The Big Picture

   I've been thinking about stories recently. I'm an author, so I like to think about stories. I've been especially thinking about series': books or movies that are not standalone.
   Why am I thinking about those? Well, I was reading Divergent by Veronica Roth, and I was conflicted over the story. The characters were making decisions which I disliked and and I was considering whether or not to keep reading. I decided to continue, mostly because I really hate to put a book down halfway through, and I'm glad I did. I found out, while reading the acknowledgments, that she is a Christian. This made me start looking at the book in a different light. Why? Because I was no longer looking at the book from a singular perspective. This book is a part of a bigger story (a series) but it is also a part of the author's story. She is teaching through parable which portrays good and bad. I recognized some things I disliked, yet I saw good elements for growth in the characters.
   Another series I've been thinking about (and I've talked about) is Supervillain of the Day by Katie Lynn Daniels. Jeffry Floyd is the main character and he does some... unlikable things. It is strange because he is such a likeable character at one moment, then he does something horrific the next. This sets up a real sense of contrast because you really want to like Floyd, but you don't necessarily like what he's doing.
   Now, I knew Katie Lynn Daniels was a Christian when I started the novel. Which gave me a kind of shock after I read some of this stuff because my stereotype of a Christian novel is the squeaky clean, anybody can read type book. This Series is by no means bad, it's truly really good, but it's not for everyone. But does that make it worse or better?
   See, I've been doing research on marketing and who I want to write my books for. I've read that the epitome of a Christian Novel should not be a squeaky clean novel, but a God Glorifying novel. Perhaps I need to take my own advice: look for light in the midst of the darkness.
   And, sometimes, light shines through best in dark situations.