Well, so often I talk about writing, so I figure why should this post be an different? BUT today, I'm going to actually talk about something that someone else wrote. I just got rec'd a fic - short, very - and it one of those that you rarely see that kind of makes you think. It's scifi, set in an altogether different galaxy. Two scientist have both had near death experiences and sit down to discuss their faith or lack thereof. And one says, "I don't believe in God, but sometimes... I wish I did." Isn't that so true. Even those who claim no belief in God, deep down often want to believe in something. Well, after that I just *had* to go in the comments and check out what others would have said about this secular scifi short fic. Most were the general 'this is awesome...etc...' But then I got down to Sholio's comment - aka friendshipper (only ships are friendship writer) - but I digress.
"This is absolutely WONDERFUL. An honest discussion of faith is something that we rarely get in fiction, any fiction; the most that is usually seen is the cliche of the "inspirational" conversion." She went on - and it was a well thought out comment - but I won't post the rest.
I really got to thinking about my own 'conversion'. It was slow, step by step, sometimes I didn't realize I was working in that direction until in hindsight, but it stuck. (The bible study Bro. Hitchcock took us through as a new convert helped too.) It began long before I ever stepped foot in Life Tabernacle, as so many other people's do. They do want to believe, deep down, no matter how much they claim the opposite. We were made to worship God, so it only makes sense that that inner desire, however burried, would work to one day surface.
Anyway, I said all of this simply because it got me thinking. I am the middle of editing. It is the hardest thing I've ever done. (Oh no, I did say, I wasn't writing about my own stuff. *sigh*) Ever scene, ever conversation has to make this teenager get to God, but I want it to be such a natural progression that when you get to the new ending I am putting on, you don't feel that clicheness of it - I have read gobs of inspirational fiction, and as much as I enjoy the stories, I often skip pages because I know it'll be a few words and wham bam thank you ma'am. (*covers mouth* sorry, if I shouldn't have said that. No disrespect was ever intended.) But our experience with God is often so much deeper. (Yeah, I know for that genre it's spot on, but not for me.) Sometimes it's hard. Right now, I am so into the plot. But I only have 70,000 words or so for this natural progression to happen. I only hope I can pull it off. I am praying to that effect.
So I guess, I'll end with a personal update. This is so one day when it's all said and done, I can go back and check out the journey. Yes, I did this with other fics and NaNoWriMo, as well other online writers. Well, briefly, I got the teenager rescued from final climatic disaster, dealt with the real antagonist, and now am working on that WAFFy (warm and fuzzy feeling) decompression. Yeah, I had an ending. But then I 'ripped off' the last 12,000 words and decided it was too cheesy. (It was originally meant for a scifi story that I thought I could adapt. It worked, but not well enough) this ending feels more 'spot on'.
Enough of that. Moving on. Maybe having Bro-in-law and new wife and neice come to visit over the weekend and I need to prepare...
3 comments:
I like what you had to say about the teaching of Bro. Hitchcock. I feel like we were that same way. We knew before we even stepped foot into Life Tab that this is where we are meant to be. I hope you can get that great ending. :)
You are something else! You have great thoughts and God is using you, and will use you more and more. Let Him guide you to the "finish line" and it will be right. It would be great to be a writer. Maybe someday I will be.
How true your post is. Believing in God is so natural- people are looking for any simple reason to do so.
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