Tag: fiction writing

Categories
The Artist & The Audience

The Rise of “Gritty” Christian Fiction

If you’re reading this post, you probably know what “gritty” Christian fiction is. You might even write it yourself. In fact, there’s a good chance you consider yourself a gritty Christian author.

We all know the story. None of us were satisfied with Christian fiction growing up. No variety. Cookie-cutter stories about cookie-cutter people with cookie-cutter problems. In the end, there was always a cookie-cutter solution. Boring.

Then we grew up and became authors. Now we take matters into our own hands and write the books we needed when we were younger. As a result—with the help of the explosion of indie and small press publishing—we now are living in a world with rapidly diversifying Christian fiction. Fresh tropes, rare genres, unique characters—there’s literally a whole press dedicated to Christian speculative fiction, which was once a rarity. Horizons expand every day.

One particular horizon is the world of “gritty” Christian fiction. These new books don’t shy away from the tough issues. They’re not afraid to show evil as it truly is or address the ugliest problems society has to offer.

But there are some myths circulating in the gritty Christian fiction community. I’d like to tackle them first off.

Myth #1 Gritty Christian Fiction is More Realistic

Actually it isn’t. If you think about it, all fiction has things it cuts out and things the author chooses to focus on. That selective focus is a major part of writing a cohesive story. Real life is overloaded with elements you could be paying attention to—and yet you only look at so many things at one time. Otherwise, you start to go crazy and will probably end up in a coma from overstimulation.

What an author chooses to focus on and how much detail they decide to portray it in is entirely up to them. In the end, it doesn’t have anything to do with the realism of the story.

What actually makes a story feel believable or unbelievable are things like chains of cause and effect, character actions and motivations, and pacing. A reader can forgive the omission of certain details as long as the author has a good grip on those things. Unfortunately, I’ve read too much fiction by Christian writers claiming they added grit to be realistic, but bombed out pretty badly on actually writing a realistic story.

Myth #2 Gritty Content is Deeper and More Meaningful

This one gets implied a lot, and it bothers me. Just because a story includes depictions of alcoholism, abuse, eating disorders, mental illness, or sexual assault doesn’t make it meaningful.

“But it’s raising awareness.” Most of us are already aware, so it has to do a little more than that. I’m sure the definition of “deep” and “meaningful” is relative and subjective, but factually a book with all the gritty issues covered could be a total farce if it’s executed badly. The grit isn’t going to save it.

Whereas a book that was “squeaky-clean” by most people’s standards and had no content warnings could actually be an intensely moving, life-changing, world-shaking story. The argument that a story has to be dark to be deep is usually a strawman that relies on claiming anything else is “fluffy” and “watered-down.” And we’ll get around to how handy this rhetoric is later.

Myth #3 Gritty Christian Fiction is Daring and Unique

This is my favorite myth. Most authors I have noticed branding themselves as “gritty” seem to think they’re a rarity. The truth is, they’re really not. It’s kind of like the “not like other girls” complex. Everyone has it.

Quite possibly every work of Christian fiction I have ever read includes some dark, serious or unsettling element. But then again, I haven’t read a lot of those feel-good clean romances off the mainstream Christian market. But that’s for the Hallmark audience. They have the right to exist, too. Still, it’s simply not true that grit doesn’t come up in Christian fiction quite frequently.

In fact, I’d say including big issues like the ones mentioned above is almost a trend right now. I see a lot of authors use hashtags like #mentalhealthrep #disabilitiesrep and #enddomesticabuse in posts promoting their books. It’s a quick way to draw attention to the themes of your book. (And I’m not knocking it. It’s a good shortcut to getting people to care about your story when they’re too lazy to read a blurb.) What I’m saying is, these authors are not outliers. There’s quite a community.

The Problem with Branding Yourself as a Gritty Christian Author

In spite of the apparent advantages of branding your work as “gritty,” there are actually some major problems with leaning too heavily on that image as a brand-identity.

First of all, it’s too subjective.  How gritty are you, really? Everyone is going to come in with different expectations when they start reading a gritty piece of fiction. (This goes for “clean” Christian authors too. No one is going to have the same standards.)

The second issue is it can actually start a little drama within your would-be community. Being particularly vocal about your opinions of “clean” vs.. “gritty” fiction can wind up with you, intentionally or unintentionally putting other Christian authors and readers down. That’s something you probably should avoid if you want any friends.

Lastly, and I’ll repeat myself here, no, it really isn’t that unique. You have to find what truly gives you your own inimitable flair when it comes to branding. If you put all your emphasis on something too many others in your community are emphasizing, you’re going to blend in.

Putting in the work of finding your true brand-identity as an artist is very important, and actually a lot of fun. I’d recommend you check out this post to get started.

If You Want to Write Gritty Content

So, am I against writing about tough issues and including gritty content in Christian fiction? No. Definitely not.

By all means, tackle the tough issues. Hey, some people might even consider my work gritty. It’s entirely up to you what you write about, and God definitely wants Christians to address the hard things in life. But I do have a few quick words of advice if you’re going to write gritty fiction.

