Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Tackling the Tough Stuff


I love reading and writing Christian, romance. However, sometimes reality has a way of creeping into our sweet little stories. Not because we want it to, but because God does. 

As often happens, a writer can be moving happily along, getting to know their characters and then all of a sudden you learn something about that person’s past. Something that has impacted their life. Something terrible that affects how they live and who they are today. Things like abuse, betrayal, drugs, cancer, PTSD, and the list goes on and on.

These subjects have to be handled with sensitivity because we never know what a reader might be going/have been through. Our goal in the face of life’s ugliness is to offer them hope.

How do we do that?

Do your research – Knowledge is power. And as unsavory as some of these topics are, you owe it to yourself and your readers to have a better understanding of whatever it is your character is struggling with and how it could impact their thinking and their day-to-day life. Search the internet or visit your local library for books on that particular subject. If you know someone who’s struggled with that issue, see if they’d be willing to talk with you so you can get a sense for how your character might feel. You don’t need to become an expert, you simply need to be familiar enough with that topic to do your character justice and not insult a reader who might be dealing with the same thing.

Don’t be graphic – This is one of those stretching exercises for writers. Sometimes we think we need to just lay it all out there. But would that be beneficial? Readers have imaginations. We don’t want to plant something in their mind’s-eye that they might not be able to forget.

Here’s an example from Ruthy’s Christy nominated book, Her Secret Daughter.


“I trusted the wrong man, Jacob. After years of being so careful, and prim and proper in a city where that’s not exactly easy, I believed a man who carried date-rape drugs in his pocket. A foolish mistake from a woman who had promised her family nothing would go wrong in New Orleans. And there I was, hating myself all over again, but pregnant this time.”

As readers, we know what happened and our heart goes out to the heroine without being hit over the head with all the details of that painful event.

Unfold the journey – Whether physical or emotional, healing is a process. Don’t gyp readers by having a character afraid to trust throughout a story, then suddenly give their heart away in the last chapter. Trust has to be built. Wounds need to be healed. Little by little, one step at a time throughout the book. So by the time we near that final chapter, we know that our character really is strong enough to take that leap of faith.
Speaking of faith – As Christians, we know that true healing can only come from God. So above all else, pray your way through any story, but especially those that deal with sensitive topics. Because you never know when a reader might contact you to share their experience and tell you that your book gave them hope. And knowing your book has actually reached that one person God called you to write that story for is the most humbling and amazing feeling you’ll ever know. 

What are your thoughts on these difficult topics? Do you shy away from books that have them or do you feel that they make the characters more real? Share your thoughts to be entered into a drawing for a copy of Her Colorado Cowboy.


Three-time Carol Award nominee, Mindy Obenhaus, writes contemporary romance for Love Inspired Books. She’s passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren at her Texas ranch. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com



52 comments:

  1. Mindy, this is a great topic to mull. And huge thanks for using an excerpt from "Her Secret Daughter". I loved that she had the best reason ever for having a "secret baby"... and that was to protect her daughter and give her the best life possible, an adoptive family to love and cherish her.

    And your point that it's a fine line on touchy subjects is so true because readers will fill in details if we paint a solid platform for them.

    Hey, I brought COFFEE!!!!

    Coffee rocks, Mindy!!!!

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    1. Ruthy, I agree with you on everything but the coffee. Coffee does not rock. At least not in my book. So I'm making sure we have a nice supply of tea on hand, too.

      Yes, I really loved that book and how the heroine loved her child enough to want her to have a wonderful life with a loving family. The only thing I loved more was the ending, which I will not divulge here. ;)

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  2. Mindy, I LOVE THIS. I tend to seek out the tougher subjects because I really want my readers to see God working in my characters' lives. In my "Hilltop Christmas" series I deal with child sexual abuse, hoarding, child poverty and neglect, and the vestiges of Vietnam on one haunted soul. And that's just in the first two books. I want to show how God helps my H and H to overcome, and they can't overcome if they have nothing to overcome. It's especially true of the "sweet" romances. I have a saying, "They're not your mother's Harlequins," and I say it for a reason. These are not dewy-eyed maidens. Due to the complexity of our world and our human imperfection, they're often not maidens at all.
    Research is so important. I lived through the Vietnam era, and I still have a folder an inch thick.
    You and Ruth are right, we don't need to go into detail and make reader uncomfortable.
    Going to Boston this afternoon, my husband has a conference for our denomination, and I am tagging along. Hope to get some work done, mostly on guest blogs and some research.
    May start a novella this week. I can't start a new long work right now for a variety of reasons, but I'm itching to Write Something.
    Oh and I have a tagline now, see below. I really wanted something about "home," and fooled around with several phrases including "Welcoming You Home" and a graphic of a little house, which sounded like an ad for a Realtor. Finally have a brand, which I was worried about because I was afraid my skin was too tough to brand, ha ha. I am now "A Home For the Heart."
    Taking laptop to Boston, will try to check in later and Friday.
    Kathy Bailey
    "A Home For the Heart"

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    1. That's a wonderful tagline, Kathy. And yes, you have certainly tackled some difficult topics. How fun it must be to say that you're going to tag along to Boston. I can certainly think of worse things to do. Enjoy your time away and may you be filled with inspiration.

