Hello, Friday Fiction Fans! Are you ready to check out another fiction read that I or my colleagues have found fascinating, interesting, or inspiring? Then I’m so glad you stopped in. One of our contributors is on a cruise at the moment, so I’m filling in today.

I mentioned a book I enjoyed last month and was reading another by the same author. The new book was well-written, full of mystery, and interesting. But…

Let me wax philosophical for a moment, if I may.

When all was said and done, I didn’t like his agenda, which popped out near the end of the book. As I reached the conclusion and the mystery solved, I had a sinking feeling. My mouth drooped, and I released a sigh. It seemed okay but once again, I felt a nip of author intrusion. Don’t know what that is? Let me explain…

We authors are real people. We are who we are because of our family, interactions in life, the places we’ve lived, our past, and the culture around us. Our stories are drawn from who we are in the deepest part of us. Our wounds. Our victories. Our sorrows. Our joy.

Every story I write is me. Every character I write, whether good or bad, has parts of me entwined in them. An author intrusion, to me, is when I stop freely pulling from deep within for the story, and grasp from the outside. Maybe an example would help me explain. Once I helped an author critique her finished book. I was merrily reading along when the character, a young lady, suddenly went on a rant about texting and driving. I was immediately pulled out of the story and it was like I could hear the author speaking instead of the character.

Author intrusion. I mentioned it to her and she totally agreed. She’d heard and read recently about accidents from texting and driving and it made an impression. One she shared. But it wasn’t from deep within. It was a way to vent. Now if the writer had lost a loved one from an accident where texting and driving were involved, it would have read true. And she could’ve tied it into the character and made a beautiful, sorrowful moment. That’s a real story.

There’s nothing that will stop me from reading a book faster than when I’m preached to. Preaching doesn’t only come from Christians or other religions. It can come from the atheist and the agnostic in the way of author intrusion.

Probably my greatest fear as a writer is to sound preachy, to push my agenda onto anyone. If people can’t find the God I believe in through my life, my actions, and who I am, then I need to stop and dig deeper within as to why. And get myself fixed. Instead of trying to make another convert.

Jesus had strong words about this in the Bible. In Matthew 23:15, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

My prayer is to write true from my heart and soul and let the God I believe do the work needed in another. Not try to pound my beliefs through fiction.

Disclaimer: Non-fiction is a little different, though I want a thoughtful, researched opinion that lets me make up my mind. Again, not preachy. I’ve created a solo podcast, “Determined to Dance” and I try to share my beliefs and thoughts from deep within, though as a flawed human, I’m sure I fail at times.

How do you feel about this subject? Does fiction that preaches turn you away? Or are you okay with it? Some might like to look at all sides of the coin. Do you? Please leave a comment below. Next time, I’ll review a book. I promise. Sometimes, though, I need to share a thought and I hope that’s okay.

Until then…

Click to tweet: Author intrusion? We authors are real people. We are who we are because of our family, interactions in life, the places we’ve lived, our past, and the culture around us. #writingcommunity #fiction

Author

  • Jennifer Hallmark

    Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction with a twist. Her website and newsletter focus on her books, love of the South, and favorite fiction. She creates stories with unforgettable characters—her stories are a little eerie and otherworldly but with a positive turn. Jessie’s Hope, her first novel, was a Selah Award nominee for First Novel. Her latest novel, Smoking Flax, was released on January 16th, 2024. When she isn’t babysitting, gardening, or exploring the beautiful state of Alabama, you can find her at her desk penning fiction or studying the craft of writing. She also loves reading and streaming fantasy, supernatural stories, and detective fiction from the Golden Age or her favorite subject—time travel.

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