Kevin W. Bounds

If you’ve followed the blog any length of time, you’ve learned that I’ve always wanted to write a novel. The dream of becoming a published author began in third grade after my teacher selected me to attend the Young Author’s Conference. The young adult and children’s author Avi was the guest speaker that year. I was hooked. I wanted to write stories others would enjoy.

As I grew older, God led me down the path to vocational ministry, and I assumed my aspiration of being a storyteller was only a childish fantasy. After serving in ministry for several years, I came across a book called God as Author: A Biblical Approach to Narrative by Dr. Gene C. Fant Jr. It may sound nerdy, and maybe it is, but this book was a game changer for me. Although I had known the power of story, this book opened my eyes to the possibility of using stories to tell (or retell) the greatest story of all, the story of God’s redemption of humanity in Christ.

Why am I sharing this? Well, I’m wanting to concentrate a blog category here on writing (especially, fiction). I have rows of books dedicated to the craft of writing in my library, and I’m always gaining more, so I want to work my way through them, posting my thoughts along the way. The first book, you guessed it, will be Fant’s God as Author: A Biblical Approach to Narrative. It’s basically a theology of writing fiction, so it may be a little nerdy for some’s taste, but I think it will be a good place to start.

If you’re like me, I’ve often struggled with understanding how God can use fictional writing to further His kingdom. Of course, there were stories like Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, but how could stories I create be used? This book helped me wrap my head around how God can use imaginary plots and characters to point people to the hope found only in Christ.

I invite you to come along on this journey with me. If you choose to, please let me know in the comments section. Also, be sure to grab a copy of Fant’s God as Author as Author if you follow along.

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