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    2. A great tagline, Kathy! I love it!

      I also wanted to include "home" in my tagline, so mine is "Bringing you home..."

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    3. Jan, isn't "Home" a great concept? And I can see it in your work.

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    4. Jan, as long as nobody expects us to flip a house for them.

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    5. Hey Kathy - Great tagline. That was also the title of my first real novel (not published, of course). Can't wait to read your stuff.

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  3. The world is not rose-colored and if we as Christians are afraid to confront the tough stuff, then who will? And to be able to do it knowing that Jesus has made a way through it all--what a privilege that is. Great post, Mindy!

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    1. Glynis, you are so right. I can think of the things people are dealing with now just in my local congregation, and it would swamp them if they didn't have the Lord.

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    2. Glynis and Kathy, I think we'd all be going under without God to help and guide us. It is definitely a privilege to walk through this life with Him, one we don't deserve, which makes it even more special.

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  4. Mindy this is a great post. I often deal with really tough stuff in my books. Spousal abuse, alcoholism, PTSD, dementia. And to work that into a comedy is so tricky. To do it with sensitivity and hopefully some wisdom. I've been called on how I handled things a few times. I think that comes down to exactly what you said about readers have their own tender spots.
    This is great advice.

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    1. Mary, you do a great job.We're all sensitive in different ways. Best we can do is be as gentle as possible.

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  5. Research is so important, which is why I'm not tackling anything big right now. My third book in "Western Dreams" will be a big, sprawling saga taking Jenny Thatcher pretty much all over the known West, with real historical characters making cameos, so I've got to get it right. She even makes a stop in the San Antonio of her time. Hey, does anybody think I can deduct the ACFW conference twice? I AM ONLY KIDDING.
    Kathleen D. Bailey
    Western Dreams
    "A Home For the Heart"

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    1. Kathy, a big, sprawling saga sounds as intimidating as it does fun. Hope this means I'll get to see you again in San Antonio.

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  6. Great post, Mindy. You made some great points, especially the one about being sensitive to our reader's reactions.

    It takes skill to navigate the fine line between being too graphic and being too subtle. In one of my books, I was too subtle. A good number of my reviewers didn't understand my heroine's problem, but at the same time, most of them understood exactly what had happened. If I ever get to revise that book, that's a point I'll work on. :-)

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    1. Jan, sometimes people's reactions can be so confusing, can't they? And it can also be a fine line between subtle and too much. That's where I have to make sure whatever I've got there is what the Lord wants there and not what I want there.

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    2. Jan, we still tease Mary about one of her early books (maybe the first one), where she was so subtle that everyone who read it was shocked when the married heroine turned up pregnant. :)

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  7. Excellent post, Mindy and such a great reminder to be sensitive to how our words affect people. Thank you!

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  8. I know that many Christian Fiction authors write about human struggles in hopes of getting God's message to them and that is a wonderful thing. Personally, having lived through an abusive alcoholic marriage, I do not enjoy reading about those things. I prefer to read a book where the characters are at the place I am now.

    I do like what you said about not being too graphic. If I am reading a book and come across something unexpected and it needs to be explained for the story, that is okay. I just finished a book last night where the heroine had been raped as a teenager. She simply told him she had been, when and where, and by who, then he held her while she cried. It explained her hesitation about rushing into marriage and then set up his tenderness and patience with her through the remainder of the story without specifically mentioning it again and without any graphic details.

    Linda - rayorr [at] bellsouth [dot] net

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    1. Linda, I understand why you'd want to avoid reading about what you went through. You don't want to be reminded of anything but the fact that you overcame and congratulations on that. You are a strong woman.

      And what you said about the book you're reading is spot on. You got the point. You sympathized with the heroine. That's what's important.

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    2. Yes, I think it's common for readers to avoid certain themes or topics. Totally understandable. And some readers just don't enjoy certain tropes.

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  9. A Gentle Teardrop Falls

    What have they done to my Romance?
    Where has all the romance gone?
    Where once a love story was central
    the flowers and candy are gone.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Do heroes and heroines even dance anymore?
    And formal dates, have they all become passé?
    Besides, when it's all about pain and redemption,
    doesn't romance just get in the way?

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The troubadours have long all been archived
    while romance as romance is just a cliché.
    Oh what have they done to my romance?
    They let the real world wash it all away.

    I still miss the joy and warm feelings
    back when you didn't have to earn an HEA.
    Back when you didn't have to deal
    with abuse or addiction,
    or perhaps just some other affliction.

    Oh what have they done to my romance?
    Will heroes ever be romantic again?


    Yes, a gentle teardrop falls.

    *******

    Vince


    "The dinosaurs will never go extinct. They make new ones every day."

