When other writers learn that I write Christian speculative fiction, one of the most common responses is:
"Wow. That's great. I could never do that. It would be too difficult to work with all the restrictions in Christian fiction."
While I understand and completely respect this point of view, it always makes me chuckle a little bit. Because sure, Christian fiction can be difficult, confusing, and disconcerting, especially when it comes to deciding what type of content to explore. While it does take a lot of prayer and a lot of thought and a lot of guts, Christian fiction doesn't have to be as difficult as people make it out to be. There are a lot of different angles to consider, but let's talk about the three most debated subjects:
Violence. Sex. Swearing.
Yep. We're going to tackle those today. If you aren't a writer of Christian fiction, some of these tips still absolutely apply to you, so stick around. We'll all learn something.
Before I take each of these three topics separately, let's take them all collectively. Here are some questions you should ask yourself when writing Christian fiction:
Question 1: Who is my audience? If you're writing KidLit, your books shouldn't have explicit swearing, sex, or violence in it. This goes for any type of writer, not just Christians. You need to take your audience into account. If you're writing for a mature audience, you can explore more topics that you would otherwise. This is a very simple concept, so I won't bother explaining it further.
Question 2: Am I being honest? Look. People have sex. They swear. And violence of every kind is rampant in our world. If your story doesn't allude to any of this, then you need to be careful. Christian writers have created a massive problem by perpetrating this concept that, if you believe in God, things magically get better for you. This is an incredibly harmful lie...one that has led to poor fiction, shallow faith, and feelings of pain and betrayal by those of us who have been faced with the realization that God is not, in fact, a magician who exists to make all of our problems go away. So please, please, please: STOP. Stop lying.
The world is a dark place. Acknowledging this fact does not lessen our God. And you know what? Being honest will help way more people than trying to cover the truth. If you read the Bible, you will see raw honesty in its pages. There are chapters that cover incredibly hard topics, even ones that may be considered indecent by some. They are tackled head-on because to keep hard topics in the dark is to give them more sway.
So, as you write, you need to ask yourself: Are you being honest? If not: Why? Are you skirting around topics because you are afraid of them? If so: That is not any way to write a story.
Be honest.
Question 3: What will explicit content add to my story? Okay. First, let's explain what explicit content is. That would include uncensored swearing, realistic depictions of violence (yeah, including blood and varying levels of gore), and on-page sex.
Got it?
Alright. Now. Why are you inclined to add (or not add) these to your story? Maybe it doesn't fit into the context of the book. That's fine. But what if it
does fit? What if you're writing a fantasy novel with swords, or your gritty dystopian has a character who would naturally be inclined to swearing and sex? Then you need to ask: Are you adding explicit content to titillate your readers, appear 'hip,' or be lazy? Or are you doing it in an purposeful, thought-provoking manner? Everything you write should be intentional. Explicit content is no different.
Question 4: Am I taking the "stumbling block" verse out of context? Let me answer that question for you: Yes. You probably are. If you were to write a book with a lot of swearing and then gift it to a person who you know is bothered by foul language, then yes, you are being a stumbling block. But if you were to write a book with a lot of swearing and market it as the type of story that will have gritty language, you are not being a stumbling block. You are being upfront about the type of story it is and people are making the decision to spend money on said story. You did what you could (wrote and marketed according to your conscience). If purchasers are then bothered by the content, that is on them. They have a responsibility to themselves to monitor what they buy and consume.
It's not a hard concept, people. Stop abusing that verse.
Question 5: Am I following God's plan for my writing? You need to pray long and hard about the stories that you write. And you need to be reading your Bible, studying earnestly, and holding honest discussions with fellow Christians. If you aren't doing this, your story will stray. As will you.
Okay. Now let's tackle each topic individually:
What about violence?
Christian fiction does this weird thing where gore and violence is fairly rampant and supposedly totally acceptable. I am 100% convinced that this is because people point at the Bible and say, "Look! Look at how violent some of the passages are! If it's in the Bible, it can be in my book!"
*facepalm*
The idiocy, you guys. It's killing me.
Is there violence in the Bible? Yes. Does God like violence? NO.
