@kate
Active 3 years, 8 months agoForum Replies Created
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Great discussion, @emma-starr.
1. Do you believe Christians should read secular literature (literature produced by non-believers)? Why or why not?
Yes. As long as you read with discernment, pondering the worldviews being presented and comparing them against the Bible, there is much encouragement and beauty and excellence to be found in even secular works of art.
2. How should a Christian approach reading secular and/or non secular) literature?
All literature should be read with discernment. Learn to examine the philosophies presented by what is glorified. Examine what worldviews are promoted by the choices of the characters, and learn to tell the difference between a godly story, a godless story, and an ungodly story. There are different things to be learned from each.
3. Can (secular and/or non secular) literature be a source of truth? Why or why not?
Yes. The thing about good stories is if they’re written honestly from an open heart, they’re always going to hit some notes of truth. I find that secular literature never quite gets to the ultimate Truth, but there are many true things that can be understood and appreciated even if the standard of ultimate truth is lacking. God’s beautiful fingerprints are all over human history, and those fingerprints can be recognized even if the source of them is not. Anyone who writes honestly can’t fail to touch on those beautiful fragments.
4. Do you personally read (or listen to) literature (secular and/or non secular)?
Yep. That’s a pretty broad field. :’D
@cassandraia thanks for thinking of me! Unfortunately I absolutely stink at flash fiction. 😛 I’ll keep this in mind for if I ever want to improve though. 😉
@emma-starr it has a beautiful simplicity that makes it extremely powerful. The one thing I would change is add one more line to the end. It ends rather abruptly as it is, but something like ‘saying goodbye’ or ‘finding you in the dark’ or something equally melancholy but emotionally satisfying could smooth it out very well.
@mariposa wowwwww… Is there a single sentence here that isn’t a joke of some sort? :’D
@Daeus-lamb ack ack ack, almost perfect. The last part is disjointed. Perhaps if you changed it to ‘The God of Manna has reigned for millennia and he does not take rebellion lightly… but the world needs a savior. And if Mortristan doesn’t find a way of escape, he will too.’
@daeus-lamb I feel like you can probably take out the line about his father’s death. It’s a good hook, but it doesn’t carry over emotionally into the rest of the blurb.
It’s possible you may be trying to cover too much ground. You have three emotional threads running in your two paragraphs– his father’s legacy, his fiancee, and the broken society in which he lives. These could all work together, but they’re competing with each other instead of flowing together. Which of those three threads is most important? Whichever it is, the other two should probably just be briefly listed as obstacles or complications in relation to the central thread.
I’m also going to say something I never thought I’d say— be cliche. Don’t worry about capturing the essence of the story’s underlying tones and themes in the blurb. If you can get some of that, great. But that’s just bonus stuff on top of the blurb’s primary function, which is to offer one powerful thing that makes the reader curious enough to pick up the book. And it’s only a bonus if it doesn’t distract from that one purpose.
‘Cruel society’, ‘in love with woman’, and ‘father’s legacy’ are all very formulaic tropes. But they’re tropes because people love them. It’s your book’s job to be unique about them, not your blurb’s.
@brandon-miller also has great points.
Mortristan was startled by his father’s death.
He is left with only two things: the governorship of Elysigard and a challenge from his father… find something worth living for. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Elysigard rests securely in the iron grip of the God of Manna— an unseen god who demands great sacrifice in return for food and protection. Life is bleak, and the more Mortristan discovers the bleaker it becomes.
His one comfort is the woman he loves, but his love becomes increasingly at odds with his growing determination to rebel. Does truth come at the price of happiness? What does it mean to find something worth living for? He’s spent his whole life under the watchful eyes of the priesthood and their hungry god, but more and more he finds that doesn’t matter.
The world needs a savior. And if he doesn’t find a solution, he will too.
@r-m-archer *nods* You do that. Sounds great. 😀
@r-m-archer that is an awesome idea. Why do people have awesome ideas when I’m not available to participate? 😛 Thank you for thinking of me though. Maybe in a few months I’ll have the opportunity to jump in with the rest of you. 😉
@Daeus-lamb hey, I actually saw a preview for this just the other day. I was impressed. I’ll hafta keep my eyes peeled!
