Did you all read Steve’s post about Edgy Christian Fiction? An excellent post, and one that addressed vitally important issues for us as Christian who write. So why am I writing about it when Steve dealt with it so well. Because last night I experienced the ugly effects of edginess on characters I have enjoyed and loved.
First, let me say that I know my experience has nothing to do with entertainment written from a Christian perspective. It has everything to do with making established characters meet audience expectations.
True confessions: I’ve loved the whole X-Men franchise. Have all the movies. Love to watch them, in order, on those rare occasions I have a free day. Shoot, I read and collected comics as a kid. (Thor was my favorite, and when I sold my collection my senior year in high school, it financed my first year of college! But I digress…) I’ve enjoyed the action and wit, the good-against-evil, the community of heroes in the X-Men movies. And the fact that they’ve been PG-13. Yay! No language!
Th other night I decided to watch the most recent incarnation of one of my favorite X-Men, Wolverine. I checked the info on Logan, and was (not pleasantly) surprised to see it was R-rated. Hoping against hope that this rating didn’t mean what I feared it did, I started the movie. And bam! There were my beloved characters, including Charles Xavier, spouting the foulest obscenities in almost every sentence. And NONE of it was necessary! It didn’t add anything to the plot or the characters. My reaction?
Disappointment.
Disgust.
Anger.
Not just because they were swearing, but because, in the name of edginess and, I can only suppose, gaining a new audience, characters I loved, characters who I knew were flawed and emotionally tortured but whose flaws were always shown rather than “told” through gratuitous language and violence, were ruined. They’d become caricatures, not characters. It was like listening to a teenager spout f-bombs to seem more adult, but all it does is show just how immature they are. I turned the movie off after 10 minutes of foulness and ugliness.
So what’s my point? Simply this: using graphic language, violence, sexuality, religion—anything that you just stick in there in the name of making characters more “real,” is not craftsmanship. It’s giving in to what the world says is real. But I’m here to tell you that evil, true evil, is far more devious. Far more…dark.
Friends, forget being edgy. Instead, be a student of real people, real behaviors, yes, even real language. But get past what’s on the surface and dig deep. Look beyond the obscenities to see what’s burrowed into the soul. We’re all human. We’re all flawed in some way. And even those who long to follow God all too often fail. Show the failures. Show the faith. But do it by understanding what’s deep within.
And remember, characters who are so real they come off the page aren’t created through edginess. They’re crafted by letting us see inside them, showing us who they are through their actions, thoughts, expressions, body language, and so much more. Such characters will live and breathe. And their stories will hit your readers with an impact that “edginess” can’t ever hope to attain.
Write Every Day
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Thank you for this post, Karen. SO very well put. I’ve been so disappointed by the ruination of great characters in the name of “darkness” or so-called “realism.” I’ve actually given up on watching my beloved super-hero movies for that reason! You’re so right, we need to forget trying to be “edgy” and let realism be shown through the clear lens of the Christian worldview that lets us look past the superficial and proclaim the truth to the glory of God.
I’m with you there, Jerusha. After the last three superhero movies, I’ve given up too. The darkness and evil outways the good and leaves me walking out of the theater feeling depressed. 🙁
Amen, Jerusha.
I agree 100 per cent, Karen. An agent once told me I needed to have my characters cuss to be more realistic. I was disappointed.
Edward,
Several years ago, a popular Christian writer of westerns said that when he first started to publish, lack of profanity was not a problem, but as new editors came on board at publishers, he was told his characters needed to cuss to be “realistic”. He finally found an editor at a Christian publisher. Lack of profanity was welcomed then! Keep on trying!
Edward, Peggy is right. Keep trying.
Karen,
Thanks for this post.
Creative writing means being able to express ideas in new and different ways, including emotions such as anger. My example is when Peter realized he denied Christ. The KJV says, “Then began he to curse and to swear…” (Matt.26:74) That gets the idea across to me; no need to spell it out.
Unfortunately, many people use profanity as a way to seem more “adult” or because they’ve been raised in families that used it on an everyday basis, for anything. But, Christian writing can help them see there is a different way.
That’s our hope, Peggy.
Karen, I agree that swearing is not the way to establish a character. It is through good writing that our characters should come alive, not through being a written incarnation of a Shock Jock. Good posting!
Thanks, Sheri!
Thanks for the review of the movie, Karen. I’m also a big X-Men fan, but dislike the language issue.
I grew up in a family who didn’t think twice about uttering swear words in every sentence. I do my best to avoid reading or listening to such because it is all too easy for me to slip into bad patterns learned in my childhood (mostly when I’m SUPER angry).
I for one have written to “Christian” authors who use foul language in their books and expressed my disappointment. To me, it doesn’t matter if the character is Christian or not. If the book is marketed to Christians, then the language (or sex) needs to be left out.
[Stepping off my soap box now.] As you might can tell, this is an issue I am a bit passionate about. LOL
Thanks for the post.
Ginger,
I too, grew up in a family that routinely used swear words and profanity, whether angry or not. As a child, I used to try to “screen out” the profanity and focus on what they were really saying. As an adult, I try to avoid books, tv, movies where it might appear; it seems to stick in my mind. I’ve burned a couple books where the language got to be too much; I don’t need to read it.
It’s harder to avoid in a work situation. One reason I’m glad to go to church is because I know people can communicate decently.
You’re welcome, Ginger. And trust me, you’re not alone on that soapbox.
Who’s the reader “edgy” Christian writers have in mind? What is the desired response? I’m deeply concerned about secularizing Christian fiction. So thank you, Karen.
Peggy, it’s often explained as an effort to draw in a non-believing audience or because the writer doesn’t want to “preach to the choir.” But I keep saying there are plenty of lost folks in the choir, and writing that doesn’t honor God isn’t going to draw anyone where He’d want them to be.
Not only was this article a great read, but i REALLY enjoyed everyone’s followup comments. So, I’ll just leave one “thank you” here, instead of at the end of everybody’s comments. :^)
Anna, I agree! Loved the comments. Thanks for adding your own.