Overt Messaging
In the modern world, overt messaging has a quite the reputation. It’s spoken about with crinkled noses, mouths twisted with disgust, and annoyed sighs. Now, this is not due to overt messaging in and of itself; there is nothing wrong with having a story that has a clear and distinct message to bring to the world. What it is due to is one particular type of overt messaging, which is the bane of every story’s existence: sermonizing. Sermonizing is, to put it mildly, the primary cause of death for the majority of “could’ve been great” stories. It draws the life and enthusiasm out of a piece of fiction like some kind of messaging blackhole. It turns the message from a gift the creator is offering to the audience into a club with which to bludgeon said audience. It is the same mechanic that is tearing the legs out from under all the major Hollywood studios in recent years as well as keeping Christian media relegated to its little corner of the wider media market.
What makes sermonizing so deadly to a piece of fiction? This is the simple fact that it breaks the fourth wall — and not in a funny look-at-the-camera kind of way. It reaches through the story to grab the audience by the collar and smack them with whatever message the creator is trying to convey. It shatters any suspension of disbelief the audience has settled into for the story by forcing them to apply the story’s message to their own, real-world life. Even with stories the audience knows will carry an overt message, sermonizing has no place. It is a sign of inexperienced and immature storytelling, where the message is taking priority over the good of the story. No sane audience wants to be preached at when they are sitting down to watch a movie or read a book, even if they completely agree with the story’s message.
This said, some stories — especially in the Christian realm — need a more overt message to work. They need a strong faith element, they need miracles from God, they need to convey the value of struggling in a blindingly Christian context. There is nothing wrong with having an obvious message, so long as it doesn’t become the story’s only priority and so long as said message makes sense within the confines of the story. The message and the story must be woven together, rather than one laying on top of the other or pitting them against each other in some kind of professional wrestling match.
The question then is: how does one tell an overtly Christian story without sermonizing?
The number one solution to avoid sermonizing is actually found in the story’s characters. The main characters are the audience’s representatives in a story. This is the reason why having characters — particularly protagonists — that are relatable to the audience in some way, be it physical, mental, or emotional, is so important to good storytelling. The audience sees themselves in the story through the eyes of the characters. This mechanism is how they interpret and internalize the story’s messages; through the filter of “this doesn’t apply to me, but it applies to someone like me”.
With this in mind, avoiding sermonizing comes down to making sure that the story’s message is completely and totally relevant to the characters. The message should be inextricably tied to the characters, specifically their physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual journey. It should be impossible to tell where the story’s message ends and the characters’ growth begins. This will direct the story’s message away from the audience and towards their stand-ins, giving the audience room to internalize and contemplate the message without feeling forced to do so.
But my story is designed to convey a Christian message to a specific audience!
And that is excellent! Every story needs be written with an audience in mind. However, “keeping the audience in mind” does not mean “talk directly to them”. The audience should be the unseen foundation of a story’s tone, style, maturity level, topic, and themes, not the primary recipients of the message. Weave the message into what the relatable characters’ are going through and the audience will be able to pick up on it, sometimes even unconsciously.
If there is one defining piece of advice to take away from this blog series, it is to avoid sermonizing at all costs. Build a skillset of writing, of plotting stories, of developing characters and character growth arcs, and weaving these elements together harmoniously before tackling a message-heavy story. Mentally practice giving the story message to the characters of the story, not the audience. If it helps, pretend the audience is behind a thick, red curtain, waiting patiently for the story to start. The only people you can talk to are the characters; only through their actions, reactions, emotions, and journeys can the message be presented.
