The Fellowship Cafe

heyjude

Making my own sunshine
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
19,740
Reaction score
6,192
Location
Gulf coast of FL
The inestimable blessings of Good Friday to all.

You said it much better than I was going to. :)

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. What is everyone doing for Easter?

I'm in charge of a good whack of our church's Easter celebration, so I've been working my tail off for months now, and overdrive for the last week or so. Two days of work, then collapse... :)
 

heyjude

Making my own sunshine
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
19,740
Reaction score
6,192
Location
Gulf coast of FL
Oo, we're doing exactly that on Sunday as well!

My mom, daughter, son, and dad all have birthdays within 6 weeks of each other. Sunday will be the end of birthday season and all the prep for Easter. Thank goodness!
 

Elias Graves

Unrealistically Optimistic
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
430
Reaction score
27
Hey, gang. Long time since I visited.
Been working hard on my religious historical fantasy piece. There's no shortage of material, but I'm having a bear of a time figuring out how to handle POV in this piece.
The sections I've done in first person are much more powerful than my other takes but I have material pertinent to the story I can't do with first and I'm no fan of shifting narrators. To me, that always strikes me as, well, I'm just not a fan.
Just looking for some encouragement, I guess.
This particular story continues to grow within me and I'm convinced of its power. It needs an A+ delivery.

EG
 

Calla Lily

On hiatus
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
39,307
Reaction score
17,489
Location
Non carborundum illegitimi
Website
www.aliceloweecey.net
Elias, without seeing the ms, is there a way the narrator can go to a museum or overhear a conversation or (say) be on the fringe of something like one of Socrates' open-air lectures?
 

Elias Graves

Unrealistically Optimistic
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
430
Reaction score
27
Well, it gets complicated...

The story centers around a Roman slave's 2,000 year hunt for Satan's brother. He spends most of his time in seclusion, save for the action scenes, which is where I focus my writing.
The antagonist is a complex character and I really want to explore his nature in the text.
Showing everything from the protagonist's pov makes that impossible.
Trying to find a way to work in the point of view of a reluctantly fallen angel is difficult. Lucifer deceived his brother, who now wants nothing more than to return to grace and becomes rather violent upon learning he cannot do so.
The MC, obviously, does not know his history and has no sympathy for the devil, so to speak. He has nothing kind to say about our demonic antagonist, yet he has sympathetic qualities.

EG
 

Calla Lily

On hiatus
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
39,307
Reaction score
17,489
Location
Non carborundum illegitimi
Website
www.aliceloweecey.net
What about making the fallen angel the POV character?

Based on the above, though, I'm seeing 2 POVs as the simple answer. You can do them in alternating chapters so it's less jarring. JMO.
 

Elias Graves

Unrealistically Optimistic
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
430
Reaction score
27
My original plan was to write this in the form of a found manuscript written by the MC over the years. Almost like a book of the Bible in form. That, of course, presents only one view and leaves little room for exploring alternate views.

One thought that had occurred was to have the MC partly successful in his quest 1/3 of the way through by voluntarily allowing the demon to inhabit him. Getting him "off the streets" in a fashion. Doing this would permit me to keep the journal format and actually have the demon making alternate entries without the MC's knowledge. That's the best I've come up with so far.

EG
 

Elias Graves

Unrealistically Optimistic
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
430
Reaction score
27
What about making the fallen angel the POV character?

Based on the above, though, I'm seeing 2 POVs as the simple answer. You can do them in alternating chapters so it's less jarring. JMO.

That may be my answer.
I know it's merely one of my prejudices, but I've always seen shifting POV as an easy out for an author.

EG
 

Calla Lily

On hiatus
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
39,307
Reaction score
17,489
Location
Non carborundum illegitimi
Website
www.aliceloweecey.net
Really? The one time I did it, it was wicked hard to pull off. I had a FMC and a MMC (the book's a paranormal romance) and my biggest issue was making sure they had two completely different voices.
 

Elias Graves

Unrealistically Optimistic
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
430
Reaction score
27
Like I said...my prejudice.

EG
 

Elias Graves

Unrealistically Optimistic
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
430
Reaction score
27
There ya go! I know, I have plenty of goofy hangups about what I like and don't.
For my taste, most stuff written after about 1900 has little appeal to me. I prefer to bury myself in days gone by. Time fascinates me endlessly (pun intended.)

I'm going to explore this posession/surreptitious journal entry business and see where it takes me.

EG
 

ArchaWriter

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
Messages
114
Reaction score
3
A word about the end times.

The other day, my wife and I were discussing the book of Revelation.
We discussed the end times.
I told her the beast will abolish religion and the people will praise him for it.
She said, I’m glad I don’t live in those days.
But I started thinking. Don’t We?
I have participated in many forums and I hear the denouncing of God a lot.
I think back to my reading of ages past and people were highly religious.
What is happening?
My father believed in the Lord.
I believe in the Lord.
But my son does not.
What is happening?