Sometimes it’s just too lighthearted.
If you hand me a book without any conflict in it, I’m not sure you can even classify it as a “book.” Conflict is one of the core elements of story.
I’m a clean fiction author. I write clean fiction. But I still groan when I read some of the stuff other clean fiction authors put out there.
So much clean fiction is too simple.
The conflicts are too easy to solve. There’s not enough depth or complexity to it.
To put it simply…it’s boring. And that’s a problem.
Hear me out…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about filling our lives with LIGHT.
I don’t think there should be gratuitous darkness in our books for no good reason. And I think there’s stuff out there that’s so dark no one can read it without hurting themselves.
Ephesians 5:12 says, “It is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.”
Philippians 4:8 says to think on whatever is true, lovely, pure, excellent, honorable, just, and commendable.
A strong church…
But at the same time, I believe that the church needs to be strong enough to handle real life.
Jesus went out and loved the prostitute, the tax collector, and the sinner.
I grew up in “the bubble.” So if a prostitute sat next to me in church, I’d probably keep my mouth shut because I don’t know how to interact instead of loving on them.
The hidden solution?
Every story should have compelling conflicts.
Period. Without conflict, there is no story.
As a clean fiction reader, you shouldn’t have to settle for subpar stories.
- I’m sorry if you feel like you’ve been forced to.
- I’m sorry if you’ve been frustrated that the only books you’re willing to read don’t keep you up until 1 a.m.
- I’m sorry if you’ve ever felt discouraged by the state of Christian fiction.
I write whimsical, gripping stories for readers like you.
From people telling me they “couldn’t put it down” to “I laughed and cried in the same breath,” I hope that I’m carving out a new space in clean fiction.
It’s not gritty.
But it’s raw and honest.
It’s not dark.
But it challenges you to look at life from a new perspective.
My publisher for Fantastical Summer gave me permission to share my FULL short story from the book for free.
If any of this has resonated with you, join my newsletter and I’ll send you the downloadable story right now.
(When you join my newsletter, you’ll also be one of the first to hear when I release a new book. Yay!)
For any writers in the room, check out these resources to help you write fascinating, Christ-honoring fiction:
<Please note, I use affiliate links>
Christian Writer Con ’26 – https://writers.company/christianwritercon?aff=Vella+Karman
Bestselling Writing Craft Book (by a Christian) – https://amzn.to/4n0phZ2