*slammed with conviction* You’re not wrong and this is definitely something I’ll be thinking more on. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, Sarah! I had to write some pain for my characters recently that was very hard on me as well, so I’m glad for this timely reminder of why we went through that.

How do you guys ALWAYS know exactly what I’m working on?? Your posts are so timely. Thank you!

This was a good article. My mom and I watched a bunch of movies centering on people with a disability and we couldn’t help but notice how most of them are a spin-off of “Rain Man.” “Rain Man” was the only movie we liked because it realistically showed how someone with autism would have trouble navigating the real world. The guy on whom Dustin Hoffman’s character was based, had more social skills than his movie counterpart did but it was still a realistic portrayal of someone on the spectrum. The other ones were not so good because they portrayed people with special needs as somebody good at one hard thing like solving a math problem that nobody else can. I worked with people with special needs and they’re not like the kid from Little Man Tate. Another problem is that Hollywood does is have the person with special needs get away with bad behavior. In The Other Sister, I cringed while watching the scene in which the hero disrupted someone’s wedding rehearsal and wedding just to declare his love to the bride’s sister. I know it was supposed to be a reference to The Graduate but it was still embarrassing to watch. I have a disability too, and I know that if I were to steal the bride and groom’s spotlight on their wedding day, I would have been banned from social events or worse, crucified. It would have been nice to see a movie or a book in which a person with special needs goes through a character arc just like the non-disabled characters. Maybe the person with a physical disability learns to not give up on learning something when life gets tough. Maybe the person with a mental disability learns to be selfless by putting others first instead of being self-absorbed all the time. Maybe he or she needs to find a cure or a plan because their disability is keeping them from getting a job.

Thank you, Sarah! This is very helpful and something I struggle with. I am already doing some of these with my current WIP, but you have given me some more tactics to use too.
Much appreciated! 🙂

I enjoyed this article! ☺️🙌🏻The advice on staggering introductions reminds me of Gandalf’s plan to introduce the dwarves to Beorn two by two so as not to annoy him with everyone all at once. 😂

Excellent article! Love/compassion is, I think, one of those qualities that separates the good books from the great.

Thank you! I think compassion is one of the most important things to get right in fiction, especially for Christians. (Poor point #3, it’s so unloved… 😉 )

THANK YOU!

I think that drawing from our experiences and growth is what tips storytelling over the edge into genuine truthfulness and encouragement. It’s the difference between reading a self-help manual or watching your grandmother demonstrate the skills she’s learned. ❤

Thanks! Glad it resonated with you!

YIKES, I don’t remember that part, though it’s been a while since I read them. Those books are a minefield of horrible content. I was so stuck on the part where she married her dad’s best friend that I don’t remember much else. 😣

I really loved this article. Such a good approach to writing fiction as a believer. Still chewing on this one since it’s so densely packed with good stuff, so I can’t say which point was my favorite.

Loving readers by displaying compassion in story teller is such a tall order, but the examples you included to demonstrate giving characters opportunities for redemption illustrates that disposition so well. Wonderful advice and examples.

Hey Eloise! Glad you enjoyed this! I agree, epic heroes were always my favorites as well. As long as you take care to develop them realistically, with flaws and weaknesses, there’s no reason for them to be perceived as cheesy or less interesting than antiheroes. Good luck in your quest to unlock the un-preachiness of your novel!

Excellent article! I love working with the balance between epic and virtuous protagonists who are still flawed! They’re my favorite kind of protagonists.

And that point on glorifying mistakes is really important. It’s annoying when a book is said to be Christian but doesn’t have negative consequences for sinful actions. Especially rebelling against parents!
Right now I’ve got a deceptive protagonist, and I’m making sure her “little” lie comes back to bite her.

Fantastic article!! We really REALLY need more kids books with good role models. *frown*

Ooh, I never thought about that aspect of The False Prince before!! *will have to think on this* Thanks for the article!

Oooh, this is spot on, Sarah. I feel like this is what I’ve been trying to say for a long time, but you articulated it far better than my attempts. XD