Successful stories are about something. They don’t always have lots of action, but they’re about something.
Good stories have good (as in well written and engaging) characters. Those characters can’t just be two-dimensional cutouts. They need thoughts and emotions. They need to believe something. When that belief comes with trust and confidence (and it should) it’s called faith. And, the keeping or breaking of faith and what happens after is an excellent attention and emotion grabber that keeps people in a story.
But, faith isn’t just a token or tchotchke our characters carry around and occasionally break or lose. Faith is something real people have that we can examine in stories.
Yes, we can use stories to examine faith. In fact, using story to examine faith may be more effective than a literal non-fiction discussion. Why? Because it’s “just a story”. Examining faith in a story can bring down barriers and reduce the reluctance that happens when we (and others) are confronted with “real life” questions about what we believe and what those beliefs mean.
It’s a powerful tool and a valid form of discussion. Stories in which we examine faith and the implications create a space to really think about what we (and others) believe, the implications of those beliefs, and other people’s points of view.
What are your thoughts and experiences with faith in stories (either writing them or reading them)? Does the idea engage you or enrage you? Do you find it useful?
Leave a comment if you like. And, I’ll see you next post.
Forever Mountain Publishing 