Destroying Deception: The Discerning Author

I’m always shocked when I hear this sentiment from my writing friends. How can you enjoy writing when you don’t like what writing produces? That’s like an artist saying they love to draw, but they hate looking at art. How did they even discover they liked art in the first place without enjoying a piece of art first? Reading and writing go hand-in-hand. Without reading, writing words has no meaning, and without writing, there’d be nothing to read!

Good writers are readers. There’s no way around it. To write great stories, you’ve got to read great stories. Unfortunately, finding a great story isn’t as simple as picking up a New York Times bestseller. The world endorses stories that glorify evil instead of glorifying God. Those are definitely not the types of books Christian writers should be imitating. On the other end of the spectrum, much of Christian fiction doesn’t model good storytelling either. It doesn’t glorify evil, but it can hardly be called a story since they’re more of a sneak attack lesson. So how can you find great stories to read and imitate in your writing? Discernment.

Discernment vs. Preference

Everyone knows what they like and don’t like in a story. I’m not a horror person. I’ll never understand why people willingly scare themselves. I scare myself enough without a whole novel inventing something else for me to fear. However, I love anything science-y and strange. It’s rather easy for me to decide that I won’t like a new horror movie, but I’ll probably enjoy the new Star Wars movie that came out. If only discernment and preference were the same thing. Just because I’d prefer to see the new Star Wars movie doesn’t automatically mean I should see it. The true nature of discernment is discovering whether or not I should do something, while preference is just expressing my likes and dislikes, which ultimately don’t matter if they are the opposite of what God wants for me. For the Christian, discernment comes from aligning with God’s commands written in His word. We often prefer evil over good, which is why we cannot rely on our preferences alone (Psalm 52:3).Discernment is all about weighing every thought and action in the light of Scripture to determine whether God says it is good or evil (Hebrews 5:14).

Sometimes discernment is simple. Books that blatantly glorify things that God hates should raise immediate red flags and prompt either caution or abstinence. Reading a book that portrays demons as good would be an example of a book you should flee from. It won’t do you any good. However, the world doesn’t usually so obviously reveal its rebellion against God. Take Disney’s adaptation of "The Little Mermaid." There’s nothing bad on the surface. The witch is the bad guy in the film, which doesn’t glorify witchcraft. The problem is the other, smaller antagonistic force in Ariel’s life: her father. The movie, unlike the original fairy tale, glorifies Ariel’s disobedience to her father by giving her everything she wants. Her father even apologizes to her in the end! (Disney, The Little Mermaid) The Bible clearly states that children are to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1), while Disney’s Little Mermaid encourages them to rebel. Even though the movie is considered kid-friendly, it stands in rebellion with what God commands. The world skillfully presents its rebellion against God in ways that seemed harmless. It is the job of the Christian to expose the world carefully covered darkness instead of blindly indulging in it (Ephesians 5:11).

Discerning What is Pleasing to the Lord

Discernment is ultimately about pleasing God, so the first step to expert discerning is found in His word (Ephesians 5:10). Dive deep into God’s word with a trusted guide at first so you know you’re getting the right interpretation, and then as you grow, you’ll be able to study without as much help. Discernment is a practice of a mature believer that has to be cultivated over time (Hebrews 5:14). Taking the time to study God’s word will not only help you sniff out well-hidden lies in literature, but it will also help you to live a life that is more pleasing to God. The more of God’s word you have in your heart, the less likely it is for you to sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). Until you've hidden a ton of God’s word in your heart, rely heavily on those that are more mature in the faith than you. You can find book and movie reviews from biblical perspectives. The worst thing to do is to lean on a spotty understanding of the Bible and end up consuming things you shouldn’t have.

For those who already have a more solid foundation in the Word, you’re ready to begin carefully assessing what you read. You can quickly find the somewhat obvious points that contradict God’s word, leaving what’s left to your preferences. When approaching a story, first read it for entertainment. That doesn’t mean blindly accept everything the story says, but you should approach it like a reader first, not to glean information. If some aspect of the story plagues your conscience in a way that makes you think you should stop reading, then stop reading. If you believe that you should not be reading that book, but you continue reading, it becomes a sin (James 4:17).

Once you finish a book, take some time to think about what happened in the story. Maybe even write it down if you’re prone to forgetting. Do this while the events of the book are still fresh in your mind. First, start by assessing character arc since this is where the underlying message of the story is found. What did the protagonist (or protagonists) learn over the course of the story? If the protagonist didn’t learn anything, should they have learned something? Sometimes the protagonist doesn’t learn anything because they’re meant to be an example of what’s right in a world full of wrong. In that case, does that character showcase values that are consistent with the Bible? If you find that the story’s message is true and the story was compelling, make some notes as to how they conveyed it through their story. Then, go back and look at some other things the author did well. Maybe you were intrigued by their descriptions. Maybe their characters were vibrant and full of life. Take a deep look at what sorts of tactics they used to convey those things in a compelling way. You can learn a lot just from deeply looking at what an author does well.

Sum Up

Good writers take the time to learn how to glean the tactics of the greats, but that takes discernment. While you’re developing discernment, you don’t have to stop reading books. Find the biblical reviews online. Go to your parents or pastor if you’re unsure about a book. Most importantly, study God’s word for yourself. As you seek first the kingdom of God, He will add to your ability to discern what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Matthew 6:33, Philippians 4:8).