Create an Unique Faith for Your Story – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 152
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“A effectively crafted faith can actually add depth to your world constructing and create some unimaginable conflicts and tensions that may transfer your story ahead.”
On this How To Write the Future podcast episode, host Beth Barany discusses creating authentic religions in fiction, emphasizing the significance of core beliefs, rituals, and the influence of faith on characters and society. She encourages writers to combine cultural influences and take into account how faith shapes their story’s world and conflicts. Beth additionally shares how her World Constructing Workbook for Fiction Writers might help writers and why her one one-on-one author help program could also be useful for you.
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RESOURCES
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Get help in your fiction writing by a novelist and writing instructor and coach. Schedule an exploratory name right here and see if Beth can help you at this time: https://writersfunzone.com/weblog/discovery-call/
In regards to the How To Write the Future podcast
The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who wish to write optimistic futures and efficiently carry these tales out into {the marketplace}. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cowl suggestions for fiction writers. This podcast is for readers too when you’re in any respect inquisitive about the way forward for humanity.
This podcast is for you when you’ve got questions like:
– How do I create a plausible world for my science fiction story?
– How do I determine what’s not working if my story feels flat?
– How do I make my story extra attention-grabbing and alive?
This podcast is for readers too when you’re in any respect inquisitive about the way forward for humanity.
Transcript for Create an Unique Faith for Your Story
[00:00] Introduction and Host Welcome
Hey everybody. Welcome to The way to Write the Future Podcast. I’m your host, Beth Barany. I’m a creativity coach for science fiction and fantasy writers, editor, instructor, speaker, and in addition coach for girls filmmakers. I like doing this podcast as a result of I like answering your questions.
[00:19] Listener Query: Creating Unique Religions
So I’ve a query this week from Jasper Ezekiel who works for me and can also be a consumer and is a speculative fiction author. His query is about faith. He says it’s his perception that faith is wrapped up in all the things associated to tradition. So he’s actually curious: How can we create a fictional faith that’s authentic?
That’s such an excellent query. Thanks in your query, Jasper.
[00:49] The Intersection of Faith and Tradition
I agree with you that it is vitally arduous to separate faith from tradition and from the tradition that we have been steeped in from day one. And it’s not simply the tradition of our household, however in fact it’s the broader tradition at massive and even possibly the intersection of various cultures that affect us from day one.
So how can we go about creating an authentic faith?
I suppose my quick reply is that finally there’s nothing authentic below the solar. All the weather and components are there, but it surely’s how you set them collectively that make them really feel authentic.
And my analogy is with cooking. My father was an excellent cook dinner and he would put out the components. And when you take a look at the components, you’re like, oh, I believe he’s gonna make an Italian dish. However then there’s that one spice sitting on the aspect that I didn’t acknowledge, after which when he added it to the meal, it’s wow, this tastes like Indian. And Italian. Oh, it’s a fusion dish.
[01:44] A Worth System
In order that’s how I see religions. At base, all religions have one thing that all of them share, which is a worth system. Based on Michael Kilman and Kyra Westrom and of their e book Construct Higher Worlds, and I interviewed Michael and I did a bunch of little episodes, slightly sequence about his e book, Construct Higher Worlds.
He talked about how faith, it’s about primarily pure and impure. Good and dangerous. What is nice? What’s dangerous?
And that’s subjective. Based on the tradition. Based on the faith. Faith steeps in in every single place in tradition.
And it’s affect goes to be overt or covert in a single type or one other in every single place.
Now, if you’re as a fiction author, as a science fiction, a fantasy author, how do you go about doing one thing that feels authentic. ’trigger it’s attainable. It’s attainable.
[02:38] Suggestions for Creating Fictional Religions: Core Worth/Perception
So I’ve some suggestions for you at this time.
One thing to contemplate is: What’s the core worth or perception of your principal character?
Simply begin along with your principal character. After which so as to add complexity, ask that of all your secondary characters as effectively, and even tertiary characters.
What’s gonna additionally make your story world really feel advanced and attention-grabbing is that maybe despite the fact that individuals share the identical faith, they could be liberal versus conservative inside that faith, and so you may outline that as effectively.
Or some individuals may be spiritual in title solely, simply so that they get the privileges of that faith.
[03:19] Faith Origins and Guiding Ethical Rules
So what do your followers imagine concerning the origin of their world, of their universe? And what are the ethical ideas that information their actions?
And I might interview every one in every of your talking characters and even non-speaking characters to determine that out.
[03:35] Practices and Rituals
Subsequent, when you consider your faith, you wanna take into consideration the practices and the rituals.
What do individuals do to worship or hook up with the divine in your story?
What sacred ceremonies mark necessary life occasions?
And that is one thing I’ve thought of in my Janey McCallister sci-fi thriller sequence, really wrote a passage concerning the finish of life ritual.
What does their funeral rites seem like? And that was enjoyable to explain. It was one thing totally different that I had by no means seen within the cultures that we stay with, but it surely’s one thing that I had daydreamed about. So I put that into the story.
[04:10] Construction and Group
What’s the construction and group of the faith?
Are there leaders? Are there co-leaders? Is it a really flat group?
In case you take a look at human historical past, our religions have all tended to have leaders of 1 type or one other. Whether or not that was a shaman or a sensible girl, or a pope, or imam, or a rabbi. Or a priest. Or a preacher.
You may see in loads of the religions that we’ve had during the last 2000 plus years, are principally male targeted, however then you definately’ve acquired different religions, animistic religions, pagan religions that may be organized otherwise.
[04:47] Management and Passing on Information
Who’re the leaders and the way is spiritual information handed down? Do individuals go to a seminary, a college? Are individuals in small studying circles? Is it only a legacy that’s handed down via the household?
