Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

mattkinsi — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:29:44 +0200

Howdy All! Welcome to NaNoWriMo 2011 and the Religious, Spiritual, and New Age fiction forum. So who are you? Watcha writing?

Writerfangirl — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:19:51 +0200

Allo, allo! I'm Jen. I'm a co-ML for Pomona Valley (California) this year. I am thinking of doing a story that work in some Jungian concepts, such as Synchronicity, collective unconscious, and the wounded healer. I'm also interested in the theory that people on the autism spectrum are actually the next step of human evolution. Mine is a hybrid of science fiction and spiritual/new age. I am greatly influenced by Tim Kring, the show Alphas, and the new age/spiritual/self-help writers Sera Beak and Gabrielle Bernstein.

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catty_the_spy — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:32:32 +0200

Hi, I'm Jo. Highschool student, South Carolina. Planning a story set in a fantasy universe about faith and communicating with the divine. I've been writing myths set in this universe for over a year now, and working out some of the theology. Now I'm ready to put that to use in a larger story.

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Dream-Maker — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:25:13 +0200

Yo, I'm Aire. I've been researching/evolving/playing around with a story idea for several years now and I'm hoping to kick start the process of writing it this November (I do better with immediate need and motivation for action). Its set up in a parallel world linked to our own where the gods and goddesses of ancient myth walk alongside mortals (Asgard). Pretty much, the first half of the story revolves around the search for the mortal Child of God who fell from Avalon into somewhere in Asgard, and how everyone wishes to use him to enter Avalon; or in the case of the villain (Lucifer) who was the reason for the fall, wants to see him dead or within his control. The story is an amalgamation of several sets of mythologies and religions using key similarities to link them within the context of a fantasy/adventure story. I have pages upon pages of character and story notes... I just need to motivate myself into writing--thus Nanowrimo.

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White Lily — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:41:23 +0200

White Lily here .... I'm going to write the second part of a trilogy called Destiny. It's a Fantasy story inspired by the story of Moses and the Exodus. Some parallells are probably still discernable (like the prince discovering he's of the slave people and along with his true brother sets out to free his people) but it has grown far beyond that. Religion and myths has always interested me (a member of Swedish Lutheran church) and in this story I try to explore how religion has evolved over time. Basically I have one truth... and the three religions in my fantasy world all have a grain of that, but mostly they're all wrong and my MC's need to figure out the basics of the truth before they can succed in destroying the beings that now call themselves Gods (but are more like humans evolved into demons)....

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Cassandra432 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:11:37 +0200

Hi I'm Cassandra432 also known as Jennifer Here's what I'm writing. Honestly, I don't know where this idea goes. Could be a lot of things. The initial idea was to talk about different types of death and how it determines their story in the afterlife. The story would focus more on what happens after they die. I have it where upon their death they go into an afterlife much like their death. They must learn something to move forward on their journey. Here they will meet those with opposite deaths, they will have to learn and understand each other, and help each other move forward. There they will meet people with other deaths and together they have to learn something to move forward. Eventually they will end up in my idea of where we ALL eventually go when we die and after we've achieved some sort of transformation. For example, I have a Holocaust victim (they had a forced death) paired off with a suicide victim (who chose their own death). I was also thinking about pairing poison and illness together and making that the first book. The fact that this involves death and that the people will be of different eras is confusing, along with the overall theme of transformation, which could be religious. Could someone help me? Otherwise, I'll just chose "other".

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mattkinsi — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:41:39 +0200

Cassandra - sounds like it could either be considered Religious Lit or LIt Fic to me!

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Jamilah — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:25:06 +0200

Much of what I've written in the past could be considered religious fiction, but the religion is Islam and there is no formal classification for that. This year my novel will be more secular on the surface, but much more symbolic.

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stargatetribe — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:07:52 +0200

Hullo, I'm Katie and I usually write fantasy stories but this year I thought I'd broaden my writing experience and write a novel about a small youth group that gets disbanned because of low membership and their experiences in the last summer they get to be an official youth group. It's all about them seeing God in a different light and growing closer as a group and to God. It's partially based on my own youth group so I'll be drawing on experience from that but I'm real excited about NaNo this year and can't wait to start. Happy Noveling!

