Between Shadows and Light: How To Write Sensitive Topics As A Christian In a World of Extremes

We live in a world of extremes. Screaming voices on either side of the conflict, insisting their way is right or the other way is wrong, to the point that sometimes, you have no idea what to think or believe.

For writers, and I think especially Christian writers, sensitive topics are like that.

We see examples in the secular world around us of people who relish writing the shadows– in some cases, to the point where they become part of them. And in Christian circles, we see the drive to turn back to pure, Godly books that showcase light and purity.

And for those who feel called to write the hard topics, this argument between stories of shadows and stories of light can be hard to process and understand.

I’m not sure exactly when I learned that I was not called to write fluffy, clean, lighthearted books. My earliest story was about a girl running away from England during World War II– and I was about seven at the time. Throughout the years, I’ve tackled human trafficking, abuse of many kinds (yes, that includes sexual), depression, suicide, self harm, autism, foster care, spiritual battles, bullying, forgiving seemingly irredeemable sins, PTSD… the list goes on and on. I’ll never forget the time a beta reader told me, “this book is too intense for your age range”.

Now, I was never worried about what my parents would think– I’ve gone through some deep, dark valleys in my life. I’ve been going through some shadows even now. What I was worried about was what people outside my family, who didn’t know about my own story, would think.

Interesting thing about traumatic events: they tend to emotionally stunt you a little bit. Thus, those who have experienced extreme trauma events like I have might act a few years under their age socially and emotionally. I have a tendency to befriend those younger than me, which provides some problems when my life experience is far beyond their years. “Sheltered little innocent Christian homeschooler”, I was not. And when it came to writing those hard topics in my stories that not all my peers were ready for yet… I struggled. Because what I wanted to write, my friends weren’t ready for– and most of their parents would probably be appalled at the sight of it.

So where do Christian writers with a heart for sensitive topics find the balance between the shadows and light?

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It’s Not About Writing Darkness

I had the opportunity to talk to Tim Shoemaker in person about this exact question. For those of you who don’t know, Tim Shoemaker is a Christian author who writes contemporary thrillers for teens (mostly for teen boys, but I think girls would thoroughly enjoy the books too). And in one of these books, specifically Easy Target, Tim deals with sexting, cyberbullying, abuse, self harm, drug abuse, school shooting, and yes, even a suicide attempt. It was utterly inspiring to read Christian fiction that tackles these topics without being preachy or idealistic, or fiction in general that handled them with such sensitivity and grace. And as a writer who tackled similar things, I had to ask him– how do Christian writers find that balance?

What he said kind of blew my mind.

He said he saw a lot of Christian authors take a lot of the extremes I saw– either they were too light, and didn’t deal with them at all, or they went way too far.

“It’s easy to write darkness,” he told me. “We come from darkness. But I don’t write to write darkness. I write to expose darkness.”

Suffice to say, my jaw dropped right there. Because it seemed so simple, so obvious, and yet I’d never heard about writing sensitive topics in that way before.

The Merriam-Webster definition of expose means “to make known; to bring to light”. Tim doesn’t write darkness to contrast the light– he writes light that exposes the darkness.

And I think that for those who want to write sensitive topics, that is a rule we should all work by. As Christians, we are to be lights to the world. And for some writers, that means writing gentle, clean books full of hope and sunshine. That can be a hard road to walk in itself in a world of darkness.

But there is a road we have to walk too– the one that is between shadows and light. In some ways, we are in the front lines, writing stories to battle evil.

And it’s hard. Boy howdy, is it hard.

But you know what Ephesians 5:11 says?

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (NIV)

and John 16:33

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (NIV)

There is our mission statement, and our encouragement. The pen is mightier than sword, and we are meant to wield it.

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But… How?

You’re probably looking at this and going, “all right, Allie, that was a nice little inspiring speech, but you still haven’t really given me an answer on how on earth I’m supposed to actually do this.”

Hold your cheesecake, grasshopper, I’m getting there.

How to do it all boils down to the famous questions of what and why. More specifically:

What do you want to write?

and

Why do you think you should write it?

