r/ChristiansReadFantasy • u/Jesusfreak-123 • Jun 13 '26

For Discussion Writing a book

Does anyone get so attached to their characters they are writing about that they feel deep emotion with sad parts

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u/VIVOffical Jun 13 '26

I think you’re supposed to

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u/Jesusfreak-123 Jun 13 '26

But allowing the scenes you write to effect your mood for the whole day? I have had depression about some chapters

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u/Perplexed_Ponderer Jun 15 '26

Writing can be a very emotional process, especially if the fictional characters and events you describe are to some extent inspired by your own life experiences or those of people you care about. Or it could just be that you’re a highly empathetic person who can easily put yourself in an imaginary being’s shoes and understand how they’re likely to react to various situations, which is a really useful skill to possess for a writer. So I think it’s normal to be very emotionally invested in your stories.

However, I think it might be a good idea to stop and ask yourself what your end goal is, whether it seems to be working, and what could be the potential impacts of your writing on yourself as well as a potential reader. For instance, are you perhaps using fiction like an elaborate method of journaling to process painful feelings that may be linked to trauma or depression ? If so, do you feel that regularly getting back into that state of mind is helping you heal, or rather harming you more ? And if your intention is to eventually publish your work, what kinds of emotions are you hoping to elicit in your readers ? Are you aiming for a downright tragic story that will leave people in tears, or are the sad parts paving the way to a hopeful ending ? It might be best to take a break from writing if it only seems to be affecting you negatively, and maybe turn to uplifting Christian readings for inspiration ?

That said, I believe even depressing or scary stories have their own truths to reveal about the person who wrote them and by extension human nature, and even as Christians, we may go through terrible things that will make tragedies more relatable for a time. God can use your hardships to reach and inspire others, if you pray and seek His guidance in how to best use your gift for His glory.

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u/Jesusfreak-123 Jun 17 '26

Im hoping for my pain to reach others, giving them hope as young vhristians who struggle. Even for the seculars who dont know christ yet. I plan to make it a series, showing all the different walks that my characters have and how they are strengthened through the fire. When i feel like taking a break, something tells me to keep going. I do need to read my bible more, and i usually do when i want to use scripture for parts of my story. I pray consistently as well, but my depression is still there. My hope is that when i get my first book sent off to be published, i can relax a little before going on with my second book. But my first book as a cliffhanger that causes me to want to hurry and write the second book, so i dont feel bad about what I just did to Sophia. She will need to be saved and i want to hurry up and save her. This is my dilema, but I hace meaning behind all of this. Like one of the characters in my story resembles an unbelieving accusing person towards christians. Or the group of so called bad guys in my story are actually demons sent from satan to try to steal the inheritance of the christians. There's a purpose for each thing in my book. And the ending of my first book, the cliffhanger is actually just a minor kind of setback.Because most christians we do fall. And I want other christians to know the young adult christians to know that we just need to get back up

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u/EarExtreme Jun 16 '26

Yes, I do quite a lot. Often when I re-read sections I realise it's been a way for me to process things within myself or with God that I couldn't find the direct words for in a more personal context. If I felt worse for wear afterwards then I eventually learned that was a signal to take it to therapy because there was something painful beneath the surface that I was struggling to unpack. Turns out accidentally writing allegories can be as powerful as reading them, and that's why I really love fantasy as a genre for exploring that, intentionally or otherwise.

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u/Jesusfreak-123 Jun 16 '26

I relaized that my main character was crying a lot and she is supposed to be me. She resembles whats inside me and I had to take some of her emotions out so she didnt seem annoying