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@claire-h

I get more and more excited each time I hear about her! AAAAAH my brain is all discombobulated with anticipation.

I’m curious what you mean about it being too much for your 20s story to also be a murder mystery. Do you feel that it’s somehow not optimistic enough? I guess I’m curious to see what your process is for evaluating what is too much – but I commend your turning to prayer to resolve this conundrum.

I guess my lodestone for “dark” fantasy (and in other stories) is Tolkien and even the Old Testament. Neither the author nor God ever shied away from describing abject evil, even horrifying atrocities – the Bible describes scenes of parents eating their children while under siege, and describes the wicked, barbaric practices of the pagan religions which surrounded the chosen people, and Tolkien did not shy from letting the darkness of the Enemy hang heavy over the protagonists. However, in the end, good still triumphs; Frodo delivers the ring and returns home to see the Shire cleansed, and Jesus comes to redeem Mankind and break the cycle of eternal sin and condemnation. Maybe it seems like a bit on the epic end for a modern setting, but I think it still applies.

At times I’m intrigued / puzzled too as to why I picked the Hussite Wars. It’s certainly harder to do research for since most sources on it are in Czech, though I’m fortunate to have acquired a very detailed English language history of it by Franciz Lutzow. And to some extent, the religious conflict of the period is less obvious / stark as in the later Reformation in the 16th century – at least at first glance. It’s also a very one-sided conflict – the Hussites, despite being massive underdogs, won time and again against more numerous and better-armed and better trained knightly opponents.

But it’s the religious aspects which have the most bearing on my characters, and it’s that area that I need to devote more time into. As it stands, most of my characters start out as religious nominalists – Kyreleis is concerned with power, Erhard with his heroic aspirations, Fritz and Angelin with worldly wealth and happiness – Myrrha is the only one who enters the story already burdened by moral dilemmas, guilt and some level of concern for her spiritual welfare. It’s over time that my characters begin to realize that their worldly accomplishments are failing to satisfy, or otherwise have their eyes opened from blindness to their spiritual need, but I haven’t really constructed a firm dynamic of Hussitism quite yet – I’m working on how to convey the transcendent, divine importance of communion to my audience, both then as well as now. It’s the communion rite that is at the heart of the conflict, and therefore necessarily communion must be at the heart of the story. It’s particularly a big deal in Myrrha’s spiritual journey, though I guess I’m somewhat hesitant to reveal spoilers.

Though, if you’re interested in discussing it more as fellow writers, we can share all the spoilers we like (for your 20s story and fantasy as well, if you like). It’s good to have a circle to talk these things through with, especially when our stories start grappling with doctrine and articles of faith.