Writing with religion

A number of fiction novels touch upon the subject of spirituality, religion, and faith. Some make a point; the author using his story as a soapbox to share his views with readers. Others use the element of religion to flesh out characters, or a people.

I remember the story, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick. (The movie Bladerunner was based on this book). He included a unique take on adding religion in the form of futuristic sci-fi where people ‘plugged in’ a world where they join a man and his suffering called Mercerism. Mercer is this messiah like character. You can read more about it here..

What I found fascinating was the idea of experiencing Mercer’s suffering, like Christ on the cross. The plot touches upon humanity and empathy; that plugging into Mercer’s experiences,  you gain empathy. Since the novel’s protagonist must hunt down androids, the main test to discern man from machine is empathy.

While one story might offer religion as something to hold the hero together, to guide him/her through their hardship, another author might use religion as a vehicle for the villains to persecute others.

While playing the video game, Dishonored, they have an interesting character known as The Outsider- a neither-good-nor-evil supernatural god-like being that ‘gifts’ the main hero, Corvo, with his mark. This enables Corvo to use abilities to achieve his goals. How Corvo accomplishes this is up to you, however. The Outsider doesn’t seem to mind if you use the gifts for good or evil.

Another aspect of spiritual belief you can often find how it reflects the environment in which a people live. Harsh environments often give rise to unforgiving gods, while abundant environments often lead to generous, loving gods. All reflect humanity.

What are your thoughts on religion in books? Do you add spiritual beliefs for your characters, or avoid it? Post in comments.

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More on my journey

I have been incredibly remiss on sharing my personal story about writing and getting published. I hope to remedy that this month by posting regular updates.

My daily vlog for April showed me that I can complete a challenge, so this month, I will be writing regularly and posting on this blog to let readers know about my journey, my frustrations, my successes (hopefully), and even setbacks.

What sort of story can I make of myself? I often wonder if I were a character in a book, would ‘she’ be a hero or villain? Would people care to follow along in her adventures? Does she even tackle her problems to overcome adversary and find her destination? That sort of shook me a bit.

No more excuses. Its go time! Carpe Diem! Tally-ho! And all that. I need to share more about my writer’s journey, and let my readers hop aboard to join in the ride.

I haven’t decided on details on how often to post, or what I’ll be posting exactly, but I will share more in future posts.

Wish me luck!

“Sharon mentally took inventory of the proper grammar, story lots, characters, and other tools she’d need on her journey. Time, creativity, and other abstracts intermingled with the inner editor, unceremoniously shoved into the inner pocket. His muffled protests went unnoticed, while the creative muse sat on the top, close to the ear, to whisper ideas and share her magic.

Taking a deep breath, the would-be author set fingers in the proper placement on the keyboard. “Let’s begin.” She whispered….”

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Games for Writers

 Here are a few games you might enjoy that helps writers come up with ideas, to break the writer’s block issues, and should spark some creative juices;

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The Storymatic includes two sets of cards that when put together randomly sparks potential stories and ideas. You could also collect your own and start your own deck of cards to build ideas.

 

Rory’s Story Cubes comes in various types from adult to even children’s versions. The concept is similar, except the dice rolled include pictures. You can lay them out in a plot, or use the cubes as the elements of a story such as characters, theme, conflict, and so forth.

 

The Amazing Story Generator is not so much a game but does something similar as the story cubes. Instead of pictures or cubes, you get a flip book broken up into three sections to randomly pick elements of a story. 

You could also use the card game Munchkin to provoke ideas for storytelling, in particular, fantasy, role playing type stories.  Draw cards to add characters or story elements.

 

Iphone, Android, and tablet apps also offer some fun prompts. I use Writing Prompts for the Iphone to randomly view prompts, scenes, even pictures. You can then save to favorites.  You can also add your own prompts as inspiration hits you.

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Finding personalities

I like having characters strikingly different in my stories, where certain qualities make the characters stand out in the crowd. Here are a few tips I use;

Use astrology. Each astrological sign includes a profile of personality you can choose from, such as the indecisive Libra (so much like me), or the temper-ridden Taurus. Even Chinese astrology creates pre-made personalities, and even how the personalities mix with one another.

Use people you know. Every person consists of unique personalities that makes them one-of-a-kind. Pick a few qualities that stand out, from appearances such as the bushy brows or thin lips, to the distinct profiles of temperament, skills, and even hobbies.

Use historical figures. Change a few things around to make them your own characters, but consider such vibrant people such as King Henry VIII or Catherine the Great.

Use personality tests. These can often be fun to figure out where you are with being labeled. Go through such tests and change the answers to see what type of personalities you can come up with.

What do you do to make up characters? Imagination only? Influences from Life? Post in comments.

WordPress Tags: character development, writing, fictions, stories, story telling, novel, authors

Writer’s Tip for blocks

I happened upon this tip from io9.com that offers the idea of stopping mid-scene. This means you’re not riding the tide of creativity until completion, but deliberately leaving it hanging with the idea that you’ll dive right back in the next day.

I’m not sure if I can even do that. There’s something addictive to writing as much as I can while the muse fairy is with me. When words just flow, I want to stay until I’m tapped out.

My concern would be ‘what if I stop, and that nice flow simply isn’t there the next day?’. Would this tip mean you get in a better habit of writing, or perhaps it naturally sparks the muse in a more natural way? I’m too afraid to try.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think you’d try it? Post in comments.

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Stories everywhere

As writers, we might struggle in finding the stories to tell, but if you get out and meet folks, stories are everywhere. In fact, you can find them from so many places.

People- Stories are about people, their experiences. By talking with others, you hear their stories, and can asked “what if…?’, adding embellishments, or sharing your own personal stories.

Places- Some places inspire stories from me, such as parks or museums. Structures offer potential settings in stories, or lead me to wonder the historical stories behind them. Houses carry so many memories, even personalities. For instance, a townhouse varies from a homestead, or a Victorian era house near a lake. Settings can be just as much a character in a story as a person.

News- The news sparks many stories from conflicts to inspiration. Articles tell stories about heroes or villains all the time, and this can lead to interesting stories. You can change the genre such as a murder mystery set in the future, or take a historical setting with a catastrophic event.

Objects- Yeah, it might seem weird,  but you can find stories by everyday objects. If you ever go antiquing or find interesting baubles in your day to day life, start asking about the stories these hold. The antique bed could spark a romance story, or an old necklace provokes a fantasy tale. Your parents might have items that include stories, or something you have, and take for granted, might lead to a new story.

And some unusual sources of stories;

Tattoos- I’m fascinating with the stories behind tattoos. They are like stories on the skin, offering insight in the person. I know a young woman who has Japanese Kanji lettering on her hip; the name of a friend who died in a drunk driving accident. Another woman I know has a small Ladybug tattoo over her heart to remind her that even small things can be the most beautiful.

Automobiles- Cars and trucks often find new owners through their lifetimes, and for some people, the vehicle represents more than just a mode of transportation. My first car represented freedom.

Family- Talk to relatives, and you can find amazing stories. My grandfather on my father’s side told stories of World War II, while my grandmother told me things about her life in Australia (she was born Tasmanian). The stories passed on from generation to generation not only share entertainment value, but make up the kind of people we are.

Think outside the box, and you find stories surround you all the time, every day, with everything.

Prompt: Think about the mentioned sources of stories and brainstorm potential plots from them. Remember, think outside the box and see where it takes you.

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