The Misconception

There seems to be a misconception that Christian writers should not be “dabbling” in fantasy and/or science fiction writing. This is evident when you notice the ever so slight raising of eyebrows when you tell other Christians that your current project is a fantasy for young adults. Disapproval. Not spoken aloud, but the thoughts are definitely there. And you can just imagine what’s being said behind your back. Do these people not know that the authors of two of the greatest fantasy series of our time (C.S. Lewis of Chronicles of Narnia fame and J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings) were fine upstanding Christian men?

I have always been drawn to this particular genre. I read The Wizard of Oz and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe three times each when I was in fourth grade. I was hooked. But for many years I steered clear of anything that even remotely sniffed of magic or time travel or space cadets. Because good Christians didn’t do such things.

And my creativity was stifled in a huge way.

So I prayed about it. To my relief, God did not smite me for my “sinful” thoughts. Instead, He gave me the complete storyline for a rather brilliant fantasy. He’s walking right alongside me in the writing of it, adjusting where adjustment is needed, and popping new ideas into my head to add to the mix. It’s so fun!

One of my favorite Christian writers, Karen Hancock, shares this article about why she writes fantasy. She says it far better than I ever could. And you really ought to read her books. She’s quite amazing!

Today I checked out the new releases page on several Christian bookseller websites. When I clicked on the fantasy/science fiction category, I admit that I was kind of shocked to see that a good number of those “new” releases were simply reprints of old books. Disappointment. Discouragement. Despair. Yeah, I felt all of those.

Calling all Christian fantasy writers! Your time has come.

Let the Lord of the Universe direct you.