Respect your reader’s right to object to your content. Some people are going to be uncomfortable with some of what you write. They might give you bad reviews or DNF you. Never lash out at readers. You’re not a politician. You don’t need to argue, explain or publicly defend yourself. You’re an artist. It’s okay if you’re not universally liked or understood. You’re not here to win people over to your side and score points. Your real readers will find you.

Here’s one more thing to consider: You may or may not want to brand yourself as an “issue writer.” I’ll do a whole post on this sometime. But You might have to decide if you’d rather be an artist or an activist. If the issues you’re trying to bring to light become the point over and above creating great fiction, it might end up hurting your development as a creative. This is happening in a lot of western mainstream entertainment right now.

I guess what I’m saying here is, don’t become a propaganda machine. This is the real reason a lot of Christian media crashes and burns. Not because they’re not talking about real-world problems, but because they’re preaching about them instead of telling stories.

“Clean” or “gritty” it has to be about the story.

Categories
Writing

7 Ways to Fall Back in Love with Your WIP

Sometimes the spark dies. You take a long break. You put your book on the backburner for some reason. Then you have to figure out how to start writing again.

Maybe you’re coming out of burnout or have simply been too busy with other things to write your current book. Whatever the reason, when you open up your document it hits you hard—you’ve fallen out of love with your WIP.

Some people would give it up at this point. Maybe it’s kind of a lame story after all. It just doesn’t interest you anymore, so why keep torturing yourself over that blank page? It was just a phase. Maybe I’m not really a writer at all.

But you’re here because that isn’t you. You want to start writing again and finish that WIP. You’ve poured too much into it to abandon it now. So, what are you going to do? It’s up to you, but here are seven possible strategies that might help you fall back in love with your WIP.

#1 Make and listen to a playlist

For a lot of authors, music can really get the imagination going full-sail. If you haven’t tried making a playlist for your WIP, maybe you should blow some time doing that now, since you feel stuck anyway. You can go with instrumentals and soundtracks, or try hunting down songs with vibes and lyrics that line up with your characters and themes.

Once you’ve got your playlist, spend some time listening to it while doing other things. You’ll probably start daydreaming which could lead to brainstorming, which could lead to actually wanting to write.

#2 What do you love about the project? Write some of that

Go ahead and write some scenes you’re looking forward to. Write the things that excite you about the story. You know which characters you enjoy the most—write some interactions between them or throw them into a fun action or humor scene you may or may not actually use.

Don’t try to do a good job or fit these scenes into your manuscript. You don’t even have to finish a scene if you don’t feel like it. Skip around to different scenes until you find one you do feel like writing.

#3 Write letters, journal entries, etc. by your favorite characters

You need a deep connection with your characters. Getting into your main characters’ minds and immersing yourself in their hopes struggles and views of their world is a powerful exercise. Writing letters from one character to another, from yourself to your characters, is one way to do it. Journal entries are also great.

Feel free to pick any point in your story to write from. It can be from before the beginning, after the end, near the climax, or exactly wherever it is you’re stuck right now. Grab a notebook or open a new document and start writing. (Plus, this could potentially double as fun bonus material to help promote your book later.)

#4 Re-read your favorite parts

If you feel like your writing as terrible right now, try going back to some scenes you’ve already written and rereading them with an open mind. You might even be able to remember some scenes you actually enjoyed writing, or felt good about once you got them down. Check those out.

You might even end up re-reading several chapters—or even the whole manuscript so far. This is actually a good sign. That means you’re more interested in your story than you might have thought.

#5 Tell someone else about the project—tell them what makes it good

This is a great project. If it wasn’t you wouldn’t have started it. Try talking to someone—anybody who is nice and will listen. Tell them your premise. Tell them why you love the characters and why you wish you lived in their world. You started writing the book you wanted to read, didn’t you? Why did you want to read it?

Recommending your book to other people is a skill you’re going to need to learn anyway. If you don’t want to bother an actual person with your rant, try just writing it out. You might come up with some good loglines or material for your blurb that will come in handy later, so be sure to save it.

#6 Make fan-art or write fan-fiction of your own stories

Be your own biggest fan for a while. If you draw, crack open your sketchbook and start drawing some of the best moments from your story. If you’re not inclined that way, just try writing. Write some alternative universe pieces. Drop your characters into the modern world, or Narnia, or swap them out with the crew of the starship Enterprise and see what happens.

These fan-works can be as lazy or as elaborate as you’d like. The point is to shake out the creative stiffness and have some fun with your characters again. This will give you a chance to develop their personalities and might even give you some idea for plot twists that could liven up your actual story.

#7 Find what’s making you feel stuck and fix it

If you feel up to it, maybe you want to get down to business and find out what’s really making you feel stuck. Is there something you’re actually struggling with about the project itself? Do you know what it is?

Put some thought into it and then start brainstorming. Treat it like a puzzle with an answer you want to find. But don’t put pressure on yourself to solve it too fast. Remember—this is part of the writing process. Not all writing is putting words down in a document. That’s the easy part. This is the part where you have to use your brain and do what only you can do for your story. Don’t be afraid to work hard on it and take your time.

What If I’m Still Stuck?

Did you actually try everything? Have some hope. I doubt you can really stay uninterested in spite of all your efforts to start writing again. There’s a reason you started this WIP. You’re going to find a reason to finish it. There will be hard parts. It’s probably going to take a lot longer than you expected. But if you are truly meant to write it, you’ll fall back in love with it eventually. Trust the process and give yourself grace.

Categories
Writing

Why Beautiful Prose Still Matters

I don’t read much fanfiction. I get a little nauseous slogging through what’s out there. There is just so much, and so much of it is just…wow.

What the fanfiction universe has to offer is a very interesting cross-section of amateur writing. There are a lot of levels of seriousness and dedication. You can tell who is interested in actually writing and who is mainly interested in uh…toxic relationships between questionable character pairings.

And a lot of the writing is absolutely horrible. I won’t slam it too hard, since I know a lot of the writers are young and we shouldn’t expect too much. But when you’re browsing Wattpad you can tell right away when a story is going to be unenjoyable to read. You can tell by the first sentence, typically.

But every now and then I come across something shocking. I come across something stunning—something that sounds like it came out of a published novel. And not just any published novel but a good one. A turn of phrase that’s memorable, emotional, quotable, iconic. It’s a piece of art.

Does that mean I want to read the rest of the story? Does it mean the character development is powerful with a deep transforming arc? Does it mean the plot is well-paced and intriguing or the theme is subtle and meaningful?

No. But does it make me, just for a second, kind of wish I could read it anyway?

Believe it or not, for a second, it does.

For a while now, writers have kind of looked down on prose.

Now, it’s absolutely true that prose can be overdone. You can use way too many words to describe something that could have been evoked in two or three. Sometimes the fancier world is less specific. Not every sunset is worth a whole paragraph.

But some sunsets will be. More on this later.

There’s something I’ve got to tell you. It might be hard for you to hear, but here’s the fact: if you’re reading this, there is a one-hundred percent chance you are not Earnest Hemmingway. How do I know this? Because Hemmingway is dead.

Sparse is not always better. I almost think a lot of the advice the fiction-writing world has adopted is academic writing advice. Clear and concise, brief as possible, only saying just enough to relay the necessary information. If you really love minimalism, I won’t knock it, but sorry, that doesn’t sound like art to me. And fiction is supposed to be art.

I have read professional published novels that sound like eighty-thousand-word outlines because the author was afraid of prose. Is that really what people want to read? Because I don’t actually find it that satisfying.

So, what makes good writing?

I’m going to stick to four main things:

  • Character development
  • Character-driven plot
  • Well-handled theme
  • Beautiful prose

Let’s look at these one at a time.

Character Development

This one is huge. There is no story without character arcs. This is easily the area I have put the most study into because, first of all, I love it, and second, your characters and how they change and respond to the events of the plot literally is the story.

If you want to learn more about building characters and crafting powerful, satisfying arcs, I highly recommend Abbie Emmons. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched every one of her videos at least once and her free worksheets are incredibly handy. She’s been a game-changer for my character work.

So has K. M. Weiland’s Creating Character Arcs. I really appreciated how well this book tied plot-structure and character development together, which leads into the next point.

Character-driven Plot

Plot and character development are intrinsically linked, and really shouldn’t be separated. The plot should be driven by the characters’ decisions, which in turn are driven by the characters’ inner changes. This keeps the plot from feeling like an awkward series of disconnected events strung together.

Oh, my tip for this is study three-act structure and always bring it back around to who the characters are and what they’re seeking. That will put you way ahead of a lot of writers already.

Well-handled Theme

I didn’t used to think much about theme. I just kind of let it happen. You can do that as long as you don’t neglect getting into your characters’ heads and finding out how they think. But you shouldn’t be afraid to use theme in your fiction. As long as you keep it grounded in the complexity of your specific story and your characters’ circumstances, it won’t come off too preachy.

Prose

Prose is the medium you’re working in when you write. It’s your paint, your clay, your graphite. You have to use words to write. Without prose, your story can’t materialize. Everything else on this list is just an abstract idea. When you begin to write, it finally condenses out of that haze in the form of prose.

But why is prose important?

For one thing, it ties back to character. Whether or not you write in first-person, your prose is the voice of your point-of-view character. On the most basic level, it shows us what they see, hear, feel, smell and taste as they move through the story.

It also shows how they perceive it all. Prose gives us a look through their lens—it’s effected by their emotional state, by their understanding of their world, by their preconceptions and assumptions and fears. It’s not security-camera footage that just flatly shows what happened.

And beyond that, prose is about pulling a reader into a moment. Some moments need to be highlighted and lingered on. You might want to describe that sunset after the city burns. You don’t need action at that point. You don’t even need characters at that point.

This is for the reader. They need a second to take it in. Your reader is a human too. Humans need time to feel.

Writing is probably the most complicated art form that can be wielded by one person. Film takes a team. Operas and ballets enlist whole companies. But when you sit down to type out a novel in the solitude of your room, you have a whole universe at your command—and you can’t skimp on anything. Readers will notice.

Privacy Policy