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polargriff — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:44:05 +0200

Hi! I'm Jacquelyn. This year will be my first time trying an overtly religious plot. The story is not fully developed yet (that is what October is for!), but so far I am heading in a Christian suspense/adventure direction. The setting will be the near future, extrapolating from current events a future United States with a government-sanctioned religious persecution of so-called "homegrown terrorists", who are actually just good, law-abiding citizens of a minority faith who do not adhere to the popular, mainstream, "approved" religions. The main character, a university student, will be doing some digging in the Bible, theological discoveries, and running from the law. There will be some real church history, theology, and American history included and no "sugar coating" of historical facts. The premise of the entire novel is freedom of conscience (the right of individuals to follow their conscience in matters of faith and religion) and standing firm for one's beliefs despite persecution. It is meant to be slightly abrasive and make people second guess what they thought they knew about Christianity, American and world history. Though it will focus more on the issues that divide and unite the vast factions of Christendom, I am hoping that it will have a broader reach. This story is a huge undertaking for me as I am used to writing action-adventure, semi-fantasy stories, but I wanted to give it a try.

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AmySparrow — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:15:16 +0200

I'll be writing a suspense book whose main characters are Christians. Voices of the Dark is about a trauma counselor who is taking care of a toddler who was found during a drug raid. But eventually they realize drugs were only funding a much bigger operation--human trafficking. I hope it will not be just an exciting read but will help spread awareness of the sex slaves hidden in the darkness right here in the U.S. (and other major countries).

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mattkinsi — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:33:13 +0200

This year I could conceivable post here or in SciFi :D I'm going the dystopia route. In the future the USA has split along religious lines and there are regional theocracies. A lot of the rest of the world followed suit (with notable exceptions.) Moral of the story is about religions needing to work together, the similarities, etc. This is way outside my norm - I usually just do LitFic with a spiritual element - so it's going to be a challenge.

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psychoceramic — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:04:32 +0200

Hey All, Names william, please to meet you all. My story is set in the future where the very first domed city is raised up and populated by all types of people with their own morals and beliefs. As the first generation is passing away, the third generation is about to take control of the city, One girl 18 year old Mary longs to see the outside. To find her family and to expose the secrets behind the dome. i am working on the plot and the characters right now. As of now i will be writing the story in letter form, mostly letter, and some diary entries from mary and at the end work in a few (maybe) from the outside. Still coming up with ideas and sub plots. great writing to you all and God Bless, william

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hippiechyck — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:10:35 +0200

Hi! Barbara, nice to say hello to all! i usually write Christian fic/romance, but I'm doing a sort of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol" type thing, it's been fermenting in my brain for a few years now Someone gets their second chance through an angelic intervention, but they will be taken to the brink, so to speak :-)

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gentillylace — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:05:11 +0200

Hi everybody! My name is Katheryn. I am also in the Pomona Valley region of California (Jen, I plan to attend the Pomona Valley Kick-Off in Upland -- as well as the LA Kick-Off in Pasadena :-D). I am writing an alternate history -- a romantic political thriller set in a counterfactual 1953 Paris in which the American Revolution never happened, the French Revolution occurred in 1906 and the Great War took place from 1914 to 1942. (There was no Holocaust and no bombing of civilians.) I am in this forum not only because the FMC and her husband are devout Catholics (the FMC's husband decides to enter diaconate training during the course of the novel), but because the plot is set when the President of France signs a concordat with the Vatican after some 45 years of France being an officially secular and anticlerical state. I hope my alternate history shows a 1950s in many aspects better than OTL 1950s, even though there is still a lot of casual anti-Semitism and racism. My FMC is kind to Jews because she believes kindness from Christians will make it easier for Jews to convert to Catholicism: "Christian love works wonders where pogroms only make hardened hearts", she thinks without realizing how condescending that seems to Jewish people.

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thing — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:00:13 +0200

Hi, I'm Charles aka Harold Thing. Since my cast list includes not only God but also the Holy Ghost (not least to give God someone to talk to) I thought I'd better case this forum & see if I fit in here or in LitFic. My actual story (such as it is) is not religious or theological (have you read Gail Godwin - specifically "Father Melancholy's Daughter"? - Wow!) but I hope it will, in much the same way many of Salinger's stories do, have a kind of spiritual/uplifting subtext.

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minionygoodness — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:04:06 +0200

*finally realizes her novel could also fit into this genre, after posting in 3 other genre forums* Hello all! I'm Riella. And for my *first year of NaNo* ( :D ) I'm writing a novel that apparently is trying to stick itself into as many genres as possible! including this one! My book is a suspense/action laden LitFic involving characters who get kidnapped, escape fires, dodge murderers; all the while thinking about how they *feel* getting kidnapped, escaping fires, and dodging murderers. ;) (It sounds dumb, but it'll look much better on paper. Really.) And of course, most of the things they *feel* during those times leads to the questions that lead to religious issues. There's lots of "good people" who are Christians, "good people" who are atheists, "bad people" who are Christians, and "bad people" who are atheists. And of course, it's all about looking deeper and finding out why we are who we are, and what religion has to do with it all. Fun. :D

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Chautona — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:55:37 +0200

*waves at Barb!* I'm writing the impossible. Christian fiction about pirates. Italian pirates. Who are not Catholic. Which makes no sense. however, they can't be-- although one may sort of be still... or he may have been converted by a Huguenot pastor who was a pirate with them for a while. Not sure. Basically, I somehow have to make sense out of all this nonsense.

