Facebook is a great place to do book research (aka ‘lurk’). While researching not too long ago, I witnessed an exchange on a writer’s fan page. The writer, a white woman, was soliciting feedback on her new romantic storyline. It was the classic boy-meets-girl scenario, with various and sundry supporting characters, and several gut-twisting turns of danger at the end of every chapter. The makings of a good mythic story structure. Hollywood style.

Other Facebook fans were all playing along, suggesting settings and using movie stars that would be good models for the fictional her characters. It was moving along at a nice jovial clip. That is, until one fan said, “What? All white characters?” The author responded, “It’s always important to include diversity.”

The fan who brought up the diversity issue was white. I quickly befriended her. My kind of fan.

Diversity should not be limited to race. I’ve been writing for Christian fiction markets for quite a while. As a person of color from the rural South, I find it easier to write people of color from the rural South into my stories. One of my writer friends (who happens to be white) makes a point of creating a few characters who would be among the marginalized. The blind. The deaf. The cripple. These characters have pivotal roles in her works. I know it’s because of her special needs daughter.

The solution to having more diversity in Christian fiction could be to commit to make changes in our personal lives and letting those real life experiences change our fiction. What do you think?

For my sister Jacquelin, Father, I pray that she would continually
offer up sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving
to You, our Lord and our God as she writes each day.
- Hebrews 13:15

 Find out more about Jacquelin at http://www.jacquelinthomas.com/ .