Thursday, August 27, 2015

To Utter the Unutterable


On days when I ask myself (again) why I write novels, I try to remember this:

"As Christians, we constantly struggle to utter the unutterable. We long to share concepts beyond our human ability to understand--the transcendence of God's holiness, the potency of forgiveness, the depth of God's love for us. Fiction helps us find ways to express those truths of magnitude because it is relatable, symbolic, and engages the emotion--unique qualities that make it a vital art form."

    ---Sharon Hinck in A Novel Idea: Best Advice on Writing Inspirational Fiction

4 comments:

Lyn Churchyard said...

WOOOW! Sharon, that picture would make an awesome flash fiction prompt (or even a longer fiction prompt) :-)

Sharon Hinck said...

Isn't it great? I found it at a free stock photo site. I love getting inspired by photos. When I was a child, I collected magazine pictures - anything that evoked a strong reaction or triggered my imagination. Now with the internet, it's fun to browse and think of a Bible verse, a quote from a book, or a story idea that the photo inspires. :-)

Renee S said...

Most truths make more of an impact in a person's life when they are put in story form. There was a reason Jesus spoke in parables. :)

Sharon Hinck said...

Yep, that's such an important point, Renee. In the same article I wrote where this quote is from, I talk about Nathan's story that he told King David - which opened David's heart to repentance. Another example of the power of story.