So yes, violence can be present in your books. But you absolutely should not be glorifying it. Your characters should feel deep pain upon taking a life....Unless you mean to show that they've become numb to this pain, in which case you should be showing the negative effects this can have.
With that said, how much violence is too much? Well. Ask yourself: Does this need to be here? What's the point? Do you need to show intestines spilling from somebody's stomach? Or brain matter splattering against a wall?
Maybe. If you are writing for a mature audience and are attempting to show darkness with the intent of magnifying light and salvation, then okay. But remember: The more gore you use, the less of an impact it has. So use it sparingly. And be damn sure that it's necessary and not just there because you're too lazy to write about darkness creatively or thoughtfully.
What about swearing?
Ah. This one drives me insane. You can have a Christian novel with violence, but your character better not utter an expletive. Ever.
Errrr. What?
Let's address why people (specifically Christians) believe that swearing is a no in fiction:
1) It's lazy. Just use other ways to show this emotion. So, I get this one, but it's not always realistic. If you are writing a gritty character, he/she is going to swear. And no, you can't just not write these types of characters because these people do exist and to erase them from fiction falls into the dishonest realm I discussed in Question 2.
2) The Bible has all those verses about controlling your tongue and only letting wholesome things come out of your mouth, so obviously that means no cursing in fiction. Whoa. That's quite the logic leap you took there. I'd be impressed if I wasn't so annoyed.
It is true that swearing is often an expression that reveals problems of the heart. However, for a character to have an arc, they are supposed to have problems inside. If a character is the type that would swear, then to write them otherwise is to instantly make your character fake. You are being inauthentic, which drives away some readers and invites others to lead shallow, unexamined lives.
But how much swearing is too much? Like with gore, the more swearing you use, the less it means. So use it intentionally.
Are there some words you just shouldn't use? As for words you shouldn't use: Much of this depends on the audience and context. For example, the F word can be used in a lot of different ways: To show surprise, anger, lust, or sexual aggressiveness. The first two instances? Realistic. The last two? Realistic, yes, but also unnecessary and lazy because those are issues that need to be handled much more carefully than something as simple as anger or shock. Examine the context in which you would use profanity to see if you are using it as a way to add authenticity to the story, or as a way to brush over severely problematic character behaviors.
What about sex?
This one's tricky. Or is it?
Sex is not a bad thing. It is something beautiful, but also something that God intended to take place between one man and one woman who are married to each other. Any sexual acts that fall outside of this specific scenario is in defiance of God's plan.
However, these acts still happen. And we as Christian writers can't just pretend that they don't.
What about explicit sex? There is no reason for on-page sex. Sex is a private gift shared between a married couple. To show it on-page serves no purpose to the plot and puts both yourself and your readers in a voyeuristic position.
This same concept applies to on-page sexual acts that stop short of actual sex. While it may be necessary to show some of this for plot/character purposes, you need to be careful enough to do so in a manner that isn't voyeuristic and that is portraying a healthy relationship (or showing the dangers of an unhealthy one). A tall order, but you took that upon yourself when you decided to write Christian fiction, so step up.
But what about implied sex? As mentioned before, there's nothing wrong with sex. So if you have specific reason for showing your characters kissing and then heading off to have sex off-page, sure. But do so thoughtfully, and please, please don't make your story: "And then they got married, had sex, and now their relationship is magically perfect and beautiful." ???? No. That's not how this works. Be real. There is more to a relationship than sex. Acknowledge this in your fiction.
What about implied sex between unmarried couples? The same logic for married couples pertains here, too, but with an added caveat: Remember that this act goes against the intended way of things. It does happen, yes, so you can be honest and explore this in your book. But you also need to be all. the. way. honest. Pre-marital sex exists, but at what cost? There are many emotional, physical, and relational problems that can come from this, so you should not be glorifying pre-marital sexual relations. Just as you need to be honest about sex existing in our world, you need to be honest about the ramifications of abusing it.
Aaaand I think we're done here. I'm can feel all the questions and disagreements coming at me, so let's hear them! What are your thoughts, questions, or concerns on the matter? As always, you are free to disagree with me, but please keep the comment section logical and kind.
Related article:
8 Problems in the Christian Fiction Genre (And How to Fix Them)
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