In order that’s additionally one thing very attention-grabbing to consider.
[05:03] Faith’s Influence on Characters and Society
After which on the daily, how does faith influence the day by day lifetime of your principal characters? Are there sure ways in which individuals greet one another that stem from faith? Are there sure rituals or prayers that should be executed all through the day? Are there impacts when totally different spiritual teams come collectively, both by accident or on function? And what about non-believers? What about individuals who don’t adhere to the faith in your story? What occurs to them? What are the implications?
[05:32] Faith’s Evolution in Your Story
One other factor to consider is what’s the evolution of this faith in your story? Did it begin out a technique and evolve into a brand new type all through the historic interval?
After which on the day on web page one, after we meet your principal character, the best way they apply faith or work together with the faith may be very totally different than their ancestors.
[05:52] Your Heritage: Combine and Match
After which lastly, particularly for the science fiction writers, there’s loads of methods that you may come at creating faith that feels recent and new. And in my dialog with Jasper, we’re speaking about our personal heritage and the way our ancestors got here from totally different locations and the way we may be drawing inspiration from these locations.
And so my recommendation is to combine and match. In case you’re drawn to sure spiritual practices from totally different teams, then what would it not be wish to put them collectively in a method that’s your individual?
[06:21] How Faith Impacts the Tradition and Vice Versa
So when you consider designing a faith in your story, you wanna take into account how faith can also be going to have an effect on politics and the ability construction, the social customs and taboos, even artwork and structure and training and information transmission, what could be transmitted and what’s taught in colleges.
And so coming again to your individual life, take into consideration the world’s religions that you could have been uncovered to and the way can they influence what you wanna create?
And when you wanna deviate and provide you with one thing authentic, one thing totally different than the faith that you simply have been introduced up with, how do you try this in a method that’s respectful to different beliefs?
And if you’re going to applicable actual beliefs, are you doing it in a method that’s respectful, honors the historic evolution of that faith?
And whenever you create your individual faith: How do you make it plausible for the reader, and naturally, in your characters?
[07:14] Faith’s Influence on Your Story World and Plot
And naturally from a plot degree, in what method can your story’s faith create some attention-grabbing plot prospects and character conflicts?
A effectively crafted faith can actually add depth to your world constructing and create some unimaginable conflicts and tensions that may transfer your story ahead. And in case your story focuses on morals and values and faith, then it’s gonna be doubly necessary that you simply perceive the place your faith got here from, who shapes it, how individuals function inside it, and the way it impacts them and your story.
[07:46] Instance
Now earlier than I wrap up, I simply wanna give one instance that comes prime of thoughts for me for an unimaginable faith in science fiction and fantasy. And that’s the Bene Gesserit within the Dune sequence. That may be a spiritual order that Frank Herbert created that mixes mysticism with political energy and simply so superbly with a number of layers and naturally, secrets and techniques and lineages, and it’s simply so fantastic.
[08:11] Sacred Objects, Prophecies, and Expertise
And that brings me to another parts to contemplate in your spiritual design, which is sacred objects or substances just like the spice melange in Dune.
And, as we noticed additionally with the Bene Gesserit and Dune, the intersection of know-how and religion, they did that basically effectively.
[08:27] Energy Struggles
And like in Dune, we see the totally different energy struggles due to the spiritual factions and the stress between scientific beliefs and conventional spiritual beliefs. After which in fact there’s at all times the fabulous private conflicts.
When your character questions their perception, that’s such a strong one.
Particularly when you’re writing a narrative the place the spiritual beliefs are central within the story like they’re in Dune, it actually creates nice pressure and battle in your story.
[08:53] Begin right here to design your individual faith
So, my largest tip for you, my largest takeaway for you at this time is to essentially, if this all is sort of a lot, ’trigger there’s a lot to contemplate, begin with one core perception. Or apply after which construct outward from there, step-by-step, contemplating the way it impacts your character of their world, of their day by day life, within the core drawback or battle of the story, with the individuals within the story, the opposite characters, secondary characters, tertiary characters, and with themselves.
And so simply begin with one factor, one core perception or apply, and take it step-by-step and construct outward from there.
[09:31] Thanks!
Gonna finish there. I may throw extra questions at you, and there’s at all times extra to consider. I’m gonna cease there. I wanna thank Jasper once more for his query. Jasper Ezekiel, a speculative fiction author.
Shout out to him. He’s acquired an excellent substack and he additionally writes for our weblog, Author’s Enjoyable Zone.
[09:46] Sources
So right here is my supply for you at this time. If you’re a science fiction and fantasy author and also you want some assist along with your world constructing, remember to take a look at my World Constructing Workbook for Fiction Writers that will help you take into consideration your faith and your story and different points of your story world.
And if you need one-on-one help with me, I work with science fiction and fantasy writers who’re prepared to maneuver their e book to the subsequent degree and get it edited and revealed and within the palms of their readers.
So I’ve a program for that. You may see that hyperlink within the present notes. It’s a bunch mastermind for science fiction and fantasy writers who’ve completed their first draft.
You do have to have completed your first draft and it’s right here that will help you in a small group teaching mastermind format to complete, to get your e book prepared for beta readers prepared for publication, and learn to market that and join with readers.
So examine that out when you’re prepared for that.
And I’m joyful to have a dialog with you. And if you wish to discover extra.
Alright, everybody, that’s it for this week.
Write lengthy and prosper.
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ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany teaches science fiction and fantasy novelists learn how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, instructor, guide, and developmental editor. She’s an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and runs the podcast, “How To Write The Future.”
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