collapse

* Recent Posts

Re: "Christ Is King" by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 11:06:51 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 10:30:17 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by Darkhawk
[Yesterday at 08:31:19 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by Darkhawk
[Yesterday at 07:54:40 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by Sefiru
[Yesterday at 07:44:49 pm]

Author Topic: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith  (Read 2901 times)

NCPilot

  • Sr. Apprentice
  • ****
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 54
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« on: March 27, 2014, 11:16:59 pm »
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?

mlr52

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 781
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.GIN.michaellrichardson.com
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2014, 11:29:04 pm »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?

 
Write about what moved you.
Light Your Candle, In Love and Service, Blessed Be.
I am a Notary Public for The State of New York, - I do not charge for Notary Fee\'s, I Live in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Leirion

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2013
  • Posts: 178
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
    • http://lilylionlabyrinth.wordpress.com
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2014, 12:06:35 am »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?


I started a new project this year, where I am doing artwork in a lot of different mediums (writing, illustration, leatherwork, jewelry, etc.), and basing them on mythology.

But it is not just the myth - it is my experiences with the figures and deities. So when I am doing the writing portion of each project, it is basically telling my experiences in a fictionalized format - the core of the messages and experiences stay the same, but some of the details are being changed.

The first one I have been working on is Icarus. So instead of just rewriting the myth itself, I have a character who is working on an art project when Icarus suddenly appears in her room, and they speak briefly on why he flew towards the sun. That kind of thing.

I was a little worried for a while, making sure the inspiration got across. But then I realized that, as long as I feel in tune with the story and the emotions and experiences, they will seep into and infuse any writing or artwork I do for it. Even if my viewers do not pick up directly the unwritten aspect of my experiences, if they can get a feel for the emotion and energy tied up with them, I consider it a success.

SolsticeSnaca

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Mar 2014
  • Posts: 10
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
    • https://www.facebook.com/theweatherlysmith
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2014, 12:37:42 am »
That sounds like a wonderful idea! I've never tried it directly, but expressing anything from the heart is worth while.

stephyjh

  • Grand Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1597
  • Total likes: 2
    • View Profile
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2014, 08:35:07 am »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?


I tried it at one point, but my allegiances shifted before the project was completed. Since I'm no longer in contact with that goddess, I never finished it.
A heretic blast has been blown in the west,
That what is no sense must be nonsense.

-Robert Burns

Faemon

  • Grand Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: May 2012
  • Posts: 1229
  • Total likes: 9
    • View Profile
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2014, 01:00:36 pm »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?


I feel that I'll do this some day. While I used to make this huge distinction between what I believe in real life, and what makes sense and would be cool in fiction...lately what's made sense is what I believe. Maybe they'll separate again, I don't know.

To some extent, I think that even my personal spiritual diary is a bit of fiction. I can't keep phrasing it like, "I felt this and therefore interpreted that". The blanket of interpretation just makes it easier to write because I already know what I mean, so I just write it out in the language and system that I developed. The interpretation might be wrong outside of itself, and the language and system is a created thing, and that's what makes it fiction to me.

Also: The Chronicles of Narnia, which is basically what C.S. Lewis believed, written out as an allegorical fantasy or something, although it's easy enough I think to remove Lewis from the equation.

I heard that The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is the most complete written account of someone's struggle with manic depression, and that's a partial contemporary autobiography and partial Victorian-age historical fiction. If it worked for Emilie Autumn, why not?
The Codex of Poesy: wishcraft, faelatry, alchemy, and other slight misspellings.
the Otherfaith: Chromatic Genderbending Faery Monarchs of Technology. DeviantArt

Jack

  • Adept Member
  • ********
  • Join Date: Apr 2012
  • Location: Cascadia
  • Posts: 3258
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 197
    • View Profile
    • Skyhold
  • Religion: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • Preferred Pronouns: they/he
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2014, 02:49:45 pm »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?

 
I'm basically working on this right now. I'm not too worried about what people take from it - some people will build religion from things that aren't intended that way, and some people will read Narnia or the Golden Compass because they like the story.

