It’s a truth I come back to over and over again: God created the human heart to resonate with story. We love to see a hero vanquish a villain, and we love to see a character reach her goal. Hallmark movies have off-the-charts audiences because we always know there’s a happy ending–and we want there to be one. Why? Because whether we realize it or not, we are all part of the epic story of the Kingdom of God—one that started in a garden and will end in a heavenly city.
It will end in victory for God’s people, with joy in His presence.
We long for happy endings because we were made for one. Thankfully, through Christ, we have the best ending we could ever dream of. It’s the best news we could ever imagine!
And for those of us who are writers, often we want to participate in telling the Truest Story through smaller stories–fiction stories. But how does writing fiction connect with the mission of God’s Kingdom on earth? It’s an honest question and one worth answering: why write fiction? And why write Christian fiction—stories that point our readers back to ultimate Truth?
Especially now, in a world that’s riddled with pain and fear, what good can fiction do for people who are asking big questions and struggling to make it through the day?
Fiction can do a world of good.
Think of the stories that have touched you deeply. These stories stay with us because they called us to something better—to something hopeful.
When we write fiction, we get to participate in this beautiful arc of narrative that is already written on the human heart and in the great epic of history. We get to point our readers to hope, and love, and Truth.
That’s why fiction matters—perhaps now more than ever. When readers are struggling, good fiction points them to the things that are worth getting out of bed for—it reminds them why life is valuable and treasured. It reminds them that there is a God who loves them, and that He has a plan and purpose for their lives.
That’s why, for the first time, I’m teaching the Writing with Grace: Fiction Writing Workshop. Registration is open through July 30th, and you can save 10% on the cost of the course by using the code WORTHIT, just for being a blog reader.
So even if you’ve never written fiction before, maybe this is your nudge to try. What stories are in your heart?
And if you’ve been writing fiction for years, maybe this is your opportunity to take your story-writing to the next level and share what’s been burning inside of you forever.
I hope that you’ll come and join me as we write stories with and for the Lord, aiming to point the hearts of our readers to Truth and hope and joy.
