Mary Gray - How to Write Faith-based Messages For a Secular Market

E very book you read has a message its promoting. Every show you watch is pushing something. These often-covert messages are what we call themes .

We may think were escaping religion or dogma when we crack open a secular book or flip on a show, butnewsflash!there are messages in pretty much every story .

Now, these messages may not be overt but regardless of platformbooks, TVevery character learns something. This is what we call a character arc. In Jane Eyre, for instance, Mr. Rochester said, God had tempered judgement with mercy, because though he could no longer see, he got his Jane .

A Christian theme .

In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet each needed to let go of their pride and prejudice to find love .

More religious or moral themes .

Finding modern-day secular books and shows that balance these kinds of themes, though, can be tricky. Its not like secular publishers market their books with: this is a story that explores the Golden Rule or to turn the other cheek !

Many of us fear that adding elements that explore God somehow makes a story cheesy. I want real conflict that reflects real life in a story. But if you look at many of the great literary classics like The Scarlet Letter and Crime and Punishment--which explore adultery and murder--they discuss God, sin, and morality and are anything but cheesy .

Sometimes we think that we dont know how to write these types of stories. Balance secular with faith? I keep them separate! When I want God stuff, I read my scriptures. When I want world stuff, I browse Netflix, turn on cable, or grab something from bestseller lists like the New York Times .

At the same time, though, many of us know that messages we may not agree with often linger. Many times, they justify breaking Gods commandments or shutting him out of the equation completely. Recently, my husband and I watched a popular movie where a desperate character grabbed a crucifix when he was about to die, and I thought, Oh, good, hes thinking of God, but instead he carved up the crucifix to make fire, implying the only thing he believed in was himself .

Not a rare message, actually .

Even if we want to make great messages, many of us feel that we dont know how. How to balance it? What if I come across as preachy? I dont only want to write to Christians, or my particular faith. What about marketability ?

In the next three chapters, Im going to share the method Ive learned to subtly incorporate faith-based messages in my secular stories. Ill discuss :

• How to fill your spiritual well & know what to add without getting preachy
• Know where and how to add these precious gems of knowledge via the sneaky art of subplotting
• How to stay resilient against the adversary while considering marketability

Ill then bookend with a chapter containing a final warning. (Now that weve committed to writing these types of stories, the adversary wont want us to succeed .)

I hope youll find this book helpful. Ive fought to learn how to do this in a murky path, and I want to help pave the way .

S ome of the earliest philosophers, such as Aristotle and Socrates, believed that thought precedes action. In Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics, for instance, Aristotle asserts that a persons positive or negative actions are typically preceded by an idea. (I wouldnt jab my kid in the eye without thinking about it first .)

So, it makes sense that if we increase the number of our positive thoughts, well be better citizens and friends, better parents, children, and siblings. Wed be thinking about serving one another or offering compliments instead of screaming in a fit of road rage .

Filling ones spiritual well, though, isnt always a high priority. We have so many tangible issues to facehow to supply food, keep a roof over our heads, get to work, or take care of our kids. Many of us, as well-meaning as we are, feel we simply dont have the time .

The Apostle Paul said to put on the whole armor of God. We wouldnt go into battle without armor or protection, would we? So how do we protect our inner selves? Our spirits ?

We read our scriptures and pray .

Luckily, we live in a time when accessing Gods word is easier now more than ever. I have an app on my phone called Gospel Library that has both the text and audio of scriptures, years of talks, and lesson manuals. I can read when I first wake up. Listen after I drive my kids to school. I can stick in my earbuds and listen to Gods word while vacuuming my house .

According to a study conducted by the American Bible Society in February of 2017, 58% of Americans wish they spent more time reading or listening to the Bible. Thats more than half of us in the U.S. We want to fill our spiritual wells. So how can we make it happen, if not in the morning, then in another part of the day ?

I would suggest one key strategy for increasing our number of positive thoughtsto improve the way we treat our children. To lessen our road rage .

Set aside a regular time when you can read Gods word without any distractions. Or multitask. Something is better than nothing .

To be honest, I havent always had this goal. I was great as a teenager, but somewhere along going to college and having little kids, I let the priority slip. And then, after making a two-thousand-mile cross country trip with my three children, aged eight, five, and two, at the time, I realized I either needed to take care of my spiritual health or I would die .

My two-year-old was sick on that trip, my kids wouldnt stop fighting, and I kept thinking, I want to cease to exist. Make it stop. I cant keep going on this way. I didnt like my children. I didnt like myself, honestly .

Thats when I decided to make a change. To go to the gym and read my scriptures every day. Its been four years since Ive decided to take care of my physical and spiritual health, and its the best choice Ive ever made .

So then, assuming we agree that its imperative to fill our spiritual wells, how can we know what to add in our manuscripts? And then how can we do it so it doesnt come across as preachy ?

Four years ago, when I decided to make scripture reading a non-negotiable part of my day, I noticed something wonderful start happening. Id read about God reshaping the world in the second coming, and I suddenly knew how to write about natural disasters and what concrete setting elements to includelike rivers and valleys. When I read about Christs sermon on the mount, I thought about all the stories about revenge and knew I had to write a story about turning the other cheek .

Thats the beautiful part! If you read Gods word before you sit down to write, your mind will automatically fill in the blanks !