Part of my goal in writing is not to produce something like the Temple of the Twelve, where people recommending it feel the need to go "the book is twee as hell but the SPIRITUAL IDEA BEHIND IT is worth it," you know?
Hail Mara, Lady of Good Things!
"The only way to cope with something deadly serious is to try to treat it a little lightly." -Madeleine L'Engle

HarpingHawke

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Nov 2013
  • *
  • Posts: 1531
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 16
    • View Profile
  • Religion: shapeshifting, witchery, polytheism. under endless construction.
  • Preferred Pronouns: they/them
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2014, 04:41:23 pm »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?


While I would love to do something like that, I have this feeling I would have a lot of problems with it, at least at this point in my life.

I have had success with a few of my characters in other novels being Pagan and it not being a huge deal, just mentioned in passing, and hopefully the reader'd get up and research the branch of Paganism mentioned.
Like, um, a physics teacher who's Asatru. She'll have a Mjölnir tattoo on her shoulder. That's all that's mentioned about her religion and hopefully there'll be some curiosity from the reader's end.

Also, we need more representation in books without being Da Source of All Ebil. So there's that.

What you're planning on doing sounds like an awesome idea though, and I wish you luck.
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." - Hemingway

SunflowerP

  • Host
  • *
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Location: Calgary AB
  • Posts: 9911
  • Country: ca
  • Total likes: 734
  • Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs!
    • View Profile
    • If You Ain't Makin' Waves, You Ain't Kickin' Hard Enough
  • Religion: Eclectic religious Witchcraft
  • Preferred Pronouns: sie/hir/hirs/hirself
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2014, 05:49:02 pm »
Quote from: SolsticeSnaca;143846


 
A Reminder:
Hi, SolsticeSnaca,

Just a quick note:  Please remember to quote, even if you're just  replying to the first message in the thread.  It makes the discussion  easier to follow, and it's required by  our  rules. (If you're using tapatalk on a phone, please hold your finger down on the message you wish to reply to until the quote function pops up.)

This isn't a formal warning, just a reminder.  No  reply is necessary, but if you have questions or need clarification,  please feel free to contact a member of staff privately.

Thanks!
Sunflower, TC Forum Staff
I'm the AntiFa genderqueer commie eclectic wiccan Mod your alt-right bros warned you about.
I do so have a life; I just live part of it online!
“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” - Oscar Wilde
"Nobody's good at anything until they practice." - Brina (Yewberry)
My much-neglected blog "If You Ain't Makin' Waves, You Ain't Kickin' Hard Enough"

Altair

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Location: New York, New York
  • *
  • Posts: 3752
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 937
  • Fly high and make the world follow
    • View Profile
    • Songs of the Metamythos
  • Religion: tree-hugging pagan
  • Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2014, 06:28:47 pm »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?


Kinda sorta what I do. I needed myths that spoke to me as a modern Western person, so I wrote them. They're fiction, and at the same time true, in that deep sense. I find it very satisfying and the principal aspect of my spirituality.

So I'd say do it.
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

Sefiru

  • Senior Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Nov 2013
  • Location: In the walls
  • Posts: 2570
  • Country: ca
  • Total likes: 893
    • View Profile
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2014, 06:43:27 pm »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?

Anyone has thoughts on this?


I'm doing something like this as part of some personal spiritual work. I've been using a lot of allegory/metaphor to depict the abstracts, such as, a time of spiritual seeking becomes a backpacking trip around the world. That sort of thing. As the material covered is extremely personal, though, I doubt I will ever show it to a wide audience. Or, probably, any audience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Me on AO3 & Deviantart

Tom

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jan 2013
  • Posts: 399
  • Total likes: 3
    • View Profile
    • http://serpentinetom.wordpress.com
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2014, 01:45:46 pm »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?

 
I do something like this, though my goal is to figure out what I believe rather than introducing people to what I believe instead. It's a bit of a work in progress, but my personal experiences influence the scenes I write and it helps me puzzle some more difficult things out, particularly in the area of my personal theology.

And maybe it will help others figure out things too since I know I'm not the only one who is influenced by fiction.

