Write From the Heart to Engage Your Reader
To truly impact a reader, authors must be willing to reveal themselves on the page. I believe this is especially true for the Christian author. Sure, we want to tell stories and entertain our readers. Like everyone, we want to sell books. However, our primary role is to reflect the kingdom, share God’s message, and offer readers hope. When we write, we want God to speak through our fingers.
There is an additional benefit to revealing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities in your work. Before explaining this further, I need to provide some background.
My Writing Journey in a Nutshell
I retired from the business world in 2016 to try my hand at writing. After taking a week off, I began composing short stories, experimenting with styles, and discovering my strengths/flaws as an author. My goal was to become the next Stephen King, and I spent my time focusing on serial killers, strangulation, time travel, and haunted hotel rooms. My stories were harsh, unoriginal, and derivative.
A little over a year later, my wife, Kathy, and I were on a jet traveling to Israel. About halfway through the flight, I had the idea of writing about an alcoholic who was required to take the trip. I reached for my notebook, invented my main character, Ben Cahill, and proceeded to journal in his voice while we visited the Holy Land. When we returned home, Kathy asked me what “all the notetaking” was about. I described Ben and how I’d inserted him into our tour. The conversation that followed changed my life:
Kathy: “You know, you may have a book there.”
Me: “Faith-based fiction isn’t my genre.”
Kathy (in her unique and gentle way): “Hon, you’re not published, you don’t have a genre.”
Me (appropriately humbled): “I’ll check into the Christian market.”
I conducted research on Christian fiction, wrote my manuscript, and was blessed to have my first novel, Into the Room, published in May of 2021. In the book, my character Ben takes the first steps towards sobriety and redemption while visiting Israel.
I need to pause here and provide some background information. While Kathy and I don’t personally have issues with alcohol or drugs, during our life together, we have been surrounded by alcoholics and addicts, resulting in significant heartache, pain, and sacrifice. These experiences filled my heart with a massive lump of fear, guilt, and resentment. I hid myself behind a wall of destructive emotions, and frequently experienced depression, anger, and uncharacteristic outbursts. While writing Into the Room, there’s no question that I drew on my struggles and observations.
The Revelation
One day, I was preparing to do a book talk, and I realized that the mass of negative emotions had cleared away. I was no longer angry at those around me who grappled with addiction. Also, to my surprise, I’d forgiven them. After some thought and prayer, I discovered my earlier “Stephen King phase” was a call for help, a desperate attempt to exorcise my emotional trauma through dramatized murder and violence. I also understood my transformation was a byproduct of writing Into the Room. It wasn’t until I took my character on a spiritual journey, exposing my inner turmoil, that I began to move in a positive direction. Over the last five years, my relationship with God has grown and my faith has flourished.
In writing about Ben Cahill’s alcoholism, I had to face my actions, faults, and judgmental nature. I worked them, directly and indirectly, into Ben’s personality and the plotline. Said another way, Into the Room was a 72,000-word journal entry. If the book had never been published, writing about Ben’s journey would still have changed my life positively.
Are We Brave Enough?
Many Christian writers allow themselves to be vulnerable in their writing. There are some fantastic blog posts on the subject. Two are “Writing from Your Scars and Not Your Wounds: A Guide for Aspiring Memoir Writers” and “Writing from the Wreckage.” Letters from Love’s Battlefield by Kathryn M. Lackey, is an excellent example of these columns put into action. Her memoir is an unflinchingly courageous look into a shattered life and the road to recovery. While fiction is not as direct as a memoir, I believe novelists can offer similar glimpses into their souls.
When we dig deep and expose ourselves, our books can reach people in ways we couldn’t imagine. With both Into the Room and the sequel, A Year in the Room, people have offered comments like “This book changed my life” and “I’m a better man because I read this book.”
Earlier this year, a prison ministry purchased fifty copies of each book. These comments and outreach are gratifying. They tell me my work has reached others in the way God intended, and I will be forever grateful. More importantly, though, I’m moved by how writing Ben’s story has impacted me personally. I’ll never be the same.
The question is, are we comfortable with readers wondering who they are reading about? Exposing ourselves in this way is not easy to do, and I’ve fielded numerous inquiries about whether my stories are autobiographical. I’m often asked, “Is Ben you?” While he’s not me, questions like this tell me I’ve connected with my reader.
The Challenge
Readers often ask Christian writers why they write. For most authors, the first answer is something like, “We write for God and to reflect Him in our work.” The second usually concerns our audience. However, today I want to offer a challenge, especially to those who write Christian fiction. If, like me, you suffer from a damaged heart, show the pain to the reader. If you struggle with humility, write about an egomaniac who’ll do anything for attention. Is greed an issue? How about a novel focusing on a money-driven workaholic? For me, after I’ve written the third book in my “Reluctant Pilgrim” series, I plan to investigate the many forms of grief through a novel set in a small New England town.
Is this approach for everyone? Of course not. However, whatever tale you tell, think about addressing your demons. I believe you will end up with a more authentic story. Also, I think your spiritual journey will change and flourish, as it did for me.
About the Author
Steven Rogers is an award-winning Christian author and speaker. The second book in his “Reluctant Pilgrim” series is, A Year in the Room. The book is a sequel to his debut novel, Into the Room.