The Characteristics – And The Characters – Of A Christian Novel

Winnie Griggs

Hi Winnie Griggs here.  I’m so glad the folks here at Seekerville allow me to keep coming back for visits – I always have such a great time.

Today I’m going to switch gears just a little bit and instead of discussing a craft topic per se, I’d like to talk about the characteristics, and especially the characters, of a Christian novel.

But first, let’s take a minute to talk about what Christian fiction is.  A previous iteration of the Christy Awards website explained it this way:

"Christian fiction is a category of stories written by novelists whose Christian world view is woven into the fabric of the plot and character development.... C.S. Lewis resisted the label "Christian" for his novels, contending that he was simply creating a story. But whether overtly or subtly, Lewis’ fiction came out of his understanding of God and of the universe He created, out of the knowledge that God cares deeply about His creation that has been damaged by sin, and He joined the human race to build a bridge back to himself. This bridge between God and humanity will in some way inform and characterize every Christian novel.

"... Fiction published for the Christian book market does not include the gratuitous demonstration of sin—whether language, violence, sexual situations, or the more hidden sins of idolatry and self-worship. Credible characters in a fallen world, of course, will sin. But the Christian novel’s presentation of the grit and grime of human circumstance will not be done for its own sake or to titillate, but to point the reader toward hope, toward God.

"Because the essence of Christianity is a relationship with God, a Christian novelists’ well-conceived story will in some way, whether directly or indirectly, add insight to the reader’s understanding of life, of faith, and of the Creator’s yearning over His creation."

In other words, the what makes a novel Christian fiction is not that it is “preachy” or moralistic, nor does it necessarily contain a ‘conversion’ scene.  Instead, these books use a Christian worldview to tell stories of fallible people facing real-life problems.

In many ways, writing novels for the Christian market isn’t all that different from writing secular fiction.  To do it well, you must know your craft, have a vivid imagination that you can tap into, and you must be able to tell a story in an engaging, entertaining manner.

The key difference comes in being able to weave one very important additional thread into your stories - that of the Christian worldview.  Christian fiction strives to illustrate that added dimension of spirituality in the characters that populate their pages.

However, the first thing you need to understand is that, the mark of good Christian fiction is not that it is overtly “preachy” or moralistic, nor does it necessarily require a ‘conversion’ scene.  Instead, these books use a Christian worldview to tell stories of fallible people facing real-life problems.

That’s right, characters in a Christian novel should indeed be fallible and flawed, just like real life Christians.  Many new writers make the mistake of thinking that because the book is a told from a Christian worldview, that their protagonists, if they are Christian, should be perfect or at least near-perfect characters.  That simply because they have a deep faith, they should be able to make all the right choices, should never succumb to temptation and be perpetually happy and satisfied with their life.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Not only is that not realistic, as even the bible affirms, but it’s not very interesting or entertaining either.  Because really, who wants to read about perfect people.  Perfect people are boring.  

If you have a ‘goody two shoes’ character who always forgives the wrongs inflicted on him, who never struggles with temptation, who never has to deal with personal flaws such as jealousy, pride or anger, then how can your reader possibly feel any connection or sympathy for him?  And if your heroine has no real conflict in her life, if she doesn’t have to struggle with her decisions, and if she doesn’t fail occasionally, why would anyone be interested in turning the pages of her story? 

As a reader you want to see the characters you’re investing your time in, be torn over decisions, see them struggle with temptation, watch them stumble occasionally, because we learn the most about a character’s true moral fiber when we see how he deals with tough temptations and trials.  And we also want to go on a journey with these characters - a journey that illustrates a character arc that ultimately leads to growth and change.  But how can a character grow and change if they are already perfect to begin with?

We also don’t want to infer that if someone is a Christian, everything will go smoothly in their lives and that, as long as they have true faith, they will never stumble and fall.

So, if the characters in Christian fiction are as flawed as those in secular novels, what makes them different?  The difference is in how they will view their own flaws and transgressions in light of their beliefs, the added nuance to the remorse they feel for having failed to make the right choices, and how they seek to make things right not only with the injured party, but with their creator. 

As authors, our goal is not to ‘preach at’ our readers or to shoehorn in heavy passages of theology.  A spiritual message, no matter uplifting or how biblically sound, without an entertaining story to deliver it in, is merely a sermon, not a novel.   Instead, we want to depict in a realistic, engaging manner what it looks like for someone who is striving, perhaps not always successfully, to follow a Christian lifestyle and still deal with trials and temptations.  In other words, we want to convey the message that there is more to life than what we see on this earthly, physical plane of existence.  And do that in a way that resonates with readers and rings true to how they themselves deal with matters of faith - or how they wish they did.

Of course this extra thread we weave into our stories, that of faith, does hand us an additional responsibility, and means there is more work we must put into our writing.  At the same time it gives us an opportunity to add additional depth to our characters, and it gives us more layers and nuances to explore and tap into as we dig into the values, passions and ambitions of our characters.  

So when you’re digging into your character’s backstory, trying to unearth what molded and shaped them into the people they are in the now of your story, you need to also consider what his or her spiritual environment and upbringing were like.  

Some questions 

you might want to think about: 

·         Did he grow up in a family of devout believers, or were his parents of the apathetic or “in name only” variety.  What about his friends and others he looked up to?

·         Did he attend church regularly as a child?  What about now?

·         How does he feel about organized religion?

·         Was her faith ever tested and if so how and what was the outcome?  If not, what will happen when that test finally comes, because it always does? 

·         How familiar is she with the Bible?   Does she perhaps have a favorite passage, or one that speaks to her on a deep personal level?

·         Does she turn to prayer only in times of need, or does she have a regular robust prayer life? 

Those are just a few examples, but such questions are important for you to answer, whether they show up on the page or not, so that you can truly understand where your character is spiritually as your story opens.  And it can help you to see where you need to take her.  Because, in a work of Christian fiction, part of the character’s story journey will deal with that added dimension of a spiritual arc.  The hero and heroine are not only in conflict with each other as they try to reach their HEA, but there should be some aspect of conflict in their relationship with God - some area of their faith that needs to be changed, deepened or restored. 

And all of this doesn’t apply only to your primary characters, you can use the struggles of secondary characters and the consequences of their choices to highlight your faith message so that the choices your protagonist makes become more vivid.

For each of your characters, as with real life individuals, faith is a deeply personal matter and is something they must work out for themselves in their own way.  And because of this added layer we focus on in our stories, far from handicapping us, writing Christian fiction gives us room for added dimension and creativity.

So what do you think – agree or disagree?  And what can you add to this topic?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SECOND CHANCE HERO

Winning the Widow's Heart 

To help his dying sister, Nate Cooper once broke the law and paid a heavy price for his actions. Now the ex-con turned saddler hopes for a quiet life and new beginning in Turnabout, Texas. Being declared a hero for saving a child’s life, however,  leaves Nate feeling like a fraud. 

Since the violent death of her husband, single mom Verity Leggett has attempted to lead a safe life, avoiding danger and excitement at all costs. And her daughter's handsome rescuer Mr. Cooper seems like a perfectly responsible man, one she can finally rely on. 

When his secrets come to light, however, will Verity be able to get over his past and see Nate for the caring man he's become?