Bad Tropes in Christian Fiction
Alright, this article is going to be interesting. I’ve been speaking with a few Christian authors recently and the topic of tropes came up. There are so many different tropes in writing that we can spend a day and a half talking about them but what are the tropes unique to the Christian market? This question really got me thinking.
So, after much prayer and reflection, I came up with a list of tropes that I have seen drifting through the Christian genre. As an author, it is our natural instinct to try to avoid tropes, but sometimes we can’t really help it, can we? After all, tropes are just overplayed scenarios we’ve gotten bored of, right?
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The “strong female lead” wasn’t a trope when Katniss was whipping booty in the Hunger Games, but by the time Mare started burning people to a crisp in Red Queen we’d gotten sick and tired of seeing teenage girls with bad attitudes overthrowing their corrupt government. And now what started as a breath of fresh air to the YA genre has become one of the most annoying elements of young adult fantasy. Seriously, just a few weeks ago I saw a thread where one reader was actively looking for books with male leads because she’d gotten tired of horrible female leads.
Now, some tropes can be good for a genre—or stick around long enough to become its own genre. I’m looking at you, bad boy/good girl romance. And you, too, billionaire male romance. These “tropes” have gotten so popular that they’ve become a genre in and of themselves—and that’s great! But only if you’re writing in that genre. You might be able to sell a couple hundred—or thousand—copies of your bad boy romance because there’s a hungry market for it. But let’s be real, sleazy romance ain’t winning no Pulitzer Prizes, okay.
But not everyone wants to win a Pulitzer Prize! Some of us just want to tell a great story—and that’s where this article comes in handy.
Here are five tropes unique to the Christian market. You may want to avoid them, or you may want to mold your writing to fit a trope-genre. It’s totally up to you and I pray you’re successful no matter what choice you make! Happy writing and many blessings!
Good Girl/Saved Girl Romance
I’ll be honest with you, I felt like just putting romance up here—full stop. Christian romance is the BIGGEST selling genre in the Christian market, right beside non-fiction. There are a number of reasons for this; women make up most of the readership, lots of Christians are hopeless romantics…? And just because … it’s entertaining! BUT what I see as a trope within the genre is the “good girl” scenario. This is where a good, innocent lady is swept off her feet by some good-looking bad boy. I’m thinking very strong Sandy and Danny Zuko vibes.
In the Christian market, we often see this “good girl” replaced by a doe-eyed Christian who falls for a very PG version of Danny Zuko (who was already PG13 if that). Basically, a Christian girl falls for a guy who is very clearly unsaved and, despite all the physical, spiritual, and biblical evidence that tells her it ISN’T okay to be with him, she falls for the guy anyway.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a book that explores what could happen if a Christian girl dated outside her faith. What I dislike about this trope is that it has successfully romanticized and even normalized the act of Christians forming romantic connections with people they shouldn’t be with. As if being unequally yoked isn’t a thing. As if seeking guidance in dating from God on High isn’t a thing. As if there aren’t any good Christian men out there to date. But hey, I’m getting off-topic—BUT SINCE WE’RE HERE, you might as well read my article on Christian dating which you can find here. There’s also one written on being unequally yoked—check it out and join the conversation!
Salvation Trope
I really hate having salvation on the list but hear me out. I see this as a trope within Christian fiction because it seems to be the focus of nearly every. Single. Christian. Book. Out. There. And it’s got to stop—or at least be written in a more original fashion.
The trope here isn’t the story of salvation itself, but that too many books are simply salvation stories. Are you writing a book that tells the story of a bitter US vet who finds God after ending up in a homeless shelter run by some good Christian folk? Is your main character a sorrowful mother who just lost her only child and blames God but somehow ends up saved by the end of the book? Are you writing a story about a homeschooled teen going to high school for the first time and making friends with the only Christian in school? Then guess what? We’ve seen that before! Too many times.
As much as I love witnessing someone give their life over to Christ, I am tired of reading about it over and over again. There isn’t a problem with including a story of salvation in your book but if that is the focal point of the book then you might be walking into a trope.
Divorcee Trope
Ahh, the good old divorcee-wants-to-start-dating-again trope. Got to love Christian romcoms, am I right?
This is a personal favorite of mine because it is very entertaining and may even be a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. But it is a trope and here is why.
The divorcee complex is probably the most creative twist on the good girl romance trope I’ve ever seen. Instead of having an innocent Christian girl fall for someone she shouldn’t, you have a thirty-something Christian woman falling for all kinds of people. But at least in this trope, the protagonist usually has a stronger relationship with God than her younger, more innocent good girl counterpart. So, this type of story typically features a stronger presence of God and a greater emphasis on the importance of spiritual guidance in the wild world of Christian dating.
I think I’ve pointed out a lot of good things about this trope, enough to justify why you should be writing it. But I do think it is worth mentioning that it is a trope because it is something we have seen many times before. That isn’t to say it can’t be done again or done very well, but you’ll definitely score points for creativity if you … you know … actually get creative.
King David Trope
This is a trope that isn’t just unique to the Christian market, it is specific to Christian fantasy. I spent five years reading and reviewing Christian books right here on The Rebel Christian before the Lord blessed and took the blog to newer heights—we’re now an independent publishing company! So I can say, with full authority, that this trope does indeed exist and is severely overplayed.
The reason I think a lot of Christian authors bump into this trope is because we all tend to believe we are slightly more unique than we actually are. Christian fantasy is a smaller market (not anymore, in Jesus’ name!), but it ain’t that small. It’s big enough for tropes to form and this is definitely one of them.
I’m talking about fantasy books where some unsuspecting kid wakes up with tons of strength, enhanced senses, and realizes he is the Chosen One because he’s actually a descendant of King David assigned with protecting the new world. Believe it or not, that’s not just a trope, I think this is well on its way to becoming a genre. I love King David, really, I do, but I’m tired of reading books that amount to little more than a KD fanfiction at this point.
I blame you, Christian authors *squints dramatically* do your research, find out how many other books are already out there like your work and figure out what you need to do to improve your own project.
Demon Slayer Trope
Another trope unique to the Christian fantasy genre. We have all seen those books where our protagonists face a nameless enemy of pure evil. Now, there isn’t anything wrong with demon slayer fantasies. In fact, I think this plotline is easy for Christians to write successfully because we understand spiritual warfare in a way that non-believers simply don’t.
What gets trope-ish about this sort of story is the simple fact that it is very overplayed and unoriginal. I mean, angels vs demons is a concept that goes back wayyy too many years. It has inspired artwork, music, and a number of books—even outside the Christian market. I don’t think I need to say much more to convince you how much of a trope this is.
The good thing about it, however, is that it works. Like all tropes do. Tropes become tropes because they’re ideas that are good enough to repeat over and over again. The bad part is that this repetition usually turns people away after a while.
And that’s why the Lord led me to write this article! Obviously, you as the author have complete control over your work. Feel free to trope away! But if you are someone looking to be more original in your writing, then you may want to avoid the five issues I listed above. As a Christian, I always advise authors to seek guidance from Christ Jesus. He knows your talents better than I do and He has a story only you can write. Just ask Him and He’ll give you a book that will exceed your expectations. What are some tropes you’ve seen in the Christian market? Feel free to share them in the comments below.
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God bless!