By Liz Bradford, @LBradfordwrites

“Nope. I don’t want to write that. No way.”

Those were the words that exited my mouth as I talked to God about a new novel idea I had. I didn’t want to write it. But why? I felt it was too hard a topic. Too scandalous. Too not the way I thought God would want the story to go.

But I obeyed His prompting. It turned out to be a powerful story that ministered to others, but boy, did I fight God on it. But more on that in a minute.

When I started writing years ago, the dream I had for my writing was to be a cross between Dee Henderson and Karen Kingsbury. I wanted the suspense along with the heart rending emotions (well, maybe not to the level of some of Karen’s books). I never wanted to be afraid of tackling difficult subjects—especially considering God has called me to write books that show what it truly looks like to walk with Jesus through all the things. And that includes the hard stuff.

So how do we do it? How do we tackle deep issues in fiction? Here are the most important things to keep in mind: 

Show sin as sin. Don’t glorify things that don’t glorify God.

Show repentance, show deliverance, show grace – remember show, don’t tell.

Show the consequences of sin. Did your characters get pregnant out of wedlock? Don’t skim over the results. We’re supposed to make things more difficult for our characters anyway, so don’t hold back.

Show them wrestling with their faith even as they struggle with life. Don’t allow their faith to make everything easy, and don’t be easy on their faith. Show it growing.

Show your character truly leaning into Christ through the difficulties. Maybe it isn’t a sin issue, perhaps it’s grief that your characters are facing. Show full reliance on God in the day to day, the moment to moment, not just the character going to church on Sunday.

Above all, bathe your story in prayer.

But isn’t fiction about an escape from reality? 

Is it? Maybe sometimes, but often fiction, even fantasy and sci-fi, shows us real life even more potently. 

We read to know we are not alone.

– C.S. Lewis

“But Liz, I don’t feel called to write about hard topics.”

Then don’t. But if you are called to it, I suggest you obey. God has bigger things ahead than you can imagine.

Not everyone is called to write books that tackle tough issues. If God hasn’t called you to that, then don’t try to write those kinds of stories (I may even be a little jealous). However, God has called me to it. Every time I think “oh this won’t be as difficult a series,” I have to wonder if God laughs before He hands me a tougher assignment than I could have dreamed. 

Remember the book I fought God over? It was A Shot at Redemption. One of the early story sparks was that a woman had an affair and became pregnant. I wanted to write a story of reconciliation. I thought for sure that was the way God would have that story go. But nope! That’s not how the story unfolded. Turns out the hero of the story was the father of the child, not her husband. That was a toughie to tackle for sure. I wanted to handle the situation Biblically. Jocelyn and Gavin had a hard road dealing with the consequences of their sin, they had to repent and turn back to God, and ultimately it is a story of redemption. One in which we see that God’s grace is bigger than all our sin.

I received an email from a reader after that book released. She thanked me for the story. It was so close to her own, and for the first time she really understood and embraced God’s forgiveness. That is why we write tough books. God uses them in the lives of our readers. 

So if God is calling you to write a tough story, obey Him. You never know who will be impacted by your story.

What challenging issues have you addressed in your stories?

 

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Too Late – Tracking Danger Book One – A Search and Rescue Novella

Chloe Jacobs.

You were too late.

You will pay.

Chloe Jacobs, search-and-rescue K9 handler, and her partner Josh Schneider, know the bitterness of finding a missing person too late. When reminders of past trauma distract Chloe from another search, leading to a mistake, she risks being too late once more. Then a mysterious threat calls everything into question. Will she always be too late? And can she overcome her trauma before it’s too late for her?

Liz Bradford didn’t always know she was a writer, but story ideas have always been a part of her life. When she finally took an idea seriously, she started writing and hasn’t been able to stop. She is the author of The Detectives of Hazel Hill series, Knoxville FBI series, and the Tracking Danger search and rescue series. She is a member of ACFW and ACFW-Louisville Chapter. Even though Liz’s heart yearns to live in the mountains of North Carolina, she and her husband live in southern Indiana where she homeschools their three daughters.