A question for the sinners around here.

MelodyO · Jun 28, 2007

And you know who you are. :tongue

One of my characters is a fallen angel who is trying to corrupt a woman by whispering immoral suggestions into her ear. What sin can he be trying to talk her into? I don't want anything too skeevy like murder or adultery. Any other suggestions for mid-grade, tempting sins?

ETA: The woman is just a one-shot in the novel. This is to introduce the fallen angel, and how much he enjoys turning good girls into bad girls. The unearthly cad!

scarletpeaches · Jun 28, 2007

Shoplifting or some other sort of theft?

Satan wanted the worship that was God's so I've always thought fallen angels would whisper things like, "You want it for yourself...so take it."

RumpleTumbler · Jun 28, 2007

What's a mid-grade sin?

maestrowork · Jun 28, 2007

Stealing. Smoking. Drinking. Framing another person. Beating up someone. Kicking a homeless person. Watching pornography. Premarital sex.

Meerkat · Jun 28, 2007

How about vanity/pride?

Soccer Mom · Jun 28, 2007

Well, let's think about the other sins: He could encourage her to lie, engage in spiteful gossip, covet and then take something. I can just hear him stoke the fires of jealousy and greed.

maestrowork · Jun 28, 2007

Or go to a McDonald's. Gluttony, the horror!

Roger J Carlson · Jun 28, 2007

RumpleTumbler said:
What's a mid-grade sin?

When I was in the mid-grades, it was spit wads.

Oh, sorry, I thought I was still in the Flaming Bannana's thread.

Scarlet is right. Selfish is good. What about tempting her to do something good for the wrong reasons? Like giving more to a charity than a rival just to show her up?

C.S. Lewis has an interesting take on sins of this sort in The Screwtape Letters.

Pat~ · Jun 28, 2007

Well, as an experienced sinner, I've found that the devil often likes to work unobtrusively through your perceived strengths, so that if you are competent and self-reliant, he'll egg on your sense of pride and isolation; if you are talkative and friendly, he'll encourage gossip and social climbing; if you are a Christian leader or teacher, he'll foster a sense of arrogance and invincibility to failure or sin. (Note how many of these fall prey to adultery.)

What are your character's personality traits and strengths? Work on sending those into a spiral--that's how the devil works.

Calla Lily · Jun 28, 2007

Cheating on a test. Shoplifting. Framing your little brother/sister for something you did. Going to a co-ed party when you promised your parents it wasn't. Smoking in the locker room.

Claudia Gray · Jun 28, 2007

Pat's on the money with this one. The sin is individual to the sinner. Your angel will play upon your character's weaknesses.

Siddow · Jun 28, 2007

Gluttony was the first thing that hit my mind. It depends on the tone of the rest of the book, but I think a book about a fallen angel who harasses a woman into obesity would be hilarious!

*runs off to scribble that down*

MelodyO · Jun 28, 2007

You guys are the best sinners ever! Excellent ideas. I never thought of the non-physical sins like pride and gossip and such. Thanks very much. ::rubs hands gleefully::

Azraelsbane · Jun 28, 2007

Pick a deadly sin and go with it

Which is your character likely to fall prey to? If you know their personality, you know their weaknesses (as a few of the above said). You don't want a character that's obsessively efficient to be tempted by sloth

Well, okay- maybe, but I know if I was obsessed with being efficient/on time/etc then some angelic malcontent whispering in my ear that I should do the opposite wouldn't have a chance.

maestrowork · Jun 28, 2007

Azraelsbane said:
Pick a deadly sin and go with it

Right... whatever you pick, it should be bad enough to carry a high stake. Maybe not murder or rape, but certainly something that is going to create a huge conflict. The bigger the conflict, the more engrossing it is. If it's just some silly, small sin, your readers wouldn't care.

scarletpeaches · Jun 28, 2007

But then again, I don't think anyone would go for the big sin straight off. It's the law of diminishing returns; you need a bigger sin each time to get the same kick.

Pat~ · Jun 28, 2007

Azraelsbane said:
Pick a deadly sin and go with it Which is your character likely to fall prey to? If you know their personality, you know their weaknesses (as a few of the above said). You don't want a character that's obsessively efficient to be tempted by sloth

That's right. But hey, if your character is obsessive, there are a ton of
sins she could fall prey to (just think of any negative compusion; drinking, smoking, shoplifting, overeating, eating disorders,)...better yet, PM me...

maestrowork · Jun 28, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
But then again, I don't think anyone would go for the big sin straight off. It's the law of diminishing returns; you need a bigger sin each time to get the same kick.

Sure, not right off the bat. But they have to cumulate, getting the protag deeper and deeper into it until she can't get out of it at all... now, that's interesting.

Pat~ · Jun 28, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
But then again, I don't think anyone would go for the big sin straight off. It's the law of diminishing returns; you need a bigger sin each time to get the same kick.

Yes, start small and innocuous, and then let it grow into something out of control if you need for it to be a fairly conflicting thing in the story.

aka eraser · Jun 28, 2007

Being raised Catholic in the 50s and 60s, I know everything there is to know about sin -- from the wee venial jobbies that can be negated with a mea culpa to the heavyweights -- mortal sins that require a blessing from a priest and many rosary recitations.

What you want here is some good old coveting, maybe the neighbour's hubbie or strapping 18-year-old son.

You're welcome.

Azraelsbane · Jun 28, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
But then again, I don't think anyone would go for the big sin straight off. It's the law of diminishing returns; you need a bigger sin each time to get the same kick.

Obviously it would have to build up. For instance Gluttony Zero leads to Gluttony Light straight into full blown calorific Gluttony!

Williebee · Jun 28, 2007

We're having a sale on sins this week. No, sorry, Gluttony and Adultery are already sold out, Avarice and Greed are still available, along with Pride and Ego. No shortage of those around here. What? No, sorry, cheating on your tax returns doesn't count... We don't get involved with the IRS. That is a different ring of Hell, after all.

Hmm, what about Negligence? Sins of Omission?

("Nah," the Angel says. "Stick around for another game. The lady at home in the wheelchair will be fine....")

Sassee · Jun 28, 2007

maestrowork said:
If it's just some silly, small sin, your readers wouldn't care.

Unless the small sin leads to a bigger one, or causes unforseen pandemic chaos

Tasmin21 · Jun 28, 2007

I like the shoplifting angle. "Start small...just one bottle of nail polish...who would miss it?"

Or the hunky neighbor kid who mows the lawn. "you know, many societies have women initiate younger men into the sexual world."

Which begs the question...if she came onto a younger guy, and he laughed in her face, did she still commit the sin?

RTH · Jun 28, 2007

maestrowork said:
Or go to a McDonald's. Gluttony, the horror!

Or even worse, take a job as a McDonald's executive.

Though that could be considered a major sin.

A question for the sinners around here.

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