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Writerfangirl — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:12:04 +0200

You can make it? Hazaah!! Your story sounds so fascinating. I'm interested in Alternate History, though I don't read or write much.

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hippiechyck — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:58:19 +0200

*waves back at Chautona!* non-Catholic Italians is a near impossibility for sure! ;-)

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BreezyShrugged — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:35:59 +0200

I'm Kae! I'm writing a novel purporting rock 'n' roll as not only a philosophy to live by, but also kind of a mystical quasi-religion. I suppose it's a crossover between a spiritual/new age and a young adult...

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Write4Christ — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:10:41 +0200

Hi, I'm Adam. I'm beginning a novel which does not , as of now, have a real title. I'm just calling it the "Dr. Skultz Story" for now. It is Christian fiction based on a simple premise: dealing with our own greed.

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Tim McMichael — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:35:35 +0200

Wow! You all sound great and impress the socks off this first time NaNoWriMo'er. My first offer is labled "mystery". I wanted to put in a category of "Religion mystery" like Amazon does but did not see that as an option. So being the first timer that I am, found out later that I could have put it in this category. It is a mystery titled, "The Pastor's Daughter" which is a story about a pastor and his fifteen year old daughter who struggle with trust in friends, the church, each other, even God. A story of betrayal and reconciling past sins. The story line is easy. Writing it is another. : - (

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polargriff — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:54:56 +0200

Hi, Tim! It is okay to be part of more than one genre forum. I, myself, will be spending my time equally split between the Religious/Spiritual/NewAge and Mystery/Thriller/Suspense forums. In that way, I will be able to give inspiration for more than one aspect of my multi-faceted story. =D

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icy_cold_mist — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:27:16 +0200

That sounds really interesting!

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Andy_Obuof — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:50:02 +0200

Hi, I'm Andy. I started out wanting to write an Urban Fantasy novel, but the religious elements have taken over the plot in a way I like. It's set in contemporary America. The gods of Technology and Civilisation are annoyed that they are ignored by atheists, agnostics and the religious of all stripes, and go on a strike. The result is an apocalypse as everything stops working "on faith" -that is, technology only works for those who understand HOW it works. Billions die worldwide from accidents, failed drugs etc, and the Gods reveal themselves to a few through visions. The main characters are all grappling with questions raised by the new Revelation: -A devout baptist cop tries to reconcile her faith with the contradictory existence of the new gods. -A backslidden immigrant pentecostal ex-preacher refusing to answer "the Call" from the new gods. -An agnostic engineer trying to decide if this proof of the divine should lead to worship or defiance at its cruelty. All this against a backdrop of war as new functional societies spring up built around the tech-savvy or around new-god churches, and ambitious would-be tyrants use power over technology granted by the seemingly amoral new gods to conquer America.

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PenGryphon2007 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:49:56 +0200

I'm PenGryphon2007, but you can call me Pen. I'm 22 years old, currently teaching Latin to 9th graders and, in the midst of finding a second job, also looking to write another novel. Go me! It's also my 6th NaNoWriMo. I believe my plot best fits into this category, given that it's more about spirituality than horror--though supernatural does sort of weasel it's way in. That being said, there are possessions, the Angels are real although not corporeal, and I definitely take a creative flair where I can. It's about a woman who can read fortunes when her deadly dance with a Fallen Angel takes a turn for the worse. She ends up meeting her next door neighbor--who, of course, is a pastor. After he intervenes during one of her readings, he discovers he's being attacked by the Fallen. It should be interesting--but I'm trying my hardest to keep it from being too "preachy" and leave it as an interesting story with good morals; ie: "people can change and it's okay to love people for who they are, even if you don't agree with what they do." It works both ways, from both the woman's and the pastor's point of view. I just hope it comes out alright--especially since the pastor is more focused as being an "addictions counselor" than a preacher behind the pulpit. Ah well, I keep telling myself it doesn't matter what I write--the churches will find a way to ban it. "Too much Fallen Angel, not enough preaching." >_<

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PeninGodshand94 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:32:00 +0200

I am a Christian, by relationship not religion. My story summary: Jody Wells is a seventeen year old street wise kid, raised to the age of ten by rich benefactors and a lonely little blind girl, Emily. Now seventeen and on the streets, he still dreams about the deceased Emily, the only one who'd ever had faith in him. Trust becomes nonexistent to Jody, faith lost, God out to make him fall. When Erin Ozack, a young woman on the run from an abusive father, comes into his life far too naive for street living, Jody decides to help her. Discontent, together they decide to leave the city and search for a better life. Through daunting situations they find that the One who could heal them has been besides them all along.

