About the Author:
Virginia Smith writes humorous novels for the Christian market. Since leaving the corporate world in the summer of 2005 she's published dozens of articles and sold six books, including Just As I Am (Kregel Publications) and the upcoming Murder by Mushroom (Steeple Hill, August 2007). When she isn't glued to her computer, she and her husband, Ted, love exploring the extremes of nature: snow skiing in Utah's mountains, motorcycle riding on the curvy roads of central Kentucky, and scuba diving in the warm waters of the Caribbean.

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The Pitfall of Preachy Prose
by Virginia Smith

A friend shared a quote with me from a less-than-flattering letter she received after the release of her last book. "If I want to hear a sermon," the irate reader said, "I'll go to church."

Preachy prose is a pitfall of the Christian fiction writer. We want our books to have meaning, to honor the God we serve. But the line between storytelling and sermonizing is a fine one. When we cross it, we risk alienating the readers we strive to reach. Here are a few ways to ensure our stories don't come across as preachy.

Avoid Teaching a Lesson. People do not pick up a novel to learn a lesson. They read fiction to be entertained, to live for a while in a world other than the one that surrounds them, or to be part of something bigger than themselves. That doesn't mean fiction can't impart spiritual truths, but fiction created with the sole purpose of teaching a lesson will always come off as preachy. Leif Enger, author of Peace Like a River, told a group of Christian writers, "Any story that starts out with the idea of 'bettering my readers' is doomed to failure." As you write the story the Lord has placed in your heart, focus on writing the best story you can. Your readers will get your message because they love your story, not because they learn the lesson.

Show, Don't Tell. This basic rule of fiction applies to characters as well as authors. When a character delivers a lengthy lecture, readers correctly assume they are the target. Communicate your message through your characters' actions instead of dialogue. A wonderful example of showing versus telling is portrayed through the actions of Samwise the Hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The author never tells the reader that Sam is a good friend. The message is delivered through Sam's actions as he repeatedly puts Frodo's well-being and safety above his own.

Less is More. Having a wise character instruct others in your book is a great way of getting a point across. However, a few well-placed words of wisdom go a lot farther than a half-page lecture that your reader will skim over anyway. Silas House, author of Clay's Quilt, said, "Christianity should be sprinkled in our literature." Anything other than a sprinkle will drown the story. In The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis' characters enter the new Narnia through an unlikely doorway, a small stable. A little later, Queen Lucy says simply, "In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world." That single statement explained the message far more effectively than a lengthy sermon.

Be especially careful of characters who are clergy. Many authors mistakenly assume having a preacher deliver a message is perfectly natural and acceptable. In fact, readers grow irritated at finding a sermon in the middle of their novel no matter who delivers it.

Trust your Reader. Be subtle, and trust your readers to "get it" without spoon-feeding the message to them. An editor for a large Christian publisher said at a conference recently, "The bane of the Christian writer is fiction that works too hard at conveying its point." In C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund learns the consequences of his betrayal the hard way. When he is rescued from the clutches of the White Witch, he has a long talk with Aslan. His brother and sisters are not privy to that talk, nor are we, the readers. From afar, we see Edmund standing before the great Lion, his head bowed. We don't have to hear what is said. We get the point.

Symbolism and Metaphor. Symbolism and metaphor have long been used to deliver profound spiritual truths in Christian fiction. The work of Hannah Hurnard and John Bunyan stand out as shining illustrations. This technique for delivering a message through story is still used to great effect today. An excellent example is bestselling author Francine Rivers' book, Redeeming Love. In this novel, Rivers modernizes the story of Hosea and Gomer, a Biblical metaphor itself. The book delivers a powerful message about the greatest love of all—God's love for mankind—without a single preachy sentence.

In his book Making Shapely Fiction, Jerome Stern says "Fiction has to succeed on its own terms. Ideas don't bring life to a story. The story brings life to the ideas." Fiction can convey spiritual truth that resonates within our souls. By avoiding preachy prose, we will ensure that our stories give life to the God-honoring concepts we hope to impart.