My writing has changed drastically from when I was a wee kiddo who wrote for HOURS on end. Hours. My craft has improved, and my direction and reasons for writing has developed and matured, I think, in some ways.

I honestly praise God for all of this, for helping me improve, for providing me with resources and people that help me get better at writing, and at knowing why I write.

Today, my writing looks different compared to the stories I wrote way back. In more ways than the usual spelling/grammar, plot, theme, etc. I mean in how I write it.

My stories today don't usually have a directly religious element to them like they did way back (I think nearly every story had one. Which is not a bad thing, I will clarify!). My current WIP, Empire of Blood and Shadow, doesn't have any mention of God. I think under the surface some character do have faith, but it's not mentioned.

But, I'm coming to think that even this can be God-glorifying. It really depends on how God's truths are written. Even if a hero doesn't have a visible faith, does he or she think murder is fine, and they never deviate from that belief? Or, if they hold that mindset, do they change, and see that murder is wrong, and that there are consequences?

God's Word tells us that murder is wrong, so our stories shouldn't be condoning it. Villains can be the exception for obvious reasons, and while heroes or "good guy" side characters might condone it, it shouldn't be the end mindset.

Things like that. God's Word is how we should base our writing. Even if we don't give our stories a religious theme or other elements, God's truths and commandments should still reflect in our writing. This is how we glorify Him. And that's how, I've been learning, I can glorify God, even if my stories don't have visible Christian elements.

Thoughts? These are just my thoughts about it. It's a recent-ish development in my writing career, but I've been loving exploring what it means.

Well, you did ask...

Marco dropped out of the Associates in Theology program. He is a Christian and was going to ask Susan to marry him after he returned from a year long missionary trip. When he got back she was pregnant and with someone else.

So he joined a mercenary Marine unit and lived with fewer morals. His girlfriend is pregnant but he didn't know it before he shipped out. He's on a new planet with lots of beautiful women attracted to a handsome young Marine. Irene didn't show up at his departure and he figures she's with her ex-fiance. Leaving him just like Susan. Through the story he flirts with several women.

Yet he knows his heart and his body are in conflict. He struggles with the temptation and nearly fails more than once. Part of the story is showing that people of faith are not perfect.

Here is an example:

You met Tala in "Marine". She is an untrained Psion and underage exotic dancer. In a later book she meets Alan, and older man who, due to visions sent by the Creator, has seen and loved her for a year before they met. She can share memories when in contact, I use italics to show that the other person is seeing things from her memory.

#####
[Tala] - [Birach 1416.56.1410 IST (1110 local)] Tala’s office, Nowhere

Alan watched Tala pace back and forth. She had said they needed to talk and then stomped to her office.

He liked watching her walk. And stand. And do most everything. She wasn’t exactly like his visions but Kari’s picture was so real. She glanced back at him and walked faster. Others got out of her way and Alan smiled at them and picked up the pace.

She was better than his vision; she was right there. She was woman enough to get any man’s attention and Alan was a man. Yet she was angel enough that he could barely hope she’d want to spend time with someone she couldn’t talk to. Someone so much older. Someone who couldn’t fly a spaceship or lead an army.

Tala slammed the door as they stood in her office. She looked at him and walked to the corner of the room. She flipped the pages of some book and then walked back in front of him. She shook her head and walked back to the corner and hugged herself tight. She scowled at him and then stared out the window.

She sighed and her head fell. Her steps clumped as she slowly approached him.

“You won’t like me.” She whispered. “But I gotta be honest. Please don’t say anything to anyone else.”

Her hand slowly reached out. Her finger tips touched Alan’s temple. His throat locked up, he couldn’t breathe.

Alan watched his dad walk away carrying two bags of grain...

He could barely follow the trail of pain and abuse. The sin of human traffiking made him want to puke and to kill. There he was in the middle of it; passed from one group of men to another.

Alan smelled Marco’s jacket as he pulled it close and quit shivering. He looked into Marco’s eyes and saw...concern.

Alan watched a tear roll down Tala’s cheek as she backed away. “Marco was the first guy in a long time that looked at me like I was special. Not an object. That’s why I love him. I know you’re a good man. You deserve a good wife. Not me.”

