Understanding . . .

 

 

I can't take a steady diet of it, but when reading Vince Flynn, I do understand why the Christian reading world resorts to reading secular literature. Most general market fare contains cussing, but if it's used sparingly, I confess it works to establish a reality that can fit the scenes and plots of stories centered on life in this world.

I'm very selective of my reading material. Since most of what I read falls into the Christian Fiction category, when I branch out into worldly literature, there are only a very few genres I'll explore. Graphic "romance" doesn't interest me and actually takes the real romance right out of the story and inserts explicit lust in its place.

However, those of us who've been in multiple discussions about Christian literature have participated in the conflicts raised over the use of certain words and situations. Extremes sit on both sides of the invisible fence that exists to allow restrictive requirements in order to qualify for what the CBA is willing to support and promote.

What suffers from sitting on this fictitious fence or residing on the favored side of restrictions is the simple reality of life. The heart of Christianity reaches out to a lost world where bad behavior and language rule. While in our lives we turn away from those things that serve to drive a wedge between us and our Lord, the world has little knowledge of what constitutes sin. If we can't illustrate a desirable contrast to a life of sin, we serve no real purpose in this life. And for a writer, we have a wonderful opportunity to portray little bits of real life within our stories.

Here's where the crux of the dilemma is exposed. If, as an author of Christian Fiction, a writer decides to write stories to entertain the saints, which is a noble goal in itself, the restrictive nature of the requirements can be less of a problem for both writers and readers. If an author desires to branch out in his/her appeal, it's much trickier to adhere to the requirements. It's not a matter of joining the world's behaviors, it becomes a matter of contrast. An accurate contrast to expose the ways of the world as opposed to the ways of a loving God necessitates giving a dose of reality to the words and actions in the story. The characters must come alive on the pages and be relatable to those who read about them.

I love Vince Flynn's novels. They're thrilling, realistic, sometimes contain more cussing than I'd prefer, but the characters are alive on the pages. Real. It's refreshing to read his stories for that one word: real.

Your thoughts?

 

Father, help me to be real when I write. Real. You're the author of real. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Comments

[BK Jackson]

Just popping by to say Good Morning! I'm sorry I can't contribute because, while Vince Flynn is on my to be read list, sadly, I haven't gotten to any of his books yet.

Have a great day!

[Nicole]

Mornin', Brenda. I used Vince Flynn as an example because his latest release is out. I'm referring to secular/general market fare in general. I know there is the crowd who insists it offers "better" writing, but I've read the best in Christian Fiction, and they don't take a back seat to anyone. I simply meant there is a certain reality that some/much of Christian literature is forced to exclude due to the restrictive nature of their writing requirements. So I tend to surmise the reason many Christian readers turn to the general market is because of the added reality of the prose. My opinion of course.

[Brenda Anderson]

Having fiction come across as "real" is one of my biggest requirements for good fiction. And you're right about Flynn--his books are very believable. And in Mitch Rapp he's got a character that you root for, though he's seriously messed up.

Side note: My husband finished The Last Man (Vince Flynn) in 4 days--a record for a non-speed reader. Now, the books' mine!

[Nicole]

Couldn't agree more, Bren. I'm half way through it and don't want it to be over. A different thing goin' on here! Yikes! There is no hero like Mitch Rapp. Love isn't a strong enough word for how I feel about him. ;)

[Karin Kaufman]

First, Vince Flynn (along with Brad Thor) is on my TBR list, and now I've really got to find the time to read him this winter! And second, I've always thought you could portray "real" without a single cuss word. "Real" encompasses so much, but we tend to limit it to all the negative stuff we're not allowed to put into Christian fiction. Sweet, gentle, innocent, kind -- these are all real too.

I've listened to interviews with Vince Flynn and Brad Thor and I know they're expert at getting the gritty world of the CIA, terrorists, etc. correct, but that's not *my* world, and so in a sense it's not real to me. At least it's no more real than an Amish bonnet novel. Though I'd reather read Flynn.

Anyway, let's not forget the good side of real.

[Nicole]

This is true, Karin, but I could argue that there's so much of the "sweet, gentle, innocent, kind" that it would be impossible to forget. And also those admirable qualities can be done to the point where they're syrupy, overdone, and unreal. Know what I mean? I'm not suggesting we over-emphasize gritty by allowing unlimited cussing and/or sexual graphics. I'm simply saying that without alluding to the other side of life in a more concrete way, we ignore a huge portion of reality.

[Karin Kaufman]

I agree, Nicole. In Christian fiction, such attributes are often (if not almost all the time) syrupy. It seems we fall off one side of the horse or the other -- syrupy or getting overly gritty as if grit alone is real.