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helen1975 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:29:59 +0200

[Removed by request]

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Cadaverine — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:51:32 +0200

Oh - now - you just gave me an idea. Thank you! :D

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Logan1949 — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:46:50 +0200

Hi, I'm Logan from Portland, Oregon. I'm hoping to write something I started two years ago, but it faded out at 25,000 words (none of which will be used or count toward this year's writing). Since then, after reading Blake Snyder's books on plotting ("Save the Cat!" and "Save the Cat! Strikes Back") I realized that I did not have a good (bad) enough villain, and I had no idea how the process of the book was going to change my main character. Now, I think I know how I want it to go, but I'm still kind of stumped about the beginning. A classic beginning should show what Blake Snyder calls "Stasis = Death," that is, the world as it is, is not going to work for the main character --- think Luke Skywalker on the farm (from the movie Star Wars), or Bliss Cavendar (from the movie "Whip It") at home doing beauty pageants and dying mentally before she sneaks out to join the roller derby league as Babe Ruthless. My tagline would be: Sheoled --- A virtual angel, living in Paradise, who returns to the world to bury her family and find her father, is innocently attracted to a good looking man who traps her in the world and sends her to Hades to increase his own power and status in the hierarchy of evil. The problem is this --- the world as it is, is Paradise, which is a good place to be, even though everyone is dead. So how can i portray a Stasis = Death feeling about it? I was leaning toward beginning the story in the World, identifying bodies in the morgue (death, death), but that kind of loses the whole Thesis = Paradise, Antithesis = The World, Synthesis = both, 3-act layout. Maybe I can use existing relationships which need to be changed, in order to show Stasis = Death. But I can't exactly have the main character stand around whining about not being allowed to go into the world (like Luke Skywalker), because she is more mature than that, and the people she lives with are not her Uncle & Aunt, and I can't kill them to force the character out (since they're already dead).

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Mindie — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:07:14 +0200

I'm in the right place. I usually go by the name of mom and I'm writing a fantasy novel about young Saint Nicholas the wizard. It's for my kids when they get older. The MC is Saint Nicholas (Nikus) in his younger years (before he becomes a saint). His co-stars are based on Saint Katherine, Saint Barbara, Saint Margaret, Saint Theodore, and Saint Christopher. The bad guy is based on all the Roman Emperors who tortured the saints. I'm changing all the real names and Christianity is symbolized by a unique magic system. I'm also hoping to include some real moral fiber. This is my first nano and so I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but here is my first line........ Nikus sat in the belly of the great dragon and wondered if his boots would last another hour in the great beasts stomach acid.

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Cadaverine — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:39:08 +0200

Heya. I'm 25, Kiwi, childfree, a Heathen and a religious hedgewitch. This is my 5th official NaNo. Good to meet you all! So, I'm a big pantser, and not really sure I have a handle on my plot or my characters yet. I am leaning heavily towards doing something involving Otherworld travel and spirit communication, so I'm settling in here. I was having major issues thinking of a setting and then Mattkinsi mentioned a dystopia, which appeals very much and incorporates a scene I had in my head that I wanted to add in. So I'm going to toy with that and see what comes of it.

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prairiecrow — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:36:27 +0200

Hello. :) I'm Laurie, married but childfree, Wiccan, a freelance commercial artist working in the field of comics. This is my fourth NaNo and I'll admit up front that I'm a NaNo Rebel, using the structured writing environment provided in November to work on a novel that I've hacked away at for two previous NaNos. (It has a publisher interested in it, small press but with a good track record, which is an incentive to try to get the beast finished so I can start on serious editing.) My book, "When Darkness Falls", actually straddles four genres: science fiction, fantasy, horror, and religious lit. Science fiction because it takes place in the year 2035 and is firmly embedded in the tech of that time; fantasy because it proposes that each religion has a tiny subset of its population, called Manifesters, who possess supernatural abilities based on their religion's beliefs and teachings; horror because it involves a series of ritual murders; and religious lit both because of the nature of the Manifesters and because the two main characters are a Wiccan and a Southern Baptist, forced to work together to solve the murders and constantly at each other's throats because they're each prejudiced as hell against the other's faith. If I do my job right, the narrative will be driven both by the tension between the main characters and by the reader's desire to learn more about the world (and of course to see how the drama of the ritual killings turns out). Parts of the narrative are told from the POV of the leader of the group perpetrating the crimes so there isn't a lot of actual mystery in the traditional sense. What starts out as a series of murders in Chicago turns out to be part of a much larger plot to destroy the Manifesters and TAKE OVER THE WORLD! (dun-dun-DUN!), with the Wiccan character undergoing an incident of painful revelation and personal growth tied directly to her faith.