Alan leaned forward. He smelled the coffee on her breath. Another beautiful thing about her. He thought about his plan to court her over time. Maybe. He reached out and pulled her close.

She resisted. Her head fell. He smelled the side of her neck. With one hand he gently lifted hers. A soft kiss on her finger tips and he pressed them back to his forehead

Alan could talk in his visions. He walked with Tala and spoke about the best fishing spots and how he liked to cook his fish with onions sliced up real small. He showed her the meadow where he used to pray every day that the Creator would let him talk. Where he had shaken his fist at the Creator for preventing him from talking like a normal person and leading a normal life. Having a normal wife.

The same meadow where the Creator had whispered that his wife was hurting too. That she needed a husband who understood shame. Pain. Loss.

Her eyes were red. He leaned forward and kissed her. He pulled her close and she did not resist. She sniffled. He covered her bristly Raider haircut with kisses.

Alan raised his hand to the Creator in praise.

Aw, that was precious. :3 I'm afraid I'm not familiar with your story, but I like the way you brought them together. And I like that while they both seem to have damaged pasts, their forgiveness is visible.

(Forgiveness/redemption in stories is one of my favorite things, so )

Do your stories tend to have Christian elements, usually?

Only the good ones. Have you read Tala's Run or Nila and the piece of junk? Read the entire thread.

Then there's this...

####

[Iron System 208.068.0105 Fleet Time]

"G54FE3 Reporting, sir."

"Hold on." Beinon said without looking back. He had seen the reflection of movement in the plexisteel's reflection and made a bet with himself about who it was. She sounded about right.

Still, he didn't want to mess this up. Guthr had gotten some goo from the shop mixed up for him to seal the loose pane of plexisteel in the turret. Beinon liked looking at the stars, it was a far cry from life fully underground or under the water of Haearn. He had claimed the turret as it was totally useless otherwise and moved his office into it. Since the office wasn't anything but a sheet to sleep on and half an old notebook to write on, the unused turret would do. He'd have it cleaned up and fixed up for the Captain's review; when time came to talk about a full time place on the crew Beinon would have made an impression.

He gently needled the goo into the crevasse between the pane and the frame. Creator knew what had kept the thing from leaking, maybe it was. Still, the goo would set in a day and be sealed for the trip to Wardn. Beinon's nose was three centimeters from the pane and his eye caught every nook and cranny. The goo was in the best he could do. One long strip of fastenal tape and he was good.

He liked the view of the stars as long as there was a full atmo or four centimeters of plexisteel between him and open space. He smiled. It was a good job. He was learning as best he could and trying to make sure when time came to be judged he stood straight. Creator knew he had made stupid choices for a long time; this might be his last chance. He worked on his smile and turned to face the woman.

His smile froze on his face.

Her already threadbare top was fully loose and he could see the scabs and scars of enslavement. Her chocolate skin was blotched with ashen gray that matched the rough patches of hair left. If she carried a large box she might weight in at three dozen kilos. Maybe. Skin was tight against her ribs and whatever normal shape a woman should have was denied her.

As she started to undo the tie at her waist Beinon finally got his mouth to move.

"Stop." He wasn't sure he had heard himself, much less if she heard him. "Stop, please."

"They said you wanted to see me." Her gaze stayed locked on his feet but her hands paused.

"I do, but..."

"Am I not pleasing?" She whispered.

"Yes, you are. It's not like that." Beinon felt his face warm. "I mean, you're beautiful, but I didn't ask you here for that. Those rules are gone. Your life isn't forfeit for the slightest mistake."

She started to rock from side to side.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to this myself." Beinon sat in the remains of a gunner's mount. "Let me try to fix this. I'm Crewman Daniels. Please call me Beinon. What's yer name?"

"G54FE3, sir." Her rocking slowed slightly yet her hands were still at the tie straps to her trousers.

"No, lass. Yer name. Them that numbered you are gone." He hadn't done well with her, that's for sure. Still, maybe the truth would cover where his words weren't enough. "Lookit, some of the others said you was good with ship engines. I know you couldn't say that before; one mistake in the engine room and your supper. It's different now. I got the word straight from Captain Webb himself; we get a new start. Someone with your smarts can make it big time."

His eyes fell on her bare feet. They were small, and pitted. Two toes were missing and another looked broken.

