In the realm of Clean fiction, there are many different opinions on what type of content qualifies as “clean”. In this post, I’ll be covering my own thoughts on what I personally consider clean fiction to be, which is my standard for writing as an author of clean, Christian reads.

Disclaimer: This is an opinion post, and, as I always note on my opinion posts, my opinions are not the gospel. I am in no way, shape, or form meaning to judge anyone who writes and/or reads books that do not align with my specific thoughts on what qualifies as clean fiction to me. I read secular books in addition to Christian and clean fiction, and reading tastes are subjective. This post is more or less an overview of what I consider clean fiction so that my readers will know what to expect, content-wise, from my own clean, Christian books.

Language

As far as language goes, I personally don’t think vulgar language of any kind belongs in clean fiction. By vulgar, I mean the words that are typically thought of as curse words (the a-word, the b-words, the d-word, the f-word, the h-word, the s-word, etc.), as well as crude terms that are used to describe body parts, slurs against people groups, and language of that nature.

My books do, however, feature what some readers refer to as “mild cuss words”, such as heck, darn, dang, piss, crap, etc., or words that describe bodily functions such as turd or fart. I know “piss” and “crap” especially are iffy for some readers and may even be considered as more vulgar cuss words, but from where I’m from, in the southern U.S., these words are considered mild and non-offensive as well.

That being said, I’ve only used the word “piss” once, in The Crush, when an antagonist makes a statement on the lines of “pissing [something] all away”, and I’ve considered removing it from the book in favor of a tamer word, since it is a Christian book and it may rub some readers the wrong way. I’ve also considered going back through my debut novel, Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl, and cutting some of the milder words out, because they were mentioned a bit too frequently there. I’m not sure if or when I’ll make these changes, but for The Crush especially, it will be before The Dream, the last book in the trilogy, releases.

Spice Levels

When I discover a book marketed as “clean”, my automatic assumption is that the couple will go no further than kissing. Some readers consider closed door scenes okay for clean fiction, but because those scenes often involve unmarried couples, due to my convictions, I would not personally write a closed door scene myself.

However, I’d also like to add that I never foresee myself writing a scene that edges on closed door territory, even if the couple is married. For full disclosure, though I write mainly YA now (where there is no need of closed nor open door scenes!), I would like to venture into writing New Adult or Adult romcoms in the future. Nevertheless, the romantic relationships I prefer to write are based on emotional connections rather than physical attraction, so even the kiss scenes I write aren’t extremely detailed. I honestly don’t know if I’d even feel the need to ever write a make-out scene, though I think those can be fine for clean fiction, as long as the descriptions aren’t too steamy.

As I’ve stated before here on the blog, though, I don’t like innuendos, and I find them to be a bit crude for clean fiction. I personally would not use them in my own books.

Basically, when writing romantic relationships in my books, my convictions and personal standards for them are based on God’s Word and how the Holy Spirit is leading me to write. I believe that God established His standards to help us, not harm us, in our relationships, and my goal is to portray romantic relationships in a way that honors Him.

Tough Topics

I know authors and readers of clean fiction alike debate on whether or not clean fiction should include tough topics. I understand where others come from when they say they just want to read happy endings in clean fiction; however, I also feel there is room in the book world for books that portray tough topics, as well as bittersweet or sad endings, with clean content. So, yes, I still think books that portray things like alcoholism, depression, grief, abuse, etc. qualify to be in the clean book circuit as long as there is no language or spice.

Where I draw the line in portraying tough topics in a clean book is where sin is glorified rather than portrayed as destructive. And I’m not picking and choosing here, this goes for all sin. I know clean books are not synonymous with Christian books, but I think many readers of clean fiction expect a similar level of morality to that of Christianity (I mean how Jesus lived, not random churchgoers who live like the world while they’re judging others for not being “Christian” enough) in books that are marketed as clean, and many, including myself, find that when aspects like cheating on a significant other, or drinking in excess and acting recklessly, ignoring their kids to go party, or things of that nature are shown in a positive light that it’s jarring to read. When I pick up a clean book, I’m expecting to pick up a book that I could easily recommend to a tween reader and not worry that they’ll be negatively influenced by the content, and, as far as I can tell, I feel like this is a common consensus among avid readers of clean books.

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For my own books, I lean heavily on the Holy Spirit’s guidance when writing specific content. Yes, I write Christian books, not general market clean books, but I do think clean reads readers could enjoy my books as well. As a reader, again, I read Christian, clean, and secular fiction. As a writer, however, all of my books, with the exception of Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl, are marketed as YA Christian fiction. Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl has much lighter Christian themes and references than my other books, so I personally think it could be considered more of a clean fiction book rather than explicitly Christian fiction.

Will I Ever Write Clean Books That Aren’t Christian Fiction?

As of right now, every project yet to be published and the two future book ideas I have are all Christian fiction as well. My personal conviction is that I need to make God known to readers in the books I write, so I’m not sure if I’ll ever just write a general market, clean book.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

What qualifies as clean fiction to you? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