How I Turn Spiritual Struggles Into Story Beasts

How I Turn Spiritual Struggles Into Story Beasts

I love stories, and they have always helped me understand things I struggle to explain.

There are battles that we hide for many reasons. An unguarded mind can be a dangerous place, at least in my own personal experience; this can affect the heart and the conscience. Anxiety. Accusation. Fear. Pride. False comfort. These struggles are real, but they are often misunderstood. That is one of the reasons I write allegory. My book, The Sword of Truth, is being written because of my experience and struggles with anxiety.

Why I Use Beasts

In The Sword of Truth: An Allegory About Recovering Truth, the beasts are not random monsters. They are not there to be frightening or dramatic. Each one represents a spiritual struggle, a lie, or a distorted way of thinking that people face in real life. These beasts are monstrous because what they represent is ugly. So, I turn the ugliness into beasts.

By giving these struggles form — shape, voice, and presence — they can be seen clearly. What is often kept hidden becomes visible. What is confusing becomes identifiable. What feels overwhelming becomes something that can be faced.

A beast, being a physical being in my book, helps us see it for what it is, a lie; it helps tell a story. 

From Inner Struggle to External Conflict

Many of my beasts begin with a personal or spiritual struggle. Albert and Charles, the main characters in my book, struggle, for example, Corven, the Whispering Host, was born out of my own experiences with anxiety and internal accusations, and he accuses Albert and Charles. Those quiet, familiar voices that replay past words that hurt, past failures. They don’t usually arrive as blatant lies. They sound reasonable. Personal. Convincing.  In story form, those whispers become something real. Something that can be confronted. That process matters, because many spiritual battles are not fought through force, but through discernment — recognising what is being said and whether it is true or false.

Why Allegory Helps Tell the Truth

Allegory allows me to speak about brutal truths and to speak from my own life experience. It can address uncomfortable realities — such as false mercy, pride disguised as compassion, or convenience masquerading as kindness — without pointing fingers. Instead of telling the reader what to think, the story invites them to think and contemplate.

Jesus often taught this way. He used parables, images, and stories not to hide the truth, but to reveal it to those willing to listen. Allegory creates space for reflection.

Beasts as lies given physical form

The beasts in my stories lie. They twist the truth. They justify themselves. They often sound persuasive. That’s intentional. Lies can be very enticing; they can sound persuasive. They usually appear helpful, protective, or even compassionate. In story form, I exaggerate their fundamental qualities to show what they really are. Sin is never beautiful — even when it pretends to be, it is ugly like my beasts. By making these lies visible and tangible, readers can see and recognise similar patterns in their own thinking and experiences.

Hope at the centre of all my work

Although the beasts are dark, the heart of my stories is not. My characters fail. They struggle. They doubt. They are not perfect. But they are centred on hope — not in themselves, but in the King. Every beast exists to point toward truth. Every battle exists to remind the reader that lies do not have the final word. The goal is not fear, but clarity. Not despair, but discernment. Not condemnation, but restoration.

Why I Will keep writing the way I do

Allegory allows me to say things I struggle to say out loud. It allows me to wrestle honestly with faith. It allows me to explore spiritual warfare without being impressive. It allows me to speak about the truth without shouting. Most of all, it allows me to be truthful — about struggle, about grace, and about hope. If a reader recognises a beast and thinks, “I’ve heard that voice before,” then the story has done its work. Because what is recognised can be confronted. And what is confronted can be overcome.

The Sword Of Truth An Allegory About Recovering Truth, will be released soon. 

Written by Daniel J.York