Hey, WIPpeteers and friends!
I didn’t think I’d have time to join in this week, but a snow day (our second in a row, in fact), has left me unable to get much actual work done, but with time to read some snippets! So here we are.
Hi.
Obviously I’m not sharing from Sworn anymore, because that ship has sailed.* But I’m not quite ready to reveal much about the plot of my new book, which I should be wrapping up the first draft of this week. And I was going to share its hero with you, but my newsletter subscribers get to be the first people to meet him (perks, y’all).
You should sign up. You want to meet him.
Anyway, for 2/10, here are two quick paragraphs from chapter 10. Our heroine is paging through a religious text in a strange new world, trying to figure out how she walked in on a revolution of monsters overthrowing humans.
I flipped back to earlier pages. “And in those days the monsters roamed the land, living as animals, without understanding. The humans came among them, bearing the bright spark bestowed upon them by divine grace. And the Mother decreed that men should rule over the monsters, which would in turn find Mother’s favour by submitting their wills to that of the spark-bearers.”
And there it was. The grounds for hundreds of years of slavery and servitude, all built on this passage.
Bingo.
Yes, I’m a little nervous that people will think I’m making a statement about religion with certain aspects of this story. For the most part, I hope readers will keep this in mind:
It’s a work of fiction. If things happening in a fictional world hit too close to home, well… *shrugs*
Interested in more snippets? Click this link to see what the other WIPpeteers are up to and leave a comment to say hello. And if you’d like to join in, post a bit of your work in progress on your own blog (remember, it needs to relate to today’s date!), and link back.
Thanks again to Emily Witt for hosting.
*Good lord, I typed “that shit has sailed.” It’s not shit. It’s fantastic. And the e-book is still only $3.99 USD, but not for long. Just saying.
disregard the prologue 
February 10th, 2016 at 4:01 pm
I’ve been learning to trust my gut better when I think I might be treading into something controversial. I’m working on a story that features the thirteen-year-old Anne Frank of an alternate history gaining superpowers and fighting Nazis. I was VERY nervous to share the first chapters being fearful that they might be misinterpreted as disrespectful, even though I knew at heart they weren’t. Eventually I just bucked-up and shared them.
The reaction was all positive. But the best comment I got was: “I’d never heard of Anne Frank before, and your story made me look her up. I have a new hero.” That alone made me glad I faced my fears!
February 10th, 2016 at 7:06 pm
That sounds like an interesting challenge!
February 10th, 2016 at 7:34 pm
Its been a lot of fun on a creative level. I can’t say that I’ve seen much else quite like the story as a whole for comparisons.
February 10th, 2016 at 4:34 pm
When I read your WIPpet, I didn’t get the religious push, but I’m a writer so maybe I wouldn’t. I clearly see that you are establishing another world.
Shalom,
Patricia
My WIPpet: http://www.patgarciaschaack.com/thinking_it_over/2016/02/wippet-wednesday-february-10-2016.html
February 10th, 2016 at 6:38 pm
Loved that snippet! Brief but very interesting. 😀
I also get a little nervous when it comes to statements about religion––even just brushing on it. For example: When I was a teen I was working on a fantasy story that involved a polytheistic religion. I posted it online and had like 3 or 4 people tell me they were insulted “because there is only one God”. To this day that still kinda baffles me. It can be a really sensitive subject, but I don’t think that should keep you from writing the story you want to write!
Also my WIPpet is here, if you want to check it out: https://brigidrgh.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/wipwednesday-21016/
February 10th, 2016 at 6:44 pm
That’s funny. I have a polytheistic religion in my current series, and don’t care if people are offended. It’s not even this WORLD, people. Chill.
But this one delves into religion being used to shape cultures and how what’s included in an “infallible” and “inspired” religious text warped everything… So it could be seen to have real-world parallels that people at my church might not be keen on.
But I actually don’t mind that, either. So that’s fine. 🙂
February 10th, 2016 at 6:56 pm
Like… in your case, that’s like tut-tutting Superman because it’s not realistic and there’s not really an ACTUAL guy flying around. It’s fiction. Just enjoy it.
February 10th, 2016 at 11:37 pm
I am already intrigued with your book. Comparative religion is always interesting. Religion and culture are hard to separate. Good work.
February 11th, 2016 at 6:41 am
Enh. People of every religion have used their teachings to do rotten stuff. If someone thinks you’re alluding to their own particular religion, it is probably more to do with their own feelings of doubt than anything else. Unless you really are, but I’m going with “the curtains are blue.”
I think it sounds like an interesting premise, so far. 🙂
February 11th, 2016 at 11:00 am
That shit has sailed. *hysterical laughter* Sorry, the typo struck me as exceedingly funny. 😉
BTW, the curtains are blue.
February 11th, 2016 at 12:16 pm
They’re just blue, man.
February 11th, 2016 at 5:55 pm
Interesting snippet! Good way to do some infodumping without the dreaded, “he said, she said.” 🙂
I don’t get very nervous about religion either, even though I also use real religions. But in most cultures, religion is / were important, and it’s part of world-building.
February 12th, 2016 at 12:07 am
Religion does always seem to be a tricky area to navigate but I’m of the opinion that fiction is the perfect place to be holding discussions of topics that we may not be able to at the dinner table. And the complex relationship between society and religion falls into that category. 🙂
February 12th, 2016 at 12:50 pm
Very interesting snippet
February 12th, 2016 at 12:58 pm
Omg I got into so many fights with my literature teacher over the whole ‘the curtains are just blue’ thing!! Memories! Great snippet, I’m already intrigued! And perhaps it’s just me, but I figure no matter what I write someone is bound to get pissy over it, particularly when it’s about religion, so I’m just going to ignore them!
February 12th, 2016 at 1:23 pm
Fair. Church is awkward anyway. I can deal with it. >.<
February 13th, 2016 at 6:02 am
Discussing religion in stories makes me a little nervous too. It probably has to do with my Mom scolding me over including magic and dragons in some of my early stories because ‘good Christians don’t believe in that nonsense. It’s evil.’
That said, I thought the religious text was very well written. Nice and archaic sounding, just like a good religious text should be. I can’t wait to read more, it sounds like a really interesting concept.