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When the Overlord asked people to give me some topic ideas for this column and religion popped up as one idea, I approached the topic with extreme anxiety and dread. No, I really did. The reasons for my anxiety and dread were many, and I won’t go into them, but I just want to say to Fantasy Faction readers—thanks. Most of the comments and feedback I’ve had on this series have been very kind and only provoked more thought. So thank you for being such a lovely, tolerant group of readers.
With that, I present you with the post that will probably get me in the most trouble: the role of authorial worldview in creating a new religion.
I’m going to start by making one thing very clear (I hope). For the purposes of this column, I remain a writing agnostic. I think whatever you want to write has a place somewhere in the world of literature. My job with this column is to help you (hopefully!) tell your story better by giving you ideas, helping improve your craft and structure, and offering tips that have helped me improve my own writing. If you write something that I don’t like, don’t agree with, find abhorrent or too disturbing, etc., that’s okay—I don’t have to read it. Likewise, you don’t have to read my stuff, and we can still be friends. But as far as this column is concerned, I try very hard to maintain my agnosticism about the content of your work.
That said, here’s the statement that will probably get me in trouble: I think your worldview—whatever that is—absolutely has a role in what you write.
“What?” you say. “C’mon, Amy—we have to write to the market, and the market doesn’t like (fill in the blank).” Or maybe, “I hate preachy fiction. We should keep our views out of our work!”
Maybe. Maybe not. The thing is, you can’t really help it. Your own religious beliefs, whatever they are, will likely seep into your work no matter how much you try to avoid it. That goes for political views, moral and ethical views, and social views as well. Even your personal approach to life is likely to show up somewhere in your work. Look at all the feasts in some of the fantasy books out there. Most of those authors have said at some point that they just love food. Brian Jacques practically made a career of making readers hungry.
What I do think you can—and must—do is be mindful of your views as you write. You can choose to be as blatant or as subtle as you wish, but I think it’s really important to watch for ways in which you might turn off readers by being too blatant or heavy-handed.
Some things that I try to consider as I write:
- How might this story be received by both people who believe similarly to me and people whose beliefs are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum? I am not saying you must write to the market or temper your opinions to make your work palatable. I’m just saying you need to consider who you’ll offend. Maybe you’re okay with offending, maybe not—that’s your choice. It’s just something to consider.
- Has my story turned into a manifesto or epistle? If so, you probably want to tone down your opinions a bit. Even others who share your beliefs will be turned off by something too preachy. Just as an example, I’m a Christian, and I very, very rarely read anything labeled “Christian fiction.” I find most of it too preachy for me, even when I share the core beliefs!
- Can someone who doesn’t believe as I do see the story in this work? If not, you’re probably preaching. A good way to test the water is to give your work to someone you know disagrees with your worldview. An honest beta reader will tell you if you’ve crossed the line into manifesto.
- Am I being as intellectually honest as possible? Tough to gauge, because obviously, none of us thinks we’re intellectually dishonest. But read with a critical eye. If you wish, add a character to play devil’s advocate for your main characters. Give us some unfaithful, some skeptics, some agnostics who are otherwise on the side of the protagonist. And even better, let them win some arguments. Admit (through your characters) that there might be things you don’t understand or don’t know about your own worldview by nodding to the opposing viewpoint.
- Does my worldview always win, and does it completely humiliate the conquered when it does? I think this is another one that’s up to you, but be aware that if your worldview always wins in astounding, unbelievable, and totally humiliating ways, people will start to walk away from your story.
Again, these are only my opinions, and I think there’s room for a very wide range of worldviews in fiction, especially in speculative fiction. And certainly there are examples of very clear worldviews in fiction that have become huge commercial successes. Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series is a perfect example. The author has done nothing to hide or downplay his own individualist viewpoint, and he’s certainly seen tremendous success. However, his unapologetic approach has also turned off a lot of readers who might have otherwise continued reading his work.
This is really all just food for thought and a peek into my own process. You may have different opinions or questions or processes, and that’s all fine. As you go forth and create your worlds and religions, I hope you find a comfortable place where you can tell the truth of the story you have in your head.
Next week, I dust off my amateur musician hat and look at how to write songs in fantasy…
