Writing for Hope by Lorrie Orr

 

The crowded ferry is noisy with the chatter of a language I work hard to understand. Outside, all is grey monotone. Constant drizzle soaked my hair and jacket. The boat chugs forward in the fog. Everyone on this crossing of the St. Laurence River from St. Simeon to Riviere du Loup has the same hope: to arrive safely on the other side. 

Hope is an essential emotion for a healthy life. Without hope, despair creeps in. No one chooses to live in despair. As believers, our hope is in the sovereign God of the universe, and as such, our lives should reflect that hope. How can we as writers, live and write in such a way that is hopeful? 

Those who write directly about faith matters can offer hope in Christ directly. But what about authors who write for a more general audience yet still want to impart hope to their writing.

One: Honesty. Be brave. Don't downplay the hard times, the doubts, the struggles. Christian writers sometimes have the tendency to sugarcoat life's dark days with platitudes about trusting God with the result that everything will work out just as you want. We all know this isn't so. It's important to convey the truth that although we may not know how situations will end, we know for certain that Jesus is alongside on the dark and rough journeys as well as the smooth ones.

Two: Hide nuggets of faith. Write from a biblical worldview. Think of the overarching mysterious and astoundingly beautiful story of God's word and place your work within that framework. Hide faith elements throughout your writing. Go deep and force your reader to grapple with seeming inconsistencies. Themes of justice, mercy, love, light, redemption, and beauty can be worked into any writing. I find that authors whom I do not know to be believers often work these elements into their stories. I think of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache, a character, flawed certainly, but one who reflects many Christlike traits. 

Three: Create a sense of Home. Think of your reader as someone outside in bone-piercing cold longing for warmth and belonging. What would appeal to her? As God's writers, full of hope, we can create a sense of longing in our readers, a longing to come in from the bitter and lonely cold to a place where one is enveloped in warm blankets and given a mug of hot chocolate. 

Four: Remember that it's the Holy Spirit who works in hearts and minds. As we offer hope to our readers, it's He, God's Spirit, who draws our readers to Himself. 

Lorrie Orr lives on Vancouver Island. Currently, she is traveling across Canada with her husband, planning to return home in October. The ferry ride mentioned above fulfilled everyone's hopes of landing safely on the other side.