But in the end I guess what I'm mostly concerned with is telling a good story and creating characters that can be related to rather than telling people exactly what I believe. However, my patron god does very much have a hand in how my story develops and there's a bit of personal mythology in there as well.

Asterix

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Join Date: Apr 2014
  • Posts: 7
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2014, 02:36:08 am »
Quote from: NCPilot;143838
So I've been toying around the idea of using the medium of short stories (mostly e-books) to tell the story of my eclectic pagan path, as I think it'd be the most engaging and entertaining way to teach people about what I believe in.

Has anyone else ever done this before and have you had much success with this?  The one thing that really concerns me though is trying to get the reader to look beyond the fictional story to see the inspiration behind it, the goddess that I worship, the nature spirits that I've talked to, etc. etc.  

Anyone has thoughts on this?

 

I've received some interesting results from this, especially from my Christian friends.  In general, they are enthusiastic to read about my views (as I don't, as a rule, share my religious ideas with anyone unless first questioned about them) and they are excited to observe the allusions to a culture they aren't familiar with.  Even though I explicitly refer to deities in both literal and metaphorical senses, my readers are engaged in a sensation of higher thinking and are able to better develop their own thoughts.  My latest creation (a retelling of the Sisyphean Myth using my recurring antihero) has been well received for these very reasons, not just in my peer group, but in my community as well.  I may get some of my works published soon, so this is a perfect opportunity to experiment with the response of the masses in regard to neopagan literature.

Asterix

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Join Date: Apr 2014
  • Posts: 7
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #13 on: April 09, 2014, 02:44:58 am »
An addendum:

Fiction is by far the best way to write about your beliefs, because it allows your audience to construe whatever interpretation they like from it (within reason).  Fiction lacks the assertiveness of a paper that dictates your personal beliefs.  Instead of reading along the lines of, "This is what I believe in.  Here, have it shoved down your throat," the audience will read it with a gentler tone, something like: "My beliefs are to be shared in whatever context you like, so feel free to derive meaning in your own unique way."
« Last Edit: April 09, 2014, 02:48:59 am by Asterix »

bakepan747

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Join Date: Apr 2014
  • Posts: 2
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Using Fiction to Explain your Faith
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2014, 08:29:03 am »
I actually have thought about this before and I've written down a couple of things but not a whole story. I'm a pantheist and it would be nice to have what we believe in put out there more. Whether it be paganism or what have you

Tags:
 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
17 Replies
4972 Views
Last post December 22, 2013, 08:59:11 pm
by EclecticWheel
6 Replies
1906 Views
Last post October 09, 2013, 08:23:10 am
by RandallS
27 Replies
5919 Views
Last post October 15, 2014, 06:59:13 pm
by Hyacinth Belle
1 Replies
1706 Views
Last post January 26, 2015, 08:16:02 pm
by Faemon
19 Replies
9611 Views
Last post January 02, 2023, 08:46:00 am
by CoyoteFeathers

* Who's Online

  • Dot Guests: 239
  • Dot Hidden: 0
  • Dot Users: 0

There aren't any users online.

* Please Donate!

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

* Shop & Support TC

The links below are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links you will go to the listed shopping site with The Cauldron's affiliate code. Any purchases you make during your visit will earn TC a tiny percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.

* In Memoriam

Chavi (2006)
Elspeth (2010)
Marilyn (2013)

* Cauldron Staff

Host:
Sunflower

Message Board Staff
Board Coordinator:
Darkhawk

Assistant Board Coordinator:
Aster Breo

Senior Staff:
Aisling, Allaya, Jenett, Sefiru

Staff:
Ashmire, EclecticWheel, HarpingHawke, Kylara, PerditaPickle, rocquelaire

Discord Chat Staff
Chat Coordinator:
Morag

'Up All Night' Coordinator:
Altair

Cauldron Council:
Bob, Catja, Chatelaine, Emma-Eldritch, Fausta, Jubes, Kelly, LyricFox, Phouka, Sperran, Star, Steve, Tana

Site Administrator:
Randall

SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal