Why I Still Choose to Write Darker Themes as a Christian
Balancing Faith and Fiction
Indeed, I am a Christian! Faith, as it is central to my life, has had its great hand in forming who I am as a writer. Because of this, there have been some great points of contention I’ve had both inside and outside of my faith regarding what I choose to write and focus on.
One of the largest from within other Christians has been why I choose to still explore, entertain, or even show darker themes or events in my stories. Outside of my faith, there have been brilliant, amazing stories that have inspired me. Just in the same way authors who believed in what I do have also inspired me. I’ve had discussions with people on both sides regarding my content and what I love to write. Most are positive, but there also have been negative interactions.
These experiences have helped form my core philosophy as an author. I simply, no matter how hard I try, cannot convince myself to write a story that removes itself too far from the verity and diversity of reality. Because of that, there are three main reasons I still choose to write darker themes.
Perspective and Contrast
I very deeply enjoy this aspect of life and literature. For me, stories are the most interesting when ethics and morality are at play. There are simply too many differences between people, beliefs, and lifestyles for me not to include their presence in my books. In fact, my current WIP Inkforgers: The Holy Seal dives into religion, faith, and the many weaknesses and perspectives that come with it. I believe that is one of the flaws Christian media has today. There is an aversion to giving the other side an equal representation. While there is always going to be a slight bias and preference for the content I put in my book, I generally dislike when books become overly “preachy” without having earned the right to pay off an emotional or spiritual moment.
Having the characters within my book have passionate beliefs or perspectives that differ from my own makes the story feel more grounded in reality. Not exactly the reality that we live in, but the reality the characters live in. I can’t imagine a world where people throughout all of that world's history have believed the same or similar things. And so, I don’t write it.
Powerful Nuance
I’ve noticed that in nuanced stories, there tends to be nuanced morality. These ideas of right, wrong, perspective, justice, judgment, etc. have always intrigued me. My worlds are completely removed from real-life history, and so religious or historical figures no longer exist in that world. However, I try to incorporate a variety of viewpoints or a heavy exploration of a single viewpoint that’s reminiscent of a real-life belief.
I deeply enjoy giving them “fair shakes.” This allows me to explore ideas with a sense of nuance I believe exists in the real world more than we tend to think. When I write a character who passionately believes in a generalization that I don’t, I try to give that belief as much justice as I can within their role in the story. I don’t call it a bad thing or a good thing outright. I write characters of different beliefs and perspectives because I want stories to be inviting and I want people to feel seen. Certainly, I include moral and ethical standards, but within those, the nuance of belief is still incredibly powerful to see in a story. I don’t write books for a certain demographic. I write stories that let me share my passion with the most people and the stories I want to read.
Pain, Loss, and Uncertainty
No, life is not all about sorrow. But I do not have it in me to tell stories that do not draw heavily from these things. When I think of a brilliant story, I think of a person weeping. I remember the first book I loved so much that I shed a tear. I was maybe thirteen. It wasn’t all from sadness, but a mix of dozens of emotions. I realized at the end of a story I really loved, I would tend to get emotional. And from then on when I thought of a story I wanted to write, I wanted other people to cry the way I did.
Now, I don’t mean I wish to spread sorrow around the world or cause all who read what I write to weep. What I do want is for that feeling of catharsis to be felt by everyone. I’ve found that, in order to tell those stories without using shallow tear bait (I really hate obvious tear bait or “edgy” content), I needed to dive into deep things. Magic, death, life, uncertainty, suffering — all of those things are what make the ending satisfying. In order to share that feeling of satisfaction that I want people to feel, I must tell stories that allow me that capacity. Anything less would be a disservice to my talent, skill, and passion.
And so, with great caution and ambition do I explore topics of mental health, doubting faith, religion, and exploration of humanity.
All in all, life is too broad and varied for me to write stories that keep morality and perspective limited. While I believe in my faith and stand in it, others do not. And so, I cannot only showcase what I believe without sharing the vastness of humanity.
The world does not need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature.
~ C.S. Lewis
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