Are Christian Writers Different?

Saturday, I had the pleasure of teaching the basics of fiction at a small but vibrant writers conference. I’ve done it dozens of times before, but I wondered if it would be different this time. This was the Vines and Vessels Christian Writers Conference. Would I have to present differently? Would there be resistance to my messages?
As it turns out, I had a very welcoming and receptive audience. I explained that while I am a writer, and as it happens I am a Christian, I am not a Christian writer. I write to entertain my audience, to thrill them or engage their minds in a good mystery. Many of the people I spoke to Saturday write primarily to deliver a message, to reinforce or clarify biblical teachings.
Still, it has long been my belief that “Christian” is not a genre any more than Young Adult is. Christian writers have a specific audience, people who share certain values and are looking for a style and approach to writing. For example, they don’t want to worry about finding graphic sex, or violence or profanity in their reading. And they want to read about characters who believe as they do, and whose faith leads them to success.
That said, the key points that make for good dialog are the same whether you’re writing a mystery, a thriller, or Christian fiction. And the same applies to constructing a strong plot. One of my students Saturday shared that she wants to re-write King David’s story in a way that will appeal to today’s readers, but she wasn’t sure how to begin. We discussed clearly defining our protagonist and the antagonists in the story, where to start for a good hook, and how to build a story arc. We talked about finding the central conflict, and how to build suspense to keep people reading. By the end of the class everyone saw that the original Bible story followed all the rules I was giving them.
Ultimately every writer has the same desire: to have lots of people read their work. And many of us do have a statement to make through our fiction, be it political, social, or philosophical. Writers of Christian fiction may have some motivations the rest of us don’t, they need to use the same techniques of the craft to reach their audience and keep them reading to the end.