Reliably Write

The first weekend in June heralded WordFest Toowoomba 2022. Hosted at “The Lighthouse”, a fabulous initiative by local Toowoomba “Child Writes” creative, Emma McTaggart, a wintery blast met exhibitors and attendees alike, sending hands diving for pockets of thick jackets and scarves winding tight about necks. All over, it was a modest but enthusiastic gathering.

The second year of the event offered an array of workshops catering to writers and readers across a range of genres. Other familiar faces were also in attendance (Nola Passmore and Jessica Kate). I was thrilled to be on the “Knowing your YA audience” panel with author Verity Croker and chair, Ben Tupas.

This cosy conversation explored (amongst other things) our written works, creative processes, and the topic of the moment: how to know and connect with a young adult audience in a way that is relevant and authentic. (Since, as Ben kindly highlighted, we were not exactly “young adults” anymore. 🤔🤨)

At the close of the session attendees were invited to ask questions. This led to a discussion about narration viewpoints and character/reader perceptions in the context of young, perhaps naïve, protagonists. In essence, an “unreliable narrator”.

“An unreliable narrator is a storyteller whose perspective isn’t totally reliable if we want to get the full picture or the whole truth.” ~ Kaelyn Barron

The unreliable narrator is an interesting concept and a well-used literary device. My personal leaning is that no viewpoint is ever truly reliable, and I too have made use of this technique in my stories to create tension between reader insights and the protagonist’s view of their life, values, goals and the realities they are yet to perceive, whilst challenging the reader’s own.

“Fiction that makes us question our own perceptions can be powerful. An unreliable narrator can create a lot of grey areas and blur the lines of reality, allowing us to come to our own conclusions.” ~ reedsyblog

Interestingly, this concept of “unreliable narration” lingered in my mind into the week—and not in the context of writing.

As Christians, we readily reference scripture and songs that remind us of who we are in Christ. But is it just me, or are there times when you also find yourself engaging the world in a way that conflicts with the new identity that has been placed upon us as redeemed children of Almighty God?

The longer I reflected on this, the more I was reminded of the importance of realigning our “self-narration” with our identity in Christ. For as anyone who has been a believer for more than five seconds knows, some days this is not at all how reality plays out. Just like our written characters, we can narrate our world with horrible unreliability.

In the face of rejection, we don’t always feel or act “beloved”. In the face of massive mess ups, we don’t necessarily feel “chosen”, “forgiven” or “the righteousness of Christ”. In the face of brutal failure, we may seem the opposite of “an overcomer”. When we’re hit with a gut-punch betrayal or loss, we don’t necessarily feel “unforsaken”. And yet all these things, and so much more, are still true when we place our hope in Christ and step into relationship with Him.

Because of Jesus’ life, sacrifice and resurrection, our identity in Him has already been validated. Yet so often we can wrestle with speaking, acting, and even thinking, in accordance with who HE says we are. The importance of spending time in the Word and prayer and building relationships with others who will encourage us in these truths becomes vital in this context. For as we grow in who we’re truly called to be and our self-perceptions become more aligned with our identity in Christ, this will allow us to “narrate” our identity in our world with increasing reliability.

Queensland author Adele Jones writes young adult fringe and near-science fiction exploring the underbelly of bioethics and confronting teen issues that include disability, self-worth, loss, domestic conflict, and more. She also writes historical fiction, poetry, inspirational non-fiction and short fictional works, with themes of social justice, humanity, faith, natural beauty and meaning in life’s journey. Adele’s first YA novel Integrate (book one of the Blaine Colton Trilogy) was awarded the 2013 CALEB Prize for unpublished manuscript. As a speaker she seeks to present a practical and encouraging message by drawing on themes from her writing. For more visit www.adelejonesauthor.com or contact@adelejonesauthor.com