In this continuation of Chapter Two of Talent For A Mission (© 2023 Deborah Lagarde), I explain why I have used fiction to carry out my own ‘mission of God’ instead of non-fiction…with this non-fiction ‘guide’ being an exception, so far. Below is Part Three of the ‘why’ scenario in Chapter Two:
Wouldn’t It Be Better to Write Christian Non-Fiction?
Certainly, one can choose to write non-fiction, a story of conversion to belief on Christ if it is the author’s story or accounts of other conversions. Certainly, these would be easier to write. The problem is, not every reader reads primarily non-fiction. I do, but many readers read mostly fiction or exclusively fiction.
Thus, if you are prone to writing fiction, then I suggest writing fiction that could bring someone to acknowledge that accepting Christ as Savior might be a good idea. You do this by writing some inspiring fiction novel that could be based on your own experience. Or it could be a story and plot and climax that is divinely handed to you by The Creator; that is the path chosen when I began and completed my three novels that make up The Prodigal Band Trilogy.
If you choose this path of divine inspiration you might suddenly find yourself changing some plot lines or characters unexpectedly. This happened to me in the mid-90s as I was trying to finish the novel that would become Battle of the Band. Having begun this first novel under a different title about the lives and loves and sex-drugs-rock-and-roll plots, in 1995, as I began finalizing the novel, ‘something’ inspired me to ‘mission’ this rock band toward leaving the debauched and evil side of their stardom toward repentance; for one thing, the novel really wasn’t going anywhere and seemed pointless with a climax out of reach—all fiction novels need a good climax, especially if it is going to turn into a series or trilogy. And the climax must lead into the next novel in the series or trilogy. So that, as I was beginning to type the novel onto an early 90s Macintosh pre-Power Mac desktop with MacOS 7, in the summer of 1995, I immediately changed the course of the novel, and the only way I can explain this was that God was guiding me. Believe this or not, but folks, it is the only way I can explain what happened.
And what was turning out to be the first novel Battle of the Band was looking and writing more and more like the Biblical Luke Gospel Chapter 15 Parable of the Prodigal Son. Only in the case of my novel trilogy, the Prodigal Band.
From the online PDF version of the copyright-free King James Bible
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{15:11} And he (Christ) said, A certain man had two sons:
{15:12} And the younger of them said to [his] father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth [to me.] And he divided unto them [his] living.
{15:13} And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
{15:14} And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
{15:15} And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
{15:16} And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
{15:17} And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
{15:18} I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
{15:19} And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
{15:20} And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
{15:21} And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
{15:22} But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put [it] on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on [his] feet:
{15:23} And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill [it;] and let us eat, and be merry:
{15:24} For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
{15:25} Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
{15:26} And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
{15:27} And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
{15:28} And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
{15:29} And he answering said to [his] father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
{15:30} But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
{15:31} And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
{15:32} It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
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It took roughly four years to write Battle of the Band due to the change of direction God guided me into. The second novel in the trilogy, The Prophesied Band, only took eight months. Why? Because God guided me in the right direction toward giving up the debauched and depraved lifestyle of these ‘devil-worshiping rock stars’ after the crisis that landed two of them into a hospital with mild heart attacks and especially ‘soul attacks’ by the forces of evil only the forces of good could ameliorate. While recovering from the attacks, the two band members had sleeping ‘dreams’ where they ‘heard’ a band of God’s angel’s ‘message’ them to ‘change their ways.’ Both had wives and children, and neither one had been a husband or a father before ‘the event;’ one of them had abandoned his wife but later returned to save her physical life, while the other, an alcoholic, could not get near his young son because the child despised his smelly and clammy body and hands that reeked of booze—plus his own wife had cancer due to an eating disorder she had engaged in to keep her weight down (being a TV show hostess and model). Thus, both knew they had to give up the rock star lifestyle and do the right things.
And the rest of the band had their own issues to deal with as well. One sponsored an archeological dig that would answer a lot of questions he had about a historic figure he was obsessed with. One was searching for his own wife (and children) who had left him to help a New Age cult leader ‘enlighten’ the world and develop her own fortune. One searched for the meaning of a song he wrote and had no clue about, as well as vacationing with his own wife and daughter. One traveled the world having lost his love to an evil man, and he experienced African tribal customs and Himalayan Mountain climbing with Sherpas in Nepal.
But the time came for them to learn about their ‘mission of God’ as ‘the prophesied band’ for His purpose, which concluded the second novel.
Which led to the third novel, The Prodigal Band, where the said band carries out their ‘missions of God,’ but, in order to do so, they have to do ‘missions’ on themselves!
A part of Chapter Three of Talent For A Mission will be posted next week.
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