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| Melinda Viergever Inman |
Why
Write Fiction?
Therefore, one would think I'd write non-fiction faith-based
Christian books. But God created me to be a storyteller, He raised me in a
storytelling family, and He has impressed upon me the fact that Jesus used
stories as His most effective tool for conveying truth.
Parables are short stories that powerfully impact our
emotions, evoking change. So are novels. They can accomplish what a lecture or
a sermon cannot. Fiction is the modern-day parable, and in the hands of a
skillful writer can be utilized exactly as Jesus did. This is why I write
fiction.
How
about you? Is this your motivation as a Christian writer?
Not only does the Lord prepare us as writers of modern-day
parables, but He has also prepared our culture to be attuned to story. Since
our ancient ancestors first told tales around the campfire, story has been
important.
The industrial and scientific revolutions temporarily
disrupted the typical means of conveying story. But now, once again, narrative
and story have become a significant part of our dialogue. There has been a
resurgence of interest.
If there is a story, there is an Author. We recognize that
our lives tell a story. We seek to find where our stories fit within God’s
story. People want to see the broader picture, the whole story, and the
overlying pattern of God's working.
This being the case, the Lord opened the marketplace to
allow for the publication of even more stories. We now have at our fingertips
the tools necessary to produce well-written, thoroughly edited, and highly
polished novels. We can be in control of the entire process, or we can turn it
over to others.
This has resulted in a flood of literature, requiring us to
learn marketing skills to take our stories to their audience. These are skills
we didn’t count on having to learn—we’re storytellers, after all. Marketing
takes us away from the actual writing, but it also teaches us the tools needed
to proclaim God’s message to a broader audience.
The Lord uses all of this to teach us to trust Him. He must
perform the ultimate act of placing our stories in the hands of the audience He
intends. Even with our best marketing efforts, we can’t force it to happen.
Do we
believe He can do this?
The Lord simultaneously worked all of these circumstances
together in our lives, in world culture, and in the publishing industry. Surely
He, the God of the universe, can and will get our stories into the hands of
those who need them. Our task is to write His stories, fulfilling our role to
the best of our abilities, to market as we are able, and to trust Him with the
results.
Can we
rest in the joy of creating for Him, leaving the outcome in His hands?
Love
takes action: The Creator God establishes the cosmos and shapes a man. Adam
rises from the dust. Envious, the powerful angel Lucifer despises him.
Oblivious to the threat, Adam is captivated by his strong, intuitive wife Eve.
In the Garden of Eden, they enjoy abundant food, gorgeous vistas, and
intriguing challenges, including their budding love and passion. They have it
all!
But
Lucifer’s deceptive brilliance tricks them into disobeying God. They eat the
one forbidden fruit. Their innocence is shattered. Their unity with one another
and with God is destroyed. Death will follow. Lucifer’s jealousy threatens
mankind’s tenuous beginning. But God is merciful. What astonishing promise does
He make? How will Adam and Eve survive—broken, shattered, and separated from God?
Melinda Viergever Inman was
raised in a storytelling family. There her roots were sunk. During years of
relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and heartbroken, Melinda forsook her roots
and ran from herself and from God. A journey of trial and heartache brought her
home again. A prodigal now returned, she writes with passion, illustrating
God's love for wounded people as He makes beauty from ashes. Fallen is her second novel; Refuge, the sequel, is her first.
Melinda shepherds women in prison ministry and writes inspirational material at
http://melindainman.com/blog/. With her family she is involved with Mission
India/RIMI, rescuing orphans and providing theological and job training for
impoverished students.
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