Fact or Fiction

          As a writer, I am always looking for ways to improve my craft.  I want to learn how to make what I write interesting and more appealing to my readers.   I want to learn how to purposefully draw readers into my stories for the sake of enjoyment and learning.  This past week, my youngest daughter and I began to listen to a lecture series on how to improve our storytelling techniques.  She aspires to be a great fiction writer someday.  At the current time, she gravitates toward fantasy fiction.   Her actions prove that she would much rather be a great fiction reader than a writer.  She rarely writes, but she loves, loves, loves to read.  We are a reading family; all of us love to read.

     The lecture series comes from The Great Courses curriculum.  It is called, “Writing Great Fiction, Storytelling Tips, and Techniques” by James Hynes.  With the school year quickly drawing to a close and most summer activities canceled, I was challenged with the thought of how to make the best use of our time.  My daughter and I have started to listen to an audible version of this book, which includes 23 lectures and writing assignments to help us practice new techniques.  When I started to write, about eighteen months ago, I thought I would be writing creative stories for young adults from a Christian perspective.  Books allow us to observe both good and bad behavior without personally bearing the consequences for bad decisions.  Unfortunately, as I began to write, my writing took another path, all-the-while, my interest remained on writing great fictional stories for a young audience.  With under-developed skills, I have found it difficult to write life into fictional characters.      

 

     Several years ago, my daughters and I enjoyed reading The Christy Miller series allowing us to talk about decisions they might make if they encountered circumstances similiar to the teens in the story.  As they read, they enjoyed the stories.  As I read, I developed questions that I could ask them about the characters' choices.  I enjoyed these intimate discussions with my girls and contined to look for more opportunities like this.  Young adult series like this are in short supply.  Even though these authors wrote maybe 30 or 40 books in a series, we found ourselves disappointed coming to the end of a series with no more chapters or life experiences to read about.  

     Because the well ran dry, we began to explore other types of books and landed on Historical fiction.  Most of these accounts centered around Biblical characters giving us a deeper perspective about the times and places that they lived.  What I loved most about these books is the development of each character complete with thoughts and feelings.  What I loved least about these books is that they can often be misleading.  Unless you have a good perspective on the facts of the story, it is easy for the author to take liberties with parts of the story that are not revealed in Scripture.  For example, in the story of Mephibosheth, one may only know that he is the orphaned, disabled grandson of King Saul, and son of Jonathan, King David's best friend.  When King David learned about his existence, he took him under his wing because of an oath he made with his father.  He welcomed him to dine at the king's table and asked Ziba, his servant to care for the estate of the late King Saul.  The author took many liberties, including changing the spelling of his name to Mefiboset (nicknamed Sett), which may have been because she took so many freedoms in telling his story.  


     In an interview, the author indicated that she chose to write this story about Mefiboset to encourage the disabled community about believing in themselves and reaching for what they thought impossible.  She wasn’t really retelling the Bible story but found inspiration from the story.  In the Biblical account, Mephibosheth, he had a son named Micah, but we do not learn about his mother.  Every child has a mother, so the author created a romance between Sett and Kissara, which gave us a backstory crafted entirely from her imagination.  Because so little is recorded about Mephibosheth, it is easy to separate fact from fiction, but in some stories it becomes a bit trickier. 
     When we place ourselves into a story, as fiction offers, it can help our understanding if the story is well told.  However, it can also cloud our understanding causing us to make false assumptions.  Curiosity got the best of me regarding this story of Bathsheba, so I purchased the book written by Angela Hunt regarding the life of this wife of King David.  The author took liberties by taking us back to the age of sixteen when Bathsheba first laid eyes on the king dancing in the streets of Jerusalem.  He was exuberantly expressing his joy at the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant.  We know this story is true as one can read about Michal, David's first wifes' response to his behavior.  We have no idea of Bathsheba’s age, marital status, or vantage point when this event occurred.  That is made up.  Does it matter?  Not really, I think most people could tell this is just creative storytelling. 

      Who doesn’t enjoy a good fiction?  An author with excellent skills in character development will reveal character thoughts, emotions, and motivations with the stroke of a pen.  We do not have access to this type of information in real life when we observe the world around us.  Only God knows the heart of a person, yet that doesn’t mean we don’t want to know.  We love to fill in the gaps where information is missing.  Fiction allows us to walk in another’s shoes.  The warning, however, in Biblical fiction is to know the difference between fact and fiction as you become engrossed in the story that is being told.  When my daughter and I read this type of book, I want to make sure that she understands where to draw the line.  We take time to discuss where invention replaces fact.  I am hoping that our practice of writing fictional accounts may help both my daughter and I discover how easy it is to retell a story poorly.  When writing about real characters found in the Bible, we do not want to change the meaning behind the story. 

     This past week I was reading a story from 1 Kings 1.  This account told of advice that the prophet Nathan wished to give to Bathsheba when Adonijah exalted himself and claimed to be king of Israel.  He was the eldest surviving son of King David and must have felt entitled to the position yet probably understood that prophecy had revealed Solomon to be the future king.  I noticed that Nathan gave Bathsheba a specific message to give to the king as she sought his audience.  She did not follow his recommendation but took a more direct approach to tell the king everything she thought he should know.  Nathan confirmed her story, but approached the king with questions.  Bathsheba, on the other hand, gave a five-point dissertation to make sure she would become the next Queen Mother.  I wondered as I read this account, what does this story tell me about Bathsheba's personality?  

     Later, however, the author eludes to the idea that Ahithophel observes David's adultress behavior toward his granddaughter, Bathsheba, knowing that she is a married woman.  Ahithophel is Bathsheba’s grandfather, this is true.  He also holds the position of wise counselor to the king.  His advice was often viewed as though it came directly from the mouth of God, a fact dispelled in Scriptures.  Where the authors’ imagination takes over is when she creates a motive for Ahithophel’s treasonous act against King David when he changes teams and supports Adonijah’s run for the throne.  As you read between the lines, this leaves a strong suggestion that Ahithophel is taking matters into his own hands.  What the author share is plausible, but is it accurate?  When reading a fictional account of a Bible story, it can be very entertaining, but it also can create fuzzy lines between fantasy and reality.

     The story goes on to tell us about the experience Bathsheba had on the rooftop of King David’s palace.  When we don’t personify a story, sometimes our thoughts about a character can mislead us as well.  I never thought much about how Bathsheba must have felt to be taken advantage of by the king, drawing her into an adultress act.  I never thought much about Bathsheba’s love for Uriah and how his death must have affected her.  How long did Bathsheba mourn before the king called her into his palace and made her his wife?  Did this act bring comfort to her, or was it troubling to bear a child conceived before marriage?  Imagining how Bathsheba must have felt through these life experiences might help us understand how she thought about Solomon becoming the next king to take the throne upon the death of his father.  She had been personally violated, but later gave birth, to not one child, but five children for the king.   Would she have felt loved, or would she have felt like a pawn in the hands of a king who wished to fill his quiver?  Was she direct with the king because she felt entitled?  Or was David and Bathsheba's relationship so close that the king expected her to speak her mind?  A story-teller could go either way.  

     I have found great benefit in reading fictional accounts of Bible Stories, but I also follow-up with Scriptures to learn whether what I question is true.  I would love to have your thoughts about reading Historical fiction written about Biblical characters.  Do you find it helpful or harmful to your understanding of Scriptures?