"Look, I'll be straight up with you. If I recruit you to work and you do a good job then it makes me look good to. I'm wanting a better place for myself. But I'm not as some; I'll take you with me if you work hard. I'll tell the Captain you did a great job if you do."

"They say he's gone and the pirates are coming back." Her scant muscles pulled skin tight. "We'll all be dead then."

"He's coming back. I've talked to the bridge crew and they are sure of it. We're nearly to the planet and in a few hours the first load of food will hit the kitchens. Imagine it! Can you still eat?"

"Bad teeth." She whispered. "I...they said I'm dying."

His breath caught. "From what? Why didn't you say something?"

"No one cared." She whispered. "No one wanted me."

Beinon stood and stepped over the frayed power cable. He was less than half a meter from her and she shrank back. With his best care he buttoned her tunic back up.

"Let's go talk to the doctor. If you can be fixed then they can fix you."

"I can't afford it." She said. "I...my body doesn't do what I tell it to. I was going to be next."

"You're with me now. I'll make sure it's taken care of." He looked back at the turret. "Look, don't take this wrong, but you can hole up here. No services rendered, no payment. Just the stars."

"This is freedom?" She wrapped her thin arms around her chest. "It's really free?"

"No, lass. Freedom isn't free. This time, though, we're not the ones to pay the cost. I'm right thankful for the chance and plan on doing my best. I'll do the best I can for you as well. Okay?"


[Iron System 208.068.1715 Fleet Time]

She had cringed as he tried to lead her to the sick bay. Yet she had gone. The doctor had scanned, poked, prodded, and hadn't answered before Beinon had to report for duty. Part way through his shift he had seen her talking to Chief Engineer Chen. His duty as Crewman took him from the engine room to a second full shift in the kitchen preparing hundreds of fish. He pulled himself back to his office and wanted nothing more than to pass out completely.

She was there. She had found a sheet of her own and taken his for good measure. She snored.

He turned off the main light and use his flashlight to find a spot. Work boots made a smelly but functional pillow and he did a quick look to make sure she was okay.

Her hand clutched a small worn thing of lip color. Bright blue, judging from her lips and the three marks on her cheek. He paused and smiled. Over her head, in bright blue. He clicked off his flashlight and curled up sheetless. His mind settled on the writing; she had claimed her space. It was a good sign. It was a good name.

Nila.

In short, I completely agree. This is a subject that a lot of writers and filmmakers get tripped up on, so it's really important to talk about it. Many strictly prefer one method over another, and others consider one method more "moral" than the other. It is not at all unusual for one side to put the other down, and as a consequence, a lot of young writers struggle with feeling "unchristian" if they do not have overtly "religious" elements in their art. I think this really misses the point. Both methods are tools; the art comes in by knowing which tool is more appropriate for the job.

Some of it comes with maturity, both in the craft and spiritually. Think of it like evangelizing; an immature Christian might feel obliged to hand a tract to literally EVERYONE. While there's nothing inherently wrong with tracts (or at least the concept of them, I guess; some of those things are a little, uh... ), or the person's enthusiasm, a mature Christian will know that handing a tract to everyone they meet is not the most effective method of evangelism, and in some cases might actually turn someone off to Christ.

With writing, maturity and excellence comes in knowing which method works best for the story, based on what kind of art it is and who it will be marketed to. A book marketed primarily to Christians via a Christian bookstore will need to be written and presented differently than a mainstream thriller intended to be sold next to the other mainstream authors.

I think it's important for writers to realize that both methods can work, and are necessary in different contexts. There is no moral "value" attached to the method itself--only in how you wield it.

As far as my personal opinion goes, I think, with some exceptions for specific markets, a more subtle approach works better for fiction, simply because fiction's primary purpose has always been entertainment. People pick up a novel to enjoy it, not to be preached at. So even in books with overt religion, it's necessary to be packaged as a robust, expertly written, and vigorously entertaining story. In many cases, for most market, making the religion more subtle--or at the very least, very organic to the characters--is more effective.

Hitting on your original point, you are completely right--there are many Scriptures that affirm that God leaves evidence of Himself and His law throughout creation, history, and in culture--even cultures that do not know Him as such. When creation (and our sub-creation) aligns with God's law, it brings honor to Him.

What do you mean by the good ones?

