Data Dog says:
I loathe allegory. LOL!! Do what you will!
Well--it all comes down to HOW IT IS DONE.
Animal Farm is probably the best example of exploring an ideology by turning the story into a children's cautionary tale.
A PERSONAL QUESTION to help me finish my NOVEL
by Terry 37 Replies latest jw friends
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steve2
Terry I like where you have taken your novel. I'd cautiously suggest going easy with some of the imagery, though, cause in places it seems (to me) too didactic and "loaded" (no pun intended), as if making a point is more important than the story development itself. What I like about Orwell is the way in which points are seldom belabored and in places are incredibly subtle - so the story keeps moving and building.
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smiddy
Terry
You have got my interest , E.R.B.,`s and his Mars books were a favourite of mine as a teenager . Their have been many successful novels blending fact and fiction , using religous orders particulary Roman Catholics and others , so why cant your novel have certain success . Go with your instinct.
Did the monorail idea spring from the early beleif their were canals on mars ?
I wish you well , and I look forward to reading it.
smiddy
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Terry
I can only say this one thing about style and writing . . .
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There is such an abudance of reading material in the world today it amounts to an embarrassment of riches.
Why should any reader trouble themselves to go beyond their comfort zone and immediate appetite?
It can make us lazy, spoiled and picky to the threshold of unwillingness to stretch, reach and grow.
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Starting at about the age of 13 I deliberately selected books to read which were too difficult.
Why? I wanted to expand my thinking.
I created vocabulary lists. I researched. it was a lot harder in the pre-Internet era, let me tell you!
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My grandfather was a real "book worm."
He taught me to try and read authors i DIDN'T think I agreed with simply to challenge my thinking.
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All of that to say this . . .
My writer's "voice" is a product all the reading and thinking I've done in a 67 year lifetime. It isn't an empty drawer.
I'm not a genius.
I do try and think about what I think about.
You may or may not like the way the book is written--that's okay; it would be weird if everybody liked the same things.
As Jehovah's Witnesses we all were REQUIRED to read the same things and have MATCHING opinions.
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Just be comforted in the knowledge I genuinely tried to do something interesting, thoughtful, well-reasoned and provocative.
If I fail--in your opinion--it wasn't because I took the easy way out.
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Much thanks to all of you for these appreciated thoughts, comments, opinions and suggestion!! You guys are the BEST!!
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Domenic
Terry,
I believe you should first learn the history of Charles Russell, Judge Rutherford. Russell did not startt the Watch Tower, Rutherford did, after the death of Russell. There was a split between the people. Russell started, "The Bible Students." These are still around today. You can get more infor on what took place on this site.
Freinds of jehovah's Witnesses.
Keep in mind, both groups teach false doctrines. They both believe Jesus came back invisable to earth about 1877. Jesus said, "All eyes would see him when he returned."
The Bible Students teach, "All people will have life." Again this is false. They are both from the same tree, so how can their fruit be different?
As to the size of you book; if you are a new writer, publishers will not publish a big book. They won't spend the bucks on you. I would keep it between 60K-100K.
It seems you are writing the book for JW's? That is going to be a small market. As you already know...they are controled to not read things like you are writing. Besides, what you are saying, many others I'm sure, have already said.
If you are trying to say JW's, you can't. Do you remember what John 6:44 says?
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Terry
Dominec shared:
Terry,
I believe you should first learn the history of Charles Russell, Judge Rutherford. Russell did not startt the Watch Tower, Rutherford did, after the death of Russell.
Hey Dominec,
I appreciate your wanting to set me straight, but--we have to rely on facts as they are and not as we think they are.
The Watch Tower was founded in 1884 by Charles Taze Russell with a slight name change in 1896
J.F. Rutherford did not join (baptized) until 1906.
Rutherford coined Jehovah's Witnesses officially in 1931.
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steve2
Thanks Terry. Backgrounding your style and approach is helpful to my appreciation of your work. You are a courageous man who puts his creative instincts on the line - which is a damn sight more than any of us here would ever do.
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Terry
Steve2, I keep looking for ways to be effective.
I grew up in the "era of civil unrest" in the 50's and 60's and70's. I learned from watching the Civil Rights struggles.
People who stood with placards and shook their fists made noise and that's about all it amounted to.
People who marched on Washtington made the newspapers and TV take notice--but . . .
Those who participated in SIT-INS and BOYCOTTS during Civil Rights battles actually CAUSED an EFFECT.
Bigots who owned a business discovered they NEEDED black people as customers.
Black people discovered they DIDN'T need white businesses treating them like 2nd class citizens.
My bottom line is this. Unless and untill we find an EFFECTIVE way of causing an effect on the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses we
are just kidding ourselves that our anger means anything.
Anger and rebuttal and debate can be effective--but--only when somebody is willing to engage.
The SHUNNING policy eliminates communication and short-circuits effectiveness for ex-JW's.
Apostate community is quite heterogenous. But, there is a danger of becoming the hateful thing active JW's expect to see
when they look at us.
If we become hateful, radicalized, impudent, cynical and such--we confirm their stereotype.
I'm trying science fiction as simply another arrow in my quiver and another tool in my toolbox.
I have to keep trying to reach people and get them to stop and think . . . THINKING is a dangerous thing for JW's!