Not going to lie, trying to write a blog after I titled it that is daunting. “Cheesy” is different for everyone, but we’ve probably all read or watched a Christian plot point that felt like it belonged on top of macaroni rather than in a story. It’s likely what led you to this blog post. Still, I don’t want to bash other artists, and the Lord knows how many ‘cheesy’ drafts I have in my archives. I’ve grown a lot in my storytelling in the last 10 years, and I think it’s worth discussing how to make our stories better.
So, rather than make a bunch of generic statements about the topic, I’ll share what I’ve learned while writing Christian suspense novels about assassins, the FBI, and following Jesus. (You can learn more about my series here.)
But first: How do we identify “cheese”?
To be fair, secular art can also be incredibly cheesy, and it would be easy to expand this topic into all genres. However, for the sake of this article, here’s what I’ll label ‘over the top’ or ‘cheesy’ as it pertains to Christian fiction:
- God saves the plot without the characters’ input. This isn’t only found in Christian art (the phrase Deus ex machina was coined due to the ancient Greeks doing the same thing), but when we get a “happily ever after” that doesn’t feel earned, I’d class that as a ‘cheesy ending.’ This also applies to characters who change entirely without much more than a quick prayer.
- Slapping in a single Bible verse. I read a lot of these as a kid. A vaguely Christian protagonist goes through almost the entire plot without a second thought about God, then when he/she needs it, the perfect verse comes to mind and they make the ‘right’ decision. Or, the verse has nothing to do with the plot, but it’s mere presence somehow makes the book “Christian.”
- Lame jokes. Comedy is incredibly difficult to write. It the jokes fall flat, it impacts the whole experience.
And this isn’t to say that books CAN’T have miracles, Scripture passages, or humour. It’s how it’s done, and often why it’s done.
In the past, Christian creatives have shoehorned sermons into stories (sometimes literally). They have the clear message they want to portray, and they use every element to overtly communicate that. It’s not about what serves the story or the audience best, but rather how to make the message the clearest. Characters flip their motivations on a dime, dialogue feels forced, and the plot resolves with a neat little bow to prove the point. Rather than having a character struggle and be the hero God created them to be, too often God is used as a crutch that just magically changes everything. And while I’m all for God coming in and making everything great, it doesn’t take much time living on planet earth to realize that He doesn’t often do that. (This is obviously excluding the one time He literally stepped in and saved the whole world from sin and death, but again, we still wrestle with those things today, and He empowers us through His Spirit to do something about it, so my previous statement still stands).
My Experience
So when I sat down to start plotting my own books, having read books like this before, I had resolved that I wanted Jesus to be an active part of the story, who empowers the protagonist to overcome her challenges. I wanted Scripture to be present, but I didn’t want it to be a flippant or out-of-context plot device. And I wanted to make people laugh.
I settled on this question:
How do we write Jesus actually INTO plots without putting words into His mouth or outright Bible-thumping?
My answer? We focus on the story and allow the story to grow from a foundation of the Gospel, rather than cramming the Gospel into it.
It’s like houseplants. You don’t buy a plant from the greenhouse and cover its leaves and petals in good soil, but instead you plant the roots in the soil, where they can get nutrients and water, displaying beauty as a result.
The thing is, all books have themes, and my books’ themes are rooted in Christ. Writing faith-based books can be much richer than just plotting a story and throwing in some morals, a Bible verse, and/or a sermon. It’s exploring faith through the eyes of another human, just as we share the romances and adventures of other people.
It’s allowing what Jesus has done in my life to play out in the lives of my characters.
And in full disclosure: my characters attend church, so there are sermons. They read the Bible, so there is discussion on Bible verses. I even have a miraculous conversion at the beginning of my series, but that’s the only time it happens that fast. I try to represent multiple experiences and perspectives on God, and I’ve built a world where these experiences are expected. It’s also quite likely that I would have written my first book differently with the information I now know about writing, but I’m still happy with it and I still believes it tells the story well.
So how do we write Christian fiction without being cheesy?
Practical Tips for Editing Out Cheese
I had cheese ooze in my first drafts (and for the record, some readers might still label the elements in my story as ‘cheesy’). Editing makes the story better, so here are some practical things to look for when you’re editing to wash away some of the cheese. You can also keep these elements in mind as you draft to avoid it altogether.
- Foreshadowing. If you want to have a miracle or a Bible verse come to mind at the right time, give the audience clues beforehand. That way, it ties the plot tighter together and feels like a pay-off, not a cop-out.
- Character Motivation: Dive realllly deep. Would the character you’ve written actually preach a mini-sermon on the topic? If they would, how would the other characters really react? Give each character their own voice and reasons for every action. This keeps them from becoming your personal mouthpiece.
- If it doesn’t make you laugh, cut it. If it’s supposed to be clever, but you read it without much more than a smug grin, others probably won’t think it’s funny. If in doubt, ask your beta readers or your editor, and don’t take the answer personally. (That actually applies to most of the points on this list. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback!)
- Use coincidences to make the plot more difficult for your characters, not easier. This is a general piece of advice I received early on in my writing journey. It ensures you aren’t letting your characters get out of every pickle without growing, and it makes those ‘miracle’ moments more precious if you choose to write them.
- Remember your audience. If you’re writing for youth group kids who know the Bible well, you can take a different approach than if you’re writing for someone in their 50s who doesn’t know anything about Jesus. Keep in mind who you’re serving, and remember to serve them, not your own agenda.
- Pray about it. Might be obvious, but it’s worth repeating: Invite Jesus to write with you. Ask Him for wisdom (James 1:5 is in the Bible for a reason!), and tell Him about what makes you excited for this book as well as what scares you about it. This is a process, and it’s truly best to trust Him with it.
And that concludes my (current) thoughts on this topic! Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps. Feel free to drop any questions or other thoughts in the comments below!
