To make an impact as a writer, you need to do more than make statements that are logical, well supported, and consistent. You must also find a way of entering a conversation with others’ views. — Gerald Graff
In everyday life, we might say, “If I don’t know the law, how can I be responsible? In writing, a similar tension exists in whether we are responsible to know all we can know about grammatical rules and effective communication.
“I didn’t know the rule” or “I didn’t know better” won’t erase the impact of weak writing. If you believe a cliché is powerful, or think flat characters are “good enough,” the reader’s experience will still suffer.
Willful Ignorance
We may not know everything about craft, but we know enough to seek more truth—through study, reading, and feedback. When we choose not to grow, that’s willful ignorance.
If you know your dialogue feels stiff, your plot drags, or your story lacks depth, don’t shrug it off. Seek out what you need to learn and apply it. The quality of your work is still your responsibility.
Character Awareness
In Scripture, Satan rejected God with full knowledge. Adam and Eve made their choices with different levels of awareness. Eve was deceived. Adam knowingly disobeyed, valuing his bond with Eve over God’s command. Their decisions introduced the knowledge of good and evil to humanity, awakening moral awareness and the responsibility to choose wisely.
Characters, just like Adam and Eve, make choices based on what they know—and what they think they know.
- A deceived character like Eve adds complexity to your plot.
- A willfully disobedient character like Adam reveals tension between desire and duty.
Show the why behind character decisions. Even flawed logic or misplaced loyalty can make a character relatable. Readers connect to authentic motives, even when they disagree with the action.
Point of No Return
The apostle Paul’s phrase about God “turning people over to a reprobate mind” is about recognition, not control—a point where someone will never choose repentance. God doesn’t force choices. Free will remains intact.
Stories can benefit from a “point of no return”—a moment when a character’s decision locks in a seemingly irreversible path. Whether heroic or tragic, this moment defines their arc.
- In redemption arcs, conscience prompts change.
- In tragic arcs, desire overrides conscience until the character is unreachable.
Judas Iscariot reached a point where his choices revealed his heart. In storytelling, this is where the character’s true nature stands exposed.
Desire Versus Knowledge
Desire often overpowers what we know. A character may fully understand the risks but still act on temptation. In real life, people claim ignorance because it hides the truth that their wants won out over their wisdom. This is fertile storytelling ground. The gap between what characters know and what they choose creates tension and emotional depth.
- A detective knows the law but plants evidence anyway.
- A friend knows the truth but withholds it to protect someone.
Jesus in Gethsemane shows the right desire—surrendering to God’s will, receiving strength from an angel after the choice was made. That sequencing preserves free will in both the Gospel account and compelling fiction.
Avoiding “Ignorance
Paul told the Corinthians not to be ignorant of Satan’s schemes. Awareness demands alertness—in life, for sure, and for that reason, in writing as well.
- In life, avoiding ignorance means recognizing moral pitfalls.
- In writing, it means avoiding the traps like having tropes without purpose, underdeveloped characters, or bad pacing—with the excuse that “we did our best.”
If readers tell you that your opening chapter is confusing, and you say, “That’s just my style,” you’re not defending your art. You’re dodging the truth. It’s a quiet lie to yourself, a claim of ignorance when you had every chance to learn. And perhaps, deep down, you’d rather not know—because staying in the dark lets you keep believing the chapter is better than it really is.
Total Ignorance
Unless we’re truly unable to understand, total ignorance is a myth. We all have enough awareness to grow if we choose to. In the end, it’s our desire, not our knowledge, that determines whether we move forward or stay stuck. Yes, the work is hard, and success may take years. But will you let ignorance be your excuse? I hope not. In every moment, we can choose either the comfort of ease or the strain of getting better. One choice keeps us where we are. The other shapes who we become.
Don’t let willful ignorance stunt your craft. Seek truth in life and in writing. Learn the principles, apply them, and push beyond what you “don’t know” today.
Wise writers are eager to improve—listening, reading, and paying attention to their surroundings. They seek good advice and let the Lord guide their progress. — Proverbs 1:5 Scripture for Writers
I Didn’t Know
You say, “I can’t help it. I just didn’t know.”
But the truth is, dear writer, that’s rarely so.
It’s not that we’re clueless. It’s more that we choose
To follow the easier writing ways—and we lose.
Desire’s a strong wind. It can topple your plot,
Unless you anchor it with the wisdom you’ve got.
Your conscience in writing is a whispering friend,
That says, “This will work,” or “This is the end.”
Don’t muffle your voice or pretend it’s not there.
A reader can tell when you just didn’t care.
The traps are all listed, the signs are in view,
From pacing that drags to a cliché or two.
But God gave you vision, and eyes that can see,
So steer your own story where it ought to be.
When you’re tempted to say, “That’s just how I write.”
Remember, dear scribe, to choose what is right.
If you know it, then show it. Don’t hide it away,
Let the truth of your story come out every day.
Don’t let “I don’t know” cause plots to fall through,
For the craft growing in your heart is God’s gift to you.
For a practical guide to storytelling, check out Storytelling at Its Best
