Adding Spiritual Twists to Characters and Plot

Adding Spiritual Twists to
Characters and Plot
Write faith-based fiction that blends
strong, motivated characters and clever plots with a spiritual twist.
by Debby Mayne
With sales doubling since 1995, the market for Christian fiction is wide
open, but this doesn’t mean proselytizing or preaching under the guise
of fiction. Readers are sophisticated enough to know when the faith element is organic to the story, so authors must ask themselves three questions: Does this story change without the Christian faith element? Does
this story reveal Christian elements without being preachy? Would someone outside the faith find this story interesting and entertaining? If the
answer is no to any of these questions, you need to take another look at
the motivation of both the characters and yourself as the author.
Christian fiction, like most commercial fiction, requires multidimensional characters, plausible character motivation and a plot. The faith
element is fundamental to the story, but it must be woven through seamlessly as part of who the characters are, their conflict and what drives
the plot. Characters in fiction, as in real life, are flawed. Readers need to
identify with and relate to characters in the stories—and perfect, saccharin-sweet people aren’t sympathetic.
Expectations
As in all commercial fiction, readers expect a good story that keeps them
turning pages. There are other expectations among readers of Christian
fiction. The Christian Booksellers Association’s (CBA) standards include
not using profane language or sexually explicit scenes to titillate or provoke the readers. In addition, the author’s belief in the Bible being the
infallible word of God must be shown through the growth of the characters and their understanding of the Gospel.
Each publisher has rules and boundaries, so you should request
guidelines from editors of the publishing houses that fit your manuscript.
Developing strong characters
When writing Christian fiction, some authors plot first and fill in their
stories with characters who can carry out the actions that create the story
later. I think it’s better to start with characters who drive the plot, because
Christian fiction is based on a character’s inner conflict of faith.
A good place to start is with a simple character chart on each major
person in your story. List character traits, internal motivation and physical traits for everyone who appears in more than one scene, with more
elaborate charts on the main characters. Along with the characters’ traits,
list where they are in their faith at the beginning of the story and where
you want them to be at the end. This often exposes a logical internal
conflict and motivation, and the plot takes shape without being forced.
It also gives you a good sense of who your characters are, which
enables you to draw sympathetic and realistic people, leading them to a
satisfying resolution of their conflict. Readers want to see how the characters have grown in their faith.
Identifying with characters is important to keep readers turning the
pages. For example, readers identify with Kristin Billerbeck’s character
Ashley Stockingdale in her chick-lit series because, according to the author, “What a Girl Wants is about living out loud in a culture that clashes
with everything within Christianity.” Her books are designed to appeal to
modern, hip, female readers.
Hooking the reader
It’s essential to grab the reader’s attention for your journey of faith. Start
with a strong hook that ties in to the central theme of the story. Continue
adding hooks throughout the novel, raising the stakes until the black moment occurs as close to the end of the book as possible. I like to begin
with either dialogue or an action scene that shows an emotional turning
point of the main character’s faith journey, which is the most important
element in Christian fiction.
My latest romance novel, Love’s Image, opens with the supermodel
heroine having a large bandage removed after surviving an automobile
accident. A permanent scar on her cheek causes a wild chain of events,
including the loss of her near-perfect good looks, her career and a very
shallow fiancé. These external changes force internal conflict, which carries the weight of the story and hooks the reader into caring about what
happens to the heroine. I tie her faith journey in with her new, developing romance and show how she plows through what appear to be insurmountable issues. The heroine’s growth is three-dimensional: Her faith in
God is strengthened, she develops a better understanding of who she
really is and she becomes involved with a man who loves her in spite of
her scar.
Scripture context
For my novels, after the characters are drawn, I like to find a scripture
verse on the Web site BibleGateway.com that relates to the changes and
growth in my characters’ faith. You can center your theme on that verse;
it will keep you on track throughout your story. The message is stated
from the beginning, leaving no doubt that the characters have to deal
with biblical issues in their personal journeys.
For instance, in my novella, Only a Name, I quote James 5:9, which
says, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned:
behold, the judge standeth before the door.” The conflict centers on
several generations of grudges between two families. The resolution of
my story supports the scripture verse by showing the person holding the
biggest grudge having the tables turned and being condemned as the
perceived villain.
Overall, says Joan Marlow Golan, executive editor of Steeple Hill, the
Christian division of Harlequin Enterprises, Christian stories should strive
to meet some specific goals. “They should be written from a Christian
worldview and convey the author’s personal faith and ministry values,”
Golan says. “They must also provide wholesome entertainment that promotes high moral standards.”
Debby Mayne is the author of nine books and four novellas. Two of her
novellas are in anthologies that appeared on the Christian Booksellers Association’s bestseller list. Her latest novel, Love’s Image (Heartsong Presents),
is available in Christian bookstores. She’s a member of American Christian
Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and Tampa Area Romance
Authors.