I’ve been writing a book for a while and I really like it. My book is so far fifty pages, it’s a dark comedy, and I feel like it’s one of those ‘once and a million ideas’. But i feel a bit conflicted. I want to be a Christian writer, but is my book idea not Christian? Does it make me a bad Christian/? Is it bad for me to write this?
This book follows a man named Kenji. He’s a famous food maker, with a passion for food. At the beginning of the book, he dies. He wakes up in Hell, and is told by a Demon that he is dead. The book is a dark comedy, following Kenji’s journey on bringing food to the souls in hell. I don’t idolize demons, making it clear that they are bad people, and i make it clear that i dont think that Hell is a good place. Satan is not really in the story, known as Lucifer, who briefly appears in chapter 5. I talk a bit about the people in hells wishes that they had been better people. But i wonder, is this ok to write about.
This story, of course, is a Dark comedy, and isn’t really serious. Kenji experiences several deaths as he tries to bring food to teh world, and he makes friends with a little furry monster known as Zella. Another major charecter, Bartimiz, is a human turned demon who really wants to get promoted. He is labeled as a bad person, kinda is friends with Kenji, and such. This is sort of a satire, and for that reason, God is not really mentioned, since I don’t want to be offensive in anyway. So I’ve been caught between this. I love writing this, and I dont mean in anyway to idolize murder or satan. Is there something i should change? Is this ok to write about?
I’ll be awaiting your response.
Hey Micah. In your question, are you asking if you’re still a Christian after having an idea like this, or if this book would fit into the “Christian” genre, which is a marketing label?
You’re a Christian writer if you believe that Jesus is your savior, your master, and the sole source of your salvation. It doesn’t matter if you write books that will be marketed towards Christian audiences or not. If you’re a Christian and you write, you’re a Christian writer.
There are some problems with your idea, many of which Hannah already articulated. As writers, we always have to be aware that someone might take us seriously. (Research L. Ron Hubbard if you don’t believe me.) While we can’t control every bizarre way someone might read our work, we can and should make sure that the core information is accurate.
I only disagree with Hannah on the idea of dark comedy. While I think it’s a good word of caution and we need to be 100% sure we’re rock solid in our faith first, I could see some dark comedy that exposes darkness and illuminates a path to faith.
It’s one thing if you’re creating a fantasy world, but since you’re talking about hell and demons, which are real things, you either need to talk about them in a Biblically accurate fashion or make sure it’s well-established that you’re creating a fantasy version (in which case, it had better serve a purpose).
But as to my original comment, if Jesus is our master and we’re fully surrendered to Him, we can invite Him into our work, and I think He’ll help us sort this out. A supportive in-person spiritual community can also be the difference maker as you discern His voice.