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    1. Nice, Vince. And to answer your question, yes, heroes will be romantic again. At least in my books.

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    2. Vince, the problem is: you became a writer! That changes how you read books. Now you think about things like character arcs and earning happy endings. :)

      Plus, there are just different types of stories. Some more realistic with real struggles/conflict, while others are more gentle romances like you're wishing for. I'm sure they're out there! But that romantic hero still has to earn his happy ending!! :)

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    3. Hi Mindy:

      "Vince. And to answer your question, yes, heroes will be romantic again. At least in my books."

      Then may it be said that you are both an author and a heroine.

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    4. Hi Missy:

      "But that romantic hero still has to earn his happy ending!! :)"

      Ah, yes, but it's how he earns that HEA that makes all the romantic difference! He makes his lady a princess worthy of all his love and admiration. A Goddess he'd launch a thousand ships to honor and protect and in his eyes, like Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world.

      P.S. You're right about different types of stories. In the beginning I read almost all HRs! I've been romanticized.

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  10. Wonderful article. I agree on the graphic being less as when you have been abused it can trigger flashbacks. Thank you for sharing.

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  11. Thanks, Mindy. Great choice of topic. We as writers have to find that balance between toning down the hard details on the page while not skimping on the emotion. Ruthy did a fantastic job of this in Her Secret Daughter. Really looking forward to reading Her Colorado Cowboy.

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    1. Cindy, Ruthy always does a great job, but I particularly loved that book.

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  12. Great post, Mindy! I'm writing my first secret baby story so the issue of their prior involvement had to handle delicately. Hopefully, I succeeded.

    I've written a story involving the heroine's brother with PTSD. Yes, I researched and tried to get everything right because so many of our military heroes have experienced similar issues.

    You're right about treading lightly on some of the more difficult elements of a certain issue.

    Love your new cover! Oh my gosh! He is such a handsome hero!

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    1. Debby, it's always daunting to not only research those things, but to write them. And you always do a beautiful job.

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  13. I'm not sure I could write about some of the really difficult issues mentioned here. I don't mind reading such books but I do appreciate if they aren't graphic.

    No need to put me in the drawing, Mindy. I have already won this book. It is very good, so someone will be happy to get it.

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  14. Great insight! Thank you for sharing.

    Personally, I tend to shy away from the books that deal with difficult topics that need extra delicacy. Just not my preference. Especially if it's a prominent theme in the book vs a brief back history for a character, which is okay when handled gently.

    As for realism, I think that's a deeper matter than giving a character hard problems. A woman crying because she lost her car keys after the baby kept her up all night can be just as realistic a character as someone who's suffered child abuse. Everyone's journey is different.

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    1. I agree, Samantha. And no one should never go looking for those problems to assign to a character. Sometimes, they simply happen, though, and writers need to tread carefully. Oh, the frazzled mom thing. That's never a pretty sight. ;)

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  15. I totally agree with tackling some tough subjects. Because people really do go through these things and our readers need to see that it can end well. That's why I finally wrote my book Faith & Hope. And I've had several readers tell me I handled the infertility part of it well ... that it was exactly like what they went through 15 years before and still helped them after all this time to see that they weren't alone. That made me feel amazing!

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    1. I bet it did, Amy. Infertility is a very tough topic.

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  16. Mindy, what a great post. I'm often scared to tackle tough subjects, but you've inspired me. I did once tackle custody issues with a heroine whose son chose to live with his dad after a divorce. I had that happen to a good friend of mine, and she was a huge help by sharing her feelings with me. That really did give me courage because I knew my character would be authentic (at least to one person's experience).

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    1. Missy, I think some subjects are always a little scary. But having someone you can talk to who has had first-hand experience is a great help.

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  17. Ah, such a timely post for me, as I begin book three of a series. Book one dealt with PTSD and wounded veterans (albeit from the Napoleonic Wars) and Book Two dealt with prostitution and vice in Regency London. Book three is about war orphans and child labor. Tough subjects, but hopefully handled with compassion, tempering realism with gentleness.

    Very nice post, Mindy!

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    1. Erica, my mind is swimming. Those subjects are tough enough, but to be set in the Napoleonic era? You go, girl!

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  18. Difficult topics should be highlighted and aired. I welcome them for their honesty.

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  19. Thank you for this post, Mindy! I haven't been on Seekerville in what seems like forever, but I happened to see the title of this one and had to come over to read it. Why? Because I am working on a book right now where the heroine is dealing with trauma that happened when she was 10 years old. I don't know if it will ever sell, but I'm trying. I've pinned this to one of my writing boards on Pinterest because I'm out of ink and can't print it out. Thanks again! Blessings to you.

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    1. Good luck on your story, Melanie. I hope these tips help you.

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  20. Thanks for writing this post Mindy. When an author is able to capture the pain and the challenges in fiction that is reflective of real-life, how many lives are blessed through their efforts, prayers and sensitivities. Yet, to accomplish that takes time, prayer, and a listening ear! Lee-Ann

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