@GabeWillard - You're correct in that Stack Exchange sites are not easy to use. If you dig around a little, you'll find that they're not meant to be easy to use. Writing a good question is not easy. The system does trend a little bit towards discouraging users who don't get it. Reputation points are meant to be difficult to get.
I'm not saying this is good or bad, but I will say that, after spending a couple of years here and on other SE sites, forums seem... chaotic.
I see two main problems with your current situation:
Two, this site in particular is currently trying to figure out how to ask questions about writing in a way that fits the Stack Exchange way. I apologize for the difficulty you're having with this question, and I wouldn't blame you at all for throwing up your hands and walking away. However, I hope you stick with it.
If this site can't figure out how to answer important questions like these, I truly think it deserves to be closed. Questions like this are perfect test cases, and thank you for asking it.
@NeilFein Thanks. I re edited the question a bit. Waiting on further input on it. I feel like the whole situation has been a little ridiculous. But hey. Everyone has off days.
@GabeWillard : I think the best solution is to split this up into a few individual questions. I'd suggest:
(1) What ways are there to incorporate my religious beliefs into my fiction? This would focus on different ways your beliefs can be "filtered through" into your writing.
(2) How do I avoid being ham-fisted when touching upon religion? This would focus on avoiding being preachy.
@Standback - I disagree about splitting the question; I think that one would simply be a slight variation on the other.
@Standback - What are your thoughts on the latest edit specifically? Are you comfortable reopening it? If not, maybe the three of us can schedule a chat?
(I'd also like to hear from the folks who close-voted, if possible.)
"What examples are there of writing which has clear religious influence, but is not attempting to preach the merits of that religion?"
It's going for examples rather than how-to advice, but I think that's better when OP's stated intentions are so vague.
That prevents the "if you're trying to do A, then try method X; if your goal is B, then do Y..." endless structure.
I'm really not entirely certain what to make of this whole story. On the one hand, it does seem reasonably specific, focusing on a specific issue, even if a broad one. But something about it seems so vague as to make it unanswerable.
I think it's the "how can I express my beliefs" element.
I can't tell somebody else how to express their beliefs. First of all, I don't know what they believe. Secondly, there's a million different ways to express them - minor references; representative characters; thematic connections; plot involvement.
Without a better idea of what you're trying to do, I can't really tell you how to do it.
@GabeWillard: Your edit improved the question, still I'm not sure what exactly your problem is. If you use religion like Eddings does in a fantasy world, then why should anyone think of it as propaganda? Or do you want to convince people? That is problematic in a fiction novel no matter if it's about religion or something else. In your novel you are describing the faith of your characters, so normally you do not have to express any viewpoint you have about your religion in the real world.
@NeilFein I could see this as a valuable list question. There's significance in having multiple examples; each one adds something new and substantial. It's not "make me a list of," it's "give me examples which will help me understand the central point." Though, yeah, it's a list question :-/
@Standback @NeilFein I want the question to be focused on techniques that can be used to add religious themes in writing without writing strictly religious oriented books. I plan on creating a mythology for my work, but within that mythology, reflecting Christian principles.
The part about examples, is just so I can look up works that use the techniques. I learn best by seeing, coupled with explanations.
Well I imagine so. But the point of asking it as a question on an SE site, is that I'm sure I'm not the only person to use this site who would be interested in the answer/
I mean, I can throw it together. I'm just interested in advice on doing it and keeping it from being... too transparent. If people read it from a Christian view, it will be obvious. But if a Jew or a Muslim reads it, I don't want them to think, "Oh this is Christian, not for me..."
Tolkien did a good job of that, from my view.
But I would like more concrete observations on the topic.
And yes, it would need to be interesting. I don't need to know the specifics of making a mythology, necessarily. Just like you say, making sure it's not obnoxiously overt.
That can turn people off. That's not my goal. But I do want it to reflect me and my beliefs.
So... have you considered what kind of elements you'd like to use? What "feel" this religion might have? Does it have a theme? What kind of goals does it have?
@Standback @GabeWillard @Justkt - I think a lot of this can be avoided by framing the question with request that answers be an overview of possible techniques. Using examples to illustrate those techniques would be helpful.
It's based off an elemental world. The mythos itself feels like a cross between Tolkien's Iluvatar/Valar/Maiar relationship, Greek/Norse mythology, and the concept of elemental magic.
And yes, they do. lol
I wandered on there out of curiosity and got scared lol
I'll be honest - I don't know yet how to fix the question. No idea.
Partially because it seems so much like a back-and-forth more than a here's-what-you-do.
Stuff like "do you have this yet? What do you feel about that? What here is important to you?" -- that doesn't translate well into an answer. Because that's pretty much as far as I can go without getting the next step back from you :)
I'm not really looking for a back and forth answer, though. I'm interested in getting an overview of principles I can apply to the problem, with examples I can look up. I don't really need a "focus group" on my mythology
Agree or disagree: 1) There are dozens of ways religion can be incorporated into writing. 2) You're looking for principles you can apply to your writing. 3) You're looking for examples to draw ideas from and to inspire you. 4) Even with no answers, you've got a pretty good idea how to invent a mythology, and put some Christian elements in it. 5) You think somebody's answer will explain how to choose an element of your faith, and how to work that element into your story.
so... you know there are dozens of "answers" to your question, but none of them is a how-to.
That's... not a question. It's a discussion.
Which, again, is great. I love the topic; it's one of the areas of writing I'm really eager to hear more opinion on.
But I honestly think that's the reason we're having trouble with it as a Q&A.
You can't have a definitive discussion; or a definitive list of examples.
You can have a valuable discussion; a constructive one; an interesting one.
But probably not on SE, because there you can't really respond to each other.
So all you're producing is a bunch of unrelated essays on pretty much the same topic.
I don't know. I'd really love to make this question work,
but it seems to me that the elements that are more important to you are the ones about hearing lots of different opinions and approaches and how different people and types of writing each address the subject in different ways.
This is my first question on here, so bear with me, if you will.
My question is in two-parts:
a) When writing in first-person, is it wise to choose a main character of a different gender to yourself (the author)?
b) What are certain pitfalls to watch out for when attempting to accomplish this?...
This is my first question on here, so bear with me, if you will.
My question is in two-parts:
a) When writing in first-person, is it wise to choose a main character of a different gender to yourself (the author)?
b) What are certain pitfalls to watch out for when attempting to accomplish this?...
The Overlook Hotel
The Overlook Hotel