Aww, that was sweet. :3 *gives Beinon a star for being precious* :3



Yeah. Stories with direct Christian elements are awesome. Done right, it can be amazing and epic (like Egnitheos, for example) and encouragement to fellow Christians. Maybe even arming them in how they might respond to the world. But I also wondered too, though, if those types of works would reach secular readers, if they would be interested in reading them?

I really don't want to sound like I don't think the category of Christian fiction is useless. It's totally not, and it can have immense value among other Christians (I know it has for me with a few books). I just didn't know if it would for readers who aren't God-followers, or if, at least at first, writing could reflect God's truths, even if it doesn't have any mention of God. If that makes sense? I hope that came out right. o.o

I'll be honest; I want to sell a bazillion books. My goal with writing is to give my wife something to live off of when I kick the bucket.

That said, I write to please our Father. Not sure what His goal is but I try to write things that would please Him. So I write about a Marine who struggles and fails, and then gets back into the struggle and works to regain his moral compass. I write about people who come from really bad places and who carry scars that are not seen.

The sci-fi world atpollard put together refers to "The Creator", and there are lots of similarities between our Father and The Creator.

###
[Dragons] - [Biter 1416.54.1200 IST (0900 Local)] Inn (Lot 10), Nowhere

"Hide me, please!" Akil said as he ran up the steps to the inn. Gamer and Nana were sitting and talking. "I got girl trouble!"

A giggling young girl and her younger sister came up the steps and looked at Akil.

"Can't help you there, buddy. Looks like game over." Gamer said as the older girl held out a flower to Akil

"You're supposed to take it, Akil." Nana said. The boy backed away.

"Miss, that's a beautiful flower." Gamer went to one knee and looked at the girl. She giggled and held it out to him.

"Why, thank you!" He said taking the flower and running it through a button hole. The girl curtsied and ran off.

"Whew! That was close! Looks like you stuck with dancing with her." Akil said. "Gotta go." And he was gone.

Gamer sat back and watched the kids play. A little girl ran down the street yelling "Grammy's here! Grammy's here!" Adults smiled at her and then stopped and looked at each other.

"I'm still not sure about all this psion stuff." He said, taking a cookie. "It seems kinda weird. Not sure it's right."

Nana smiled as Karista ran down the street yelling. "It looks like you have the gift of a date for the dance."

"Yeah." Gamer smiled. "Pink keeps wanting to ask me but she hasn't gotten the nerve yet."

Nana nodded. "Yesterday the doctor said the girl that gave you the flower had a few short weeks to live."

Gamer sucked air. "I guess I'm dancing with her then."

"Maybe. Her prognosis has changed."

"How long does she have?" Gamer watched the girl and her sister run off after Karista.

Nana's old eyes danced. "Sixty or seventy years, probably."

"What?" Gamer looked at her. "What happened?"

"Firsters believe the Creator gives us all gifts, Mister Hudson. Sometimes those gifts take a form others call psionic. Perhaps your gift lies in that area." Nana sipped her tea. "Perhaps two girls, doomed to death because of radiation poisoning, are glad someone used their gift to heal them. Will people be glad you learned to use your gift?"

Ahh, that's neat. I like the themes your stories suggest.

You mean similarities between the "character" (if you will) between Father and Creator in the two stories? I'm not sure I quite understand?

Our modern day God and "The Creator" are one and the same. In the sci-fi setting God gives people different gifts. Don't ask me why, I'm not God.

Marco came from a Christian seminary before 1416.1 started. In 1429.1 he's referred to as a part time associate professor at the seminary. His field is practical field theology; he studies what he can understand of God and teaches that. Firsters believe there is no one between them and The Creator and Marco embraces that fully.

Make more sense?

Oh. I was more referring to your comparison of atpollard's story world. It sounded like yours and his had two different things, and I was curious as to the differences.

Same worlds. Exactly. He started a game three years ago and I joined in. Pretty much all the cool stuff is his, I just add volume. A year later I offered to run a game and was too lazy to come up with my own version of the universe, so I use his. Our two main characters haven't met but there are a lot of shared NPCs both of us use.

Ahhhh, gotcha. That makes sense now.

