Looking at posting chapters for review

I am thinking of posting some chapters of my book online for people to read and comment on. I'll watermark the chapters, but I'd like to hear from people what they think and any changes that they'd recommend. I'd welcome some comments if you think this is a good idea.

Truth in fiction...

Recently, there have been a number of letters to the editor in my local paper regarding Ann Rice's refusal to become a Christian because Christianity speaks against the practice of homosexuality, abortion, and other things she supports. Many of the letters have been from people professing to be Christians, but at the same time affirming many of the practices the bible explicitly condemns! Their reasoning, if it can even be called reason, is based in social acceptability and rhetoric rather than propositional truth.
I am amazed at how so many people that claim to be Christians reject the concept of propositional truth. Religion used to be a system of propositions regarding reality, but now people treat whether something is true based on emotions or feelings rather than propositions.
Let me first define some terms before I get any further. A Proposition is a statement or claim. The proposition may be true or it may be false, but it makes a claim. Truth by definition is exclusive and conforms to reality. If something is true, then necessarily all other claims that contradict it are false. If a proposition is made and a contradiction exists, then either the proposition is false or the evidence of the contradiction is false. Two claims that are contradictory cannot be true in the same relationship at the same time.

So now on to my claim: Any religion that claims to be all inclusive must by definition be false!
A person that claims to be a Christian (ie. a system of propositions regarding beliefs) and at the same time denies those propositions (ie. anyone is acceptable, regardless of your beliefs) is holding to a contradiction. Therefore, the person's claim that they are a Christian is false. So what about a religion that isn't Christianity? Okay, let's say religion X welcomes all beliefs as true. Religion Y comes along and states that all beliefs are not true. In order for X to be true, then it must state that Y is false, but if it does that then it is affirming Y at the same time it is denouncing it. Therefore, religion X cannot be true. Now, this doesn't mean that religion Y is true, just that all beliefs CANNOT be equally true.

I am sorry that Ann Rice did not convert to Christianity, but as long as she refuses to accept its propositions, she did the logically correct thing in refusing. Those that believe that they can call themselves Christians and at the same time reject the propositions that the bible gives are deceiving themselves and are no more Christian than Ann Rice.

The power of the story to affect reality

I recently read this article by Carl Kirby, a former air traffic controller for the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The article addresses how science fiction stories made him question God's existence and also God's goodness. We often stay "but it is just entertainment, it isn't real." While that is true in its strictest sense, we often do interpret reality through the fiction that we read and see.

However, if the story can be used to make people doubt God, it may be able to do the reverse and present a strong case for God and the Bible. I had already thought about writing a science fiction story and this article may prove to be a catalyst to help me get going on it. I'll set up another blog to follow the progress on that story so that this blog and focus more on the Will of the Author series.

Update: I've created a new blog to outline and follow the creation of my science fiction story.
http://thealiensfromearth.blogspot.com/

Concept cover art for book 1 of the Author series

This was originally a cover art pencil sketch that my sister did for the book. I colored it for a class assignment and created a flier. Once I get the book finalized, I'll see if she can create an inked version.

This is taken from a scene in the book where Teran (boy in the foreground), Elaina, and Gwydon (man in the background) are fleeing from the enemy, who is torching a farm house that they had recently been staying at.

My sister sketched this when I said that I needed something for the cover that would draw people's interest into reading the story. This was the first concept she came up with and I really liked it. I'll post up some additional concept art for the story soon.

The Will of the Author - Book 1

Well, I've more or less completed the story part for the first book. I introduce several characters, which was my primary focus in this book. However, it still doesn't seem to have that gripping desire to the beginning. Tolkien had a great phrase in the opening of The Hobbit: "Long ago, in a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit." The beginning of the story is the most important part because it is what will draw people into continuing it to the finish.

So it is now time to go back over it and revise it until it has that feel that I am looking for. Also, some of the other scenes would probably be better told from a different POV than the ones they currently use. Also, I think I need to see about fleshing out the characters a little bit more than just the introducing of them.

The other thing that I want to address is salvation and forgiveness. Of course, God's sovereignty over all is paramount in the series, so I want to address that topic. I am not sure what other doctrinal topics I want to focus on in the first book, especially since I really want to introduce readers to the characters and then address the heavier doctrines in later books. It will be a while before I am fully pleased with this first book. But I suppose that is to be expected.

The beginning....

I've always loved stories. In particular fantasy stories such as the Chronicles of Prydian by Lloyd Alexander or the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. C.S. Lewis brought in a blend of fantasy and modernity with his Chronicles of Narnia by having modern day children magically transport to another world. But good fantasy is hard to come by, especially if one want's to a distinctly Christian message to it. There is certainly a desire for it. The Harry Potter craze should be sufficient testimony to that. So I decided that I wanted to write a fantasy story, not so much because I want to be a published author, but because I love good stories.

I've tried writing stories before without much success. I get part way into one and then it just seems to dead end. It wasn't until college English classes that I found some really helpful tools to develop a good foundation for writing. About the same time, I also discovered a great tool in none other than Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side. He talked about one of his greatest problems in creating cartoons and that was forgetting great ideas that he came up with in some unusual places. So he got into the habit of carrying a notepad for sketching ideas. I thought that was a great idea, so I created a computer file for all of my story ideas, from which I then build a story outline. Thus began the series I call The Will of the Author.

The series started more as a study regarding God and his sovereignty. In the New Testament, God is referred to as "the author and finisher of our faith." That word author really stuck with me. If one is to look at an author and the book the author creates, one can see many parallels between the author's nature towards his fictional creation and God towards us. This became the basis for The Will of the Author. In the story, the God figure is referred to as The Author. I did this intentionally rather than coming up with some fictional name. I wanted those that read my story to be able to see the parallel, so I made it as blunt in the story as possible. I also wanted to address some of the concerns that we as people face and the difficulties we have in trusting in God's sovereignty.

There are many theological challenges to a sovereign God, and through the telling of a story, I hope to address those issues. Fantasy can draw interest and captivate the imagination, and people are often more willing to accept ideas when they are attached to a story. It is my hope and prayer that I can do just that with my stories and help instruct in sound doctrine and theology through the telling of stories. This is my goal and I will try to keep a brief log of the progress on my stories as they are written.