The answer is yes. Some people mistakenly believe that, because Christianity includes belief in “objective/absolute truth,” that fiction stories in this genre must be based in real-world ideas and events. In fact, Christian authors are as free as writers of other genres to “build new worlds” in their stories.
It would, of course, become problematic if a fictional world created by an author in Christian fiction novel would somehow contradict God’s laws. However, merely creating a make-believe world to draw readers into a fictional story is perfectly acceptable. This has been made evident time and again by prolific authors, such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who are masters of building worlds in novels that are full of Christian symbolism.
How can Christian authors build new worlds?
World-building takes practice. Noone wants to read anything that’s not believable, even when (or, perhaps, especially when) it’s fiction. Keep these ideas in mind when creating a fictional world in a Christian-based story:
- Your world must have primary elements, such as setting, history, culture, etc., to be believable.
- Make it easy for readers to determine whether the story is taking place in the past, present or future, and if it jumps from one to the other, make the transitions clear.
- Using your characters’ senses in evident ways helps bring your created world to life. Write about sounds, smells, sights, etc.
- Make sure the characters you insert in your fictional world are a good fit and do not seem out of place, unless they are supposed to be.
- Avoid inconsistencies.
Don’t forget things like climate, topography, indigenous inhabitants (like animals) and other critical details when creating a fictional world. The key is to capture (and hold) your readers’ attention and to make them feel like they can step through the pages of your book, straight into the world you’ve created for them.
Create a blueprint of your world
Whether you prefer using advanced technology to digitally build a world or like to hand-sketch your ideas, consider drawing a blueprint, map or actual drawing or your make-believe world. If you have the skills (or, even if you don’t but know someone who does) you can create an interactive digital version of your world, which enables to determine how well it’s working. Is it believable? Is it lacking details? Are the characters a good fit?
Don’t leave readers struggling to explain things
Christian authors have limitless possibilities when creating fictional worlds in their novels. Just make sure that you are the one doing most of the legwork rather than leaving it up to your readers. For example, if characters vanish into thin air when they enter a certain region, don’t leave readers hanging as to why. Provide enough background or explanations so that it makes sense. Or, give them enough information and clues to figure it out for themselves.
Christian authors can write fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, suspense, mysteries and more. While the first two genres mentioned are most commonly associated with fictional worlds, you can incorporate a make-believe place into any story, if you learn to do it right.