These are important questions for Christian writers across the board, but especially those who write sensitive topics.

For me, I want to write horse stories. More specifically, I want to write horse stories that delve into the really hard topics. Equine fiction for teens that goes beyond “girl saves horse”, that explore how equines help us heal from our scars. My books dive into some deep, shadowed places– but in it all, I want people to come out from them with hope. I want them to walk away from my books with the message, “this is the darkness in the world. This is how you can help fight it.”

And why?

Because I’ve lived those shadows. I’ve stared the spiritual powers of darkness in the eye and told them, “by the name of Jesus, you do not have a hold on me.” I’ve dove into the fire and survived. Sometimes, I feel like I’m still burning. I’ve got invisible scars that few can see, and I have a heart for those who’ve lived through pain like mine. I am one of the lucky ones– I was able to make it to the other side, with a place to land and people who heard my story and were able to help me. Many others aren’t so lucky. Yes, I’ve been through evil, but what the enemy meant for evil, God has turned into good.

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’ve been through the furnace. Or maybe you have been blessed with safety and peace, and yet there is a little voice in your heart whispering for you to speak up about hard things. Maybe you only want to write about mental health, or abuse. Maybe you’re like me and have a range of topics you want to tackle. Whatever it is, find some paper and write down your what and why. If you feel comfortable, tack it up in a place you can see, or write it on something you can use as a bookmark.

Then… pray. Yeah, I know that sounds cliche, but God gave you the ability to write, and when it comes to things like these, you need His guidance to know whether you’re meant to write them. I was just praying today over a topic I’m including in Shadow of the Arena, and I’m still a little nervous about writing it. But you know what? Nervousness is a good thing. It shows you have a healthy respect for the topic you’re writing, and that means you’re more likely to write it sensitively.

Then, research. Talk to people. Read articles. Be careful, of course, but don’t shy away from these stories.

On that note, if you are like me and start writing in relation to trauma to the point that you are ripping old wounds– for the sake of your mental health, stop. God doesn’t want you tearing your soul apart to write a story. It’s okay to not write those things if you’re not ready yet.

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But, But, What If People Think I’m Crazy???

Let them think that. Being crazy is awesome XP.

In all seriousness, there are going to be people who don’t understand. You might have the World jeering you for including Christianity, and Christianity chewing you out for writing such “evil” things.

But if God is telling you, write this… who are you going to listen to? Man, or God?

People aren’t going to understand. I’m probably going to shock some of my non-immediate family members. Some of my cousins and friends probably won’t be allowed or want to read some of my books. And you know what? I’m okay with that. Because if they aren’t ready for the topics… that is their call (or their parents’ call, in some cases). My books aren’t for them.

Parents just want to protect their kids. And some people just want to guard their minds. That is okay.

The important thing is, there’s about 6 billion people in the world, and chances are, SOMEONE out there is just the person to read your book. So keep writing. Tackle those sensitive topics. Some people may not understand… but there are those who will. Maybe it will keep your from becoming famous. Maybe you’ll be shamed for it. But just. Keep. Writing.

(okay it’s not writing but you get the point. I couldn’t help it! It’s good life advice *nods*)

Can we all acknowledge the awesomeness of Marlin’s expression though? X’D

***

I am going to leave you off with this. There is a verse that’s kind of my family’s theme verse. I’ve even used it as an epigraph in one of my novels. It’s Isaiah 41:10, and it says:

So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am Your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

HEY! RIGHT HAND! THAT’S THE ONE YOU WRITE WITH (if you’re right handed, I assume God is right handed, but maybe He’s ambidextrous. We just don’t know until we get to heaven, I guess.)

What about you? Do you write hard topics? If so, what has been your biggest struggle in writing them? And if you don’t, how do you feel about writers who write hard topics?

Articles I’ve Written On Sensitive Topics

Explained, But Not Defined: How to Write Mental Health Issues Respectfully In Fiction

Uncalculated Effect: How a Book Taught me How to Write Romance (And Other Things I Learned From Calculated)

How to Balance Writing Strong Female Characters and Strong Male Characters