I love to allow my
characters to dabble in all kinds of evil...
If
you’re like me, you’re pretty
disgusted by most of the trash you see in books, movies, and TV. Our
culture’s perception of what is acceptable has really changed since I
was a child. What was deemed inappropriate, too violent, and even
pornographic fifty years ago is now commonplace. And don’t get me
started on secular romance novels or love scenes in movies. What does
casual sex have to do with romance and love, anyway?
Disturbed by what I saw in our
declining culture, I decided I would prefer to write romance novels set
in the past. Weren’t people better Christians then, more proper, more
pious? They appeared to be, especially as the Reformation swept through
Europe and brought America’s early settlers to the new land. In fact,
strong Christian values coupled with the respect and chivalry with
which most men treated women are some of the reasons I love romance of
the past (that and the gowns!). But the more I dug into cultural
history, the more I realized people were just as wicked then as they
are now. People struggled with the same overwhelming sins and trials
that we do today. Most just hid it behind a façade of propriety.
Undaunted in my path to write a
clean historical novel, I didn’t want to inaccurately portray a bygone
society, or depict only a small section of it that did not reflect the
culture of that time. I wanted to get into the heart and soul of the
people, reveal their struggles, trials, successes, and failures.
However, I soon realized that doing so is an awesome ministry
opportunity. After all, human nature hasn’t changed.
Let’s
face it, our culture is in moral decay, and I truly believe many
people, Christian and non-Christian alike, are seeking an alternative
to the immorality they find in the secular market. An alternative that
does not glorify rape, murder, violence, abuse, alcoholism,
fornication, and adultery, but instead reveals these sins for what they
are—dirty, wicked, and harmful. Since most people are already bombarded
with smut, isn’t it up to Christians to show them a better way? We
should take these same things that Hollywood glamorizes and deglamorize
them by showing their ugly side in light of the truth and the Word of
God.
Consequently, I love to allow my
characters to dabble in all kinds of evil. But then I show them
suffering under the frustration and emptiness their actions have
caused. And slowly through other characters, through miracles, through
disasters, and through God’s love, I show how God can transform their
hearts. Isn’t that what people need to read about in this day and age?
A story they can not only relate to, but also one that gives them hope
and shows them the way to God? But how do we show this type of evil
without romanticizing it like Hollywood does and without offending
people who have been fortunate enough never to have dealt with these
types of sins?
1. Give a strong reason for your
character’s wicked behavior: some flaw in his character or something in
his past that causes him to be the way he is.
2. Develop a spiritual arc for each major character that shows through
plot, other characters, actions, and miracles how God reaches out and
changes him by the end of the book. Make it realistic and happening
over time.
3. If the character has a vice, such as excessive
drinking
or inability to resist sexual temptation, then show throughout the
story how this flaw causes repeated problems for the character and have
him realize it by the end.
4. Don’t be graphic in your descriptions of such activities. A hint, a
suggestion, a brief glimpse is all the reader needs to spark their
imaginations.
5. Do not make these issues the focus of your story. Concentrate on the
positive aspects: repentance, healing, growth. God is the God of Hope,
not despair.
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What about sex in a Christian
novel? For one thing, we Christians need to get over our fear of the
topic. After all, the Bible has tons of sex in it. Have you read Song
of Solomon? God created this fascinating facet to the marriage
relationship for us to enjoy, so why shy away from it? Truthfully, I
adore reading a great scene with lots of sexual tension between the
characters. It’s natural and beautiful when expressed within the divine
precepts of God. With all the horrid, twisted portrayals of sex in the
world, media, magazines, and books, I believe people are hungry for a
better way, a pure way, of enjoying this gracious gift of God. But how
do we do that in a Christian book without being offensive?
1. Fade
to black. Remember the
old movies? The good movies that used to come out of Hollywood?
Whenever a married couple entered their bedroom, the screen faded to
black. We didn’t need a play-by-play of what they did behind closed
doors, did we? Personally, I’d rather use the vivid imagination God
gave me than watch or read some sordid producer’s or writer’s idea of
what sex should be like. To me, it’s embarrassing and it takes away
from the story.
2. True romance God’s way is not lust. It’s not a one
night stand or using someone for your own physical pleasure. It’s pure,
romantic, and unselfish love for someone else. It is more emotional
than physical. As writers, we have abundant tools in our hands to
express the emotional connection between two characters. Let’s use them
to their fullest capacity. Think about the difference between the
sexual tension in Pride and Prejudice and Titanic. Both were romances.
One had a bedroom scene, the other did not.
3. Trust your reader’s imagination. It will take them to far more
satisfying places than you could ever portray.
We need to attract people who
are tired of reading the smut that’s in the general market, but who
believe Christian fiction is too sweet, too boring, and too unlike
their own lives. What a fantastic witness to those borderline
Christians and nonbelievers to show them God’s plan for what ails this
world and what ails their own lives. Because let’s face it, it is an
evil world we live in, and it’s growing more evil by the minute.
Although the Bible says we are not to be of the world, we are still in
the world. Let’s show this world that Jesus is the answer they are
seeking.
M.L. Tyndall is an
award-winning, best-selling author of the Legacy of the
King’s Pirates series and The Falcon and the Sparrow.
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