Writing and Religion: Where Do You Draw The Line?

There's always a question I face whenever I immerse myself into my writing, and that is where do I draw the line with what I write? Being a Christian, I'm led to a different lifestyle that calls me to be set apart. As a writer, I find it sometimes difficult to see the separation between pure fiction and maintaining my beliefs. So where does the line fall?

My views on this particular topic may be different than what others believe, and that's okay. I'm here only to explain how I feel about this particular topic.

People often think that if you're a Christian, you can only write Christian books, compose Christian songs, etc. While I think it's important for these to exist, I don't think it's the only thing we are limited to. I believe God gave me a gift to write, to create fiction and stories that draw people in and communicate a message. Limiting myself to only one topic would not only do a disservice to me, but I wouldn't be giving my all to what God has blessed me with. Now this doesn't mean I will write whatever I want to and claim it's because God told me to write it. No, that's not it at all.

What I'm talking about is being able to tell a story that non-Christians would still read and be able to connect to. Even if it's through a book, a message I sow into my words can plant a seed in their hearts God can nurture and grow. It's important to me to be able to touch the lives of many people, but it's even more important to show the world who God is, and the way I can do that best is through what I write.

So what genres does that include?

I think most genres can be applicable, if used correctly. While there are some things I don't write about, there are several other things that I do write about. I enjoy writing action, adventure, fantasy, thrillers, and even a touch of both horror and romance. There still, however has to be a line in these genres.

For example, in horror or thriller books, while they are in their very nature creepy and disturbing, I have to be able to draw light into them and keep them from getting too unbearably gory and terrifying. There's three reasons for this:

1) I scare myself if I do too much in this area, which is never good.

2) It would be completely unrealistic and uninteresting.

And 3) Showing only violence and the dark parts of life is not what I need to do as a Christian.

For me, writing these types of books has to come with a purpose. I find mine in creating hope even in the darkness, how the dark never lasts forever and light comes back in the end. This hope I instill in these books shows a smidgen of my faith in the fact that Christians live this way as well: we face dark times, but we have hope and faith that our darkness will be vanquished by light. In fact, we know it as a truth. And this truth is something I can put into my books for people to see. Even if it's not a direct connection, it's still there and something planted inside their hearts and minds.

The line between what to write and what not to write can sometimes become a little fuzzy. Although I know I have my limits on what I can or can't (or won't) write about, there's still a sort of uncertainty about it. How can I be sure I'm writing something good, even though all the content may not be directly based in a Christian setting?

This is the point where I turn to God, and then I have to do a self-evaluation on myself. For some who read this who may not be believers, you may think this is crazy. Why would I do this? There are several reasons, but I'll only list a few so I don't keep you here all day.

Morals are instilled in everyone, and sometimes when you do something you know is wrong, you feel guilty about it, right? It's the same thing for me when I go to write something but feel guilty about it. So instead of being stuck inside my own mind trying to figure out why I would feel guilty about something really small and minuscule, I turn to God. By praying to Him, I find the answer to my guilt. Maybe I made that scene a little too gory. Maybe I made those characters a little too mouthy. Anything this small can prick your conscious because of the morals you have set inside you, and for me it eats away at me until I find an answer.

Why do I re-evaluate myself after this? Because during the writing process you get so wrapped up in what you write, you become your characters instead of yourself for a moment. It doesn't feel like you're in a room typing on a computer or writing something down. You're in this setting you've made, in the heat of the moment, and everything comes flying out all at once. You become your characters, and not every single character is prim, proper, and does all the right things (that would be incredibly boring not to mention unrealistic). Once you come out of that trance, you realize there may be some things that could be fixed in this story. It's partially the reason authors have to go back and edit their works, because they become so entranced and enthralled by what they do.

It happens to me all the time. I become what I'm writing at the time. Sticking to my horror example from earlier, that's not the most pleasant thing either. Thinking like a psycho? Not really a good thing to think about once you come out of that character. It leaves you questioning yourself sometimes - which is both humorous and concerning - and wondering if what you did is not only realistic, but if it was the right thing to put in the story. Being objective to the story after writing it is not only part of editing, but for me, it's part of making sure I don't go too far.

While sometimes it may seem like you have to go that far, because if not it wouldn't fit with your characters, there is still a line you don't have to cross to get that far. You only have to search for it. It isn't easy and I won't try to say it is, but finding the line and keeping it established makes me not only feel more complete as a Christian, but as a writer as well. Writers all have their strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes we feel like we have to cross lines and do extravagant things to get ourselves noticed or get people to read our stories. It's not exactly true though. Trying to be an author you aren't for the sake of pushing boundaries isn't smart, and it'll tear you apart to where you aren't confident at all in what you write.

My boundary line comes from knowing my faith, my beliefs, and keeping them in check with what I write while knowing the works I'm producing are strictly fiction. There is a difference, and some may not see it. But all writers have this sense of knowing where that line is. One of these days I'll dive into characters you write being different than who you actually are and what you represent, as well as going into why some books may seem to contradict everything I've said. But for now, I'll leave it like this.

Knowing that the line between writing and religion is sometimes blurry and hard to establish doesn't make it any easier for me as a writer. It's a constant struggle, but one I'm willing to put up with because I love writing and I love God. I'm not perfect, and it's reflected in my works, but there's always a boundary for me in one way or another. To me, it's clear because I've seen how it's been from start to finish. For others it may not be as clear. But I implore you, the next time you read a book, search for the line. The line the author could've easily crossed if they had wanted to but didn't. And then take a moment and think about it, and ask yourself the big question:

Why?

The answer is there if you're willing to look for it.