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 Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:57 pm
I like to write a lot, and I came up with the idea of writing a story in which the gospel was represented as a form of magic in a fantasy world. But I'm afraid that this idea might give non-members the wrong impression...like we're a cult or something. This is clearly not my intention, but I like fantasy a lot and I really want to incorporate gospel principles in my stories... Anyone have anything to say about this? Suggestions? Encouragement? Caution?
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:02 pm
Stop trying to steal my idea! I've been working on this for ten years!
No, seriously I think it's a cool idea. (Though I HAVE been trying to do this myself for awhile.) My thoughts: It might be better to do it from a cultural angle-- like have everyone on this world have magic but this group (presumably the group your protagonist belongs to) lives what you and I would recognize as the gospel.
IMO, trying to mix actual magic and the gospel is just too problematic. If everyone who followed the gospel could do magic, wouldn't it then be incredibly obvious which way was the right way? It impacts negatively on agency-- yeah, people could still turn their back on it but it would be incredibly obvious what they were doing. It'd be a very black and white world without a lot of subtlety to explore.
Orson Scot Card's "Alvin Maker" series is a strange infusion of folk magic and Joseph Smith and I find it just doesn't really work for me. The magic takes up so much of the foreground, God and His word is really a background issue in the story-- so far in the background that it's hardly ever addressed.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:39 pm
Don't steal this please...
I have a story where the main character learns she is a goddess on another world ans now she must save this world from evil. and the evil trying to ruin the world is her brother.
Well it's a fantasy with lots of strange creatures but I've made this a rule in my writing that truth is truth. All my characters in all books would be LDS, if that was a consept on thier world.
I don't know if I explained it clearly... sweatdrop
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:53 am
there are ways to incorporate gospel principles into everything you do, even writing fantasy---but they usually have to be subtle or incorporated into a theme that runs throughout the story in order to make sense within the story.
In fact, it's a quality of a good writer to do so--incorporate themes and such into the story, usually subtly, and make it make sense.
I'm actually writing a fantasy story that has a couple of gospel principles in it--such as faith, obedience, good overcoming evil, enduring to the end, and eternal families. But you'd probably either have to be LDS or understand the true gospel to understand the themes....though they seem almost blatant to me...
I've noticed that a lot of fantasy stories do have gospel principles in them, whether the author wanted to incorporate them or had no idea. *shrugs* again, they're not blatantly obvious and you have to read a little into the story, or just have the Spirit whisper that it's a gospel principle.
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:03 pm
Itesa Orson Scot Card's "Alvin Maker" series is a strange infusion of folk magic and Joseph Smith and I find it just doesn't really work for me. The magic takes up so much of the foreground, God and His word is really a background issue in the story-- so far in the background that it's hardly ever addressed. (LOL, sorry. ^^; ) Card wrote something like that? Coincidentally I've read his book on 'How to write Science Fiction and Fantasy'. Don't read Hart's Hope though. It's terrible. Anyway, thanks for the input everyone. It makes me feel better to know that I'm not the first who's faught about this in my mind. Some very interesting ideas. (Not stealing though!) I was thinking something along the lines of a foresty type of world that has the type of characters you'd find in a fantasy story, but none of which use magic or even know it exists except for a religious group that knows the truth, the truth behind their creation and the truth behind their purpose, etc. My protagonist was going to be a young girl who comes across this religious group and wants to know more, and eventually helps in the battle against the evil spirit. And the magic would have to be given to you by someone else, and you have to be found worthy to recieve it. It's still forming in my head but that's what I've got so far. sweatdrop
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:37 pm
The idea of doing this sort of thing has come to me a few times. I really would want to do something where the power of the gosple is used as the main power, but I havn't done much with the idea just yet, because I'm not sure what to do with it.
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Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 6:57 pm
Wow, does every LDS writer think about this? ((I'm one too xd ))
Anyway, I haven't really thought up a good plot or anything yet, but I've been in the brainstorming stage for over 4 years, so yeah... I've been through a bunch of ideas.
What inspired me to do it though, was the book series called The Circle (I forget the author's name). Anyway, it was written by a non-member Christain who was not so subtle in addin VERY OBVIOUS christain themes. In fact, at more than one point, they openly compare the "God" of this fantasy world to Jesus Christ (the god's name is Elyon) And then at another point, Elyon prays to Elyon, and the main charecter mentions "I get it. Elyon the son was praying to Elyon the father). Yeah, not really subtle, but it was a really awesome trilogy!
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Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:18 pm
Maybe if you gave everyone their power, but their disposition determines how it appears.
Maybe their is a time with 1800's/steampunk technology and the "magic" already exists. The protagonist is a pioneer, clearing the dangerous, demon infested lands. In the alternate dimesion that this is set in, the Bible already exists. Different denominations exist, showcasing their magic in different forms, but it is clear that none contain the pure light.
Enter the Book of Mormon, the protagonist is given/finds one and begins to read. His change of heart becomes evident in his magic. It is stronger against the dark powers of the demons. People become jealous of their powers and drive them into the frontier, where they must cut a path to a place where they can live in peace, away from the demons and denominations.
C.S. Lewis's "TLTW&TW" series has a bunch of religious references.
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