Christian Fiction: Writing For the Heart and Soul

Christian fiction is writing for the heart and soul of readers, and a beacon of light among other genres in the book industry. Although it might not be the most popular, it's a book genre that holds significance for its creative inspiration, godly purpose, and passionate influence. Stories can be a powerful tool to encourage readers and teach unforgettable lessons. It's the same approach Jesus Christ took with his disciples and many people he encountered along his life's journey, telling earthly parables to explain spiritual lessons. Christian fiction writers can impact readers through the gift of writing and the art of storytelling. So, what makes Christian fiction significant compared to other genres? And how do Christian writers write for the heart and soul? Let's dissect and evaluate these two questions below. 🔍

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WATCH THE EPISODE

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See episode 13 of season 2 of my Journey of a Christian Writer series, Christian Fiction: Writing for the Heart and Soul or continue reading the blog post below.

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CHRISTIAN FICTION IS A BEACON OF LIGHT

"And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it..." - Mark 4:33

Jesus told parables or "short stories" back during the time he walked here on earth, which were used to teach his disciples and specifically sinners and non-believers as another way of explaining certain morals, virtues, and spiritual lessons to those who were hard of hearing the truth of the Gospel. Christian fiction writers can do similar things with their short stories and novels. With their stories, they can inspire faith, give hope, and glorify God through story writing and the art of fiction. There are so many different kinds of books, but not all of them are used to encourage readers to have faith in God or live a life for Christ. Many people read books to escape reality and sometimes to avoid personal problems in their lives. However, something that is significant about most Christian fiction is that it's more so typically used to help readers cope with reality rather than escape from reality. Unlike certain other genres, such as fantasy or science fiction books.

The majority of Christian fiction is about ordinary characters who deal with realistic situations people face every day that readers can relate to in real life. Although, some Christian fiction can also be fantasy-based or biblical fiction--fiction that takes place during the biblical times and within the ancient lands mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. But even then, these types of stories can relate to present time as well. After all, the Word of God was written for this very purpose in our modern world today, as stated in Romans chapter fifteen and verse four:

For whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

This relates to my favorite line in the 2017 Christian film, "A Question of Faith," when the father places his small testament bible in his son's hand and mentions how all of our answers to our good fortunes and sufferings come from the Word of God. Everything we could ever obtain or experience in our lives has already been recorded to help guide us through life.

What I liked most about this movie is the three-plot approach and how the storylines merged together, ending with the three families gathering in friendly greetings during the closing song "Thank You, Lord" after Michelle Danielson (played by Amber Nelon Thompson), the daughter of the white family enters into the church. I think it was cleverly done and brilliantly written, but I'll talk more Lord-willing about different ways of structuring subplots later.

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WRITING FOR THE HEART AND SOUL

So, how do Christian writers write for the heart and soul of readers?

Well, here's two simple techniques that can help them.

1. Write about characters readers can relate to and connect with on a deep, emotional level, that they can root for, and that they can empathize or sympathize with in the story.

   
   

   While creating your characters, take your readers into consideration and use a variety of different characters in the stories of your Christian fiction books with different backgrounds or approaches toward their life, faith, and religion. All of your readers may not be actual believers, so create a mix of different types of story characters. For example, characters that have suffered hardships in their lives and trying to recuperate from them, characters that strive to redeem themselves from their past mistakes, and characters that have lost faith in God due to traumatic experiences. Don't keep yourself in a limited box, as there are many scenarios Christian fiction writers can use while writing their stories and multiple characters that can tug at the hearts of your readers.

   
   

2. Include and weave in spiritual truth from the Word of God into your story to connect with the soul of readers.

   
   

   There isn't any better way to connect with the soul of readers than the Word of God itself. As I mentioned above, everything is recorded in there about the challenges, temptations, triumphs, and trials we face. Whether one believes it or not, the scriptures themselves were left behind as a guide for us all as we journey through the ups and downs of life. Christian fiction writers can and should utilize this in their stories. For example, maybe an atheist character struggles to have faith and just happens to come across a Holy Bible and reads the first verse of Hebrews chapter eleven, which states the following:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Then, from reading the verse, the character contemplates about it, coming to the realization that one's belief in God isn't actually dependent on seeing anything with the physical eye, but believing in Him and that he or she should walk by faith and not by sight.

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CLOSING REMARKS:

Christian fiction can be a great resource to inspire and give people hope while going through adversities and difficult times. By reading about characters similar to themselves and how they were able to have faith and learn to cope in positive ways, it can influence readers to do the same in their lives. Christian fiction is also a genre that can not only entertain readers but also allow them to learn valuable lessons they can take with them well after finishing the stories of these kinds of novels or books. Similar to the parables Jesus told to his disciples, readers can take the spiritual lessons from Christian fiction stories and apply them to their natural and spiritual lives in real life. For more writing videos or tutorials, subscribe to my writing channel Journey of a Christian Writer series. All right, that ends this post. If you found it helpful, please, give it a (heart❤️), and share your thoughts or comments 💬 below.)  

Happy Writing! 😊✍🏽💻

Hey, Christian Writers, what are some of your favorite Christian fiction authors or novels or Christian films or movies? Share them in the comments. 📽️🍿📚