faith in college, not find it. It's amazing to see how God uses our ordinary circumstances to call us to repentance. Thanks for sharing!
Love this article. Faith is such a compelling force in our lives, it feels like such a rich vein for authors to tap into. Thank you for sharing.
Definitely. It informs so much of who we are it's amazing how many authors skim right over it
This was a fantastic article! Thank you so much! This makes me think about when I became a born-again Christian at the age of twenty. My behavior before my salvation was completely different than my behavior afterward. This single event propelled my life in a totally different direction than I was headed before being convicted of my sin. My faith actually helped me incorporate that level of transformation into writing for my characters as well. This was 100% accurate, thanks so much! The X-Files was such a game-changer lol.
When I was in college and discerning my faith, I had a friend ask me: "How would your life be different if you were an atheist?" I honestly had no answer for her, which made me delve into what I actually believed and ponder whether my behavior matched up. Needless to say, it didn't, and it was like a light bulb going off. I was doing what the world said I should do and not understanding why I wasn't happy. Once I changed my behavior to match my beliefs, it was like night and day. So glad for those late night dorm room conversations :)
What a great story. Your friend was wise to ask you that question! My conversion happened in college too. I was in the middle of a screenwriting class and had written a horror story that was very popular. But, after I was saved, I threw out the horror script to write a family-friendly story because I felt convicted about writing such evil material. When I presented the new screenplay to my class, it wasn't well received by my peers. Even my teacher seemed confused by my decision, lol. At the end of my college experience, I told one of my teachers why I stopped writing horror and he laughed and told me that college students usually LOSE their faith in college, not find it. It's amazing to see how God uses our ordinary circumstances to call us to repentance. Thanks for sharing!
I agree. In my writing project faith and the Catholic culture play a big part in my story.
Muldner: "The Devil is the guy who tells you what you want to hear."
Well said: Come to think of it I wanted to hear that POV. Thanks Kristin... I think.