That has a simple explanation ... Because Arthur was a Nihilist Atheist Gang Member who met God (metaphorically and literally) at a Catholic Charismatic Fellowship, learned to read the Bible attending the Church of God (Wesleyan), studied theology at Adult Education Classes at an Evangelical Free church (Reformed) and a Southern Baptist church, before becoming a Men's Fellowship Teacher and Elder at a Pentecostal church with a former Moravian Pastor.

God most certainly gives different people different gifts ... and seeing the diversity of His handiwork is a wonder to behold.

Ahh, gotcha.

I agree 100%. I think many Christian writers do. (That's why I often hear/see the question, "are you a Christian writer or a writer of Christian fiction?")

We can't help but have our worldview permeate our stories. And by writing stories with those elements, we can change the way people think and believe.

That's also why I have a hard time supporting books (even if they are fantastically written) if I know they are by someone I have massive theological issues with. Books written from a messed up worldview/belief-system can be insidious to those who are lacking discernment or biblically illiterate.

Yes, sort of?

Right now a lot of the "Marine" story is set in the North Ward of Vaxholm. It's a very bleak place; think Depression era poverty and scrap wood houses in many places. It has to seem reasonable in its own setting. Sloan has to fit right in. He's a slimeball.

On the flip side, Tala isn't a "hooker with a golden heart". She's not "good"; she's stinking heroic. When you seen what she's been through and the decisions she makes she stands side by side with the main character of the book.

Okay, yeah, literally. A lot of this is a love story between Marco and Tala, with a twist at the end. Tala deserves her own book and will probably get one.

So I have to make the North Ward's darkness seem reasonable if you're stuck in it. All the better when things change. And they do; trust me.

This is true. That's part of what has guided my developing writing (or why I write). I see the bookish community get super excited over books that support things that God has expressly said is sinful, and it saddens me. I want to offer them books that offer truth instead. If the story doesn't have directly religious content, I hope the truths and themes presented will pique curiosity for readers to do their own searching, and find God that way.

If we include "darker" worldviews (for lack of a better word), they too should be presented as they are in God's eyes. If a fantasy culture, for instance, thinks intimate relations outside of marriage is okay, we should tread carefully, and while maybe our MC might agree for a while, we should show readers it's not okay, and the MC comes to realize it too.

If that makes sense?

Makes sense to me. Marco is the main character in "Marine". I'm avoiding the "good guys do good things and bad guys do bad things" path. Marco is believer who finds out his girlfriend is pregnant with his child. Until that time there's a string of beautiful ladies in his life who tempt him greatly. For the first while God quietly precludes some things by time or coincidence. Eventually Marco sees his sin and turns to struggle with it instead of just giving in.

Instead of the good guys saying "You did something bad, so you are bad" they say "I did something bad. Yet I can choose to do right and will accept the consequences of my actions." Marco isn't a rogue who leaves a trail of conquests but a hurt soul not always making the right choices.

Yeah. It makes things more complex when the MC makes bigger mistakes. One of my MCs in EOBAS learns dark magic, and he learns later that dark magic is bad. He has to face the consequences of his choices. It's something he can't reverse, either.

But yeah. Even the good guys are flawed, and can fall into sin just as easily as the villains. It makes them even more three-dimensional, and encourages readers to think.

The way I see it is that "all truth is God's truth"; God's existence and nature are, in my opinion, more fundamental truths than basic arithmetic or the law of gravity. If a story (to use your example) portrays murder in some contexts as admirable, this is as troublesome as Lewis's idea of interstellar travel by "unexplained properties of solar radiation," or finding no-hotter-than-tropical oceans on Venus---in other words, a blunder.


This is simply an application of the general principle of "infodumps are almost never appropriate in fiction" to "religious" truths People pick up a novel to enjoy a story, not to learn every detail of how a particular rocket works. (On the other hand, stories that work well as stories but also leave the reader with a firm grasp of some factual subject are particularly admirable---my go-to example of "an infodump that works" is the chapter on spacesuits early in Heinlein's Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, but I'm also reminded of how Swallows and Amazons et al. describe various aspects of sailing in "loving detail.")


Indeed! There are a few authors I count as favorites that I often hesitate to recommend without giving caveats about the dubious theological foundation. OTOH, there have been books that I really wanted to like for their characters, or their worldview, that I found unsupportable because they casually disregarded the laws of physics.