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Kaytbug — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:23:55 +0200

Hello to all. My name is Kay, I am from Louisiana and this is my fourth year to NaNo. Last year I finished with 52,400, and I did buy the T-shirt! And the pen, and............anyway, Welcome, Welcome all first timers, I hope that you enjoy this challenge as much as I do. Last year I wrote spiritual fiction, "Depart from Me". It was about a woman excommunicated from the church, but adopted by God and the direction of her life. Days before the rapture, she is sent with a message to the church, and was rejected openly, and mocked. Being the laughing stock of the small community for the last few days of the Earth as we know it, was not easy. Then the prophecy began to unfold, those who had openly rejected her began to seek her out, but once the words were sealed, there was nothing to be done. (Which I am preparing for Kindle publication.) This year I will be doing something a little different. The story of an elderly couple and their encounter with a younger woman. It will be written as a memorial to two beautiful people, fact-filled stories from their life and times as told by them, and fiction to protect those living who may be affected by the story. I will publish it with Kindle in 2012 and all proceeds will go to an Elder Abuse Counsel Fund. A very unlikely pairing of people, and the spiritual journey that follows, filled with the perils of greed, societies neglect of their most sacred treasure and the power of God to move in behalf of those that believe. Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction, and I intend to prove it with the pen. Good luck to all 2011 WriMo's, wishing you lots of words.

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IonaPeridot — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 06:10:07 +0200

Hi! I'm Iona. I'm 18, this is my 3rd NaNo, I love Jesus, and I spent 16 years being a pastor's daughter. So two days ago I abandoned my very very carefully planned fantasy novel for a brand new realistic story about growing up in the church, and all the pressure and drama it causes. It's going to be a very Christian book in the beginning and the end, but the middle might get me grounded. I think sometimes you have to go through really bad things first for the good stuff to really mean anything, and I think it's really important to show that sometimes people make huge mistakes, and parents don't always seem to understand that.

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CatalinaMarie — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:05:25 +0200

Hello all! I'm Amanda and I am Roman Catholic. This is my second year NaNo-ing away while in college. This year my novel is titled "Daughter of the Angels" and is going to basically be a coming of age story of an adopted girl names Rebecca. It is basically going to be Rebecca's search to discover her past wherein she actually discovers herself and her destiny. The plot isn't all hammered out yet but it's getting there. I know that I am going to put a lot of symbolism and references from my faith into it because, in my story, it just makes sense.

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esfilce — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:34:59 +0200

I am Emily, I am 26 and this is my 4th year doing NanNo. This year I am writing a series of short stories focused on reincarnated gods and other immortal beings in the modern world (though I may write about some of their myths, putting my own interpretation with how I developed my characters). I have always been fascinated by religion and myths though I am actually an agnostic and was a Religious Studies major in college.

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TheTabster — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:50:55 +0200

Hey everyone! My name is Tabs, and I hail from a small town just north of the great metropolis of Toronto, ON. I'm an Administrative assistant at a company that gets students discounts at a bunch of different retailers. I attempted Religious Fantasy a few years back, but have had a hold up on the story... still, it was a lot of fun, so I decided to tackle religious lit again this year. I've been challenged not to do anything sci'fi/fantasy this year, so that's going to be a challenge. I'm looking at trying to do a modern day retelling of the story of Paul, following a college student at a University called Damascus Crossings. Still not 100% sure how it will work, but getting there is half the fun right?

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carlos242 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:17:51 +0200

Like your idea quite a bit--I did the youth group thing and have thought about writing about my experiences--

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carlos242 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:21:52 +0200

Sounds like a cool idea.

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carlos242 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:27:33 +0200

Story more towards (or about) a relationship with him sounds like a good idea.

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carlos242 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:40:02 +0200

I grew up in a Christian Boys home calle Faith Home Teen Ranch--A Christian Home for Boys. Non-fiction is out of the question--well it's not, but I know for a fact some of the people I'm writing about don't want to keep in touch or get in touch. Cause once you left the place--you were supposed to let go and not keep in touch with anyone you knew there. And, so much happened there--a broad expanse of things and I was there for nearly 4 years from 9th grade to 12th (except for 10th), that I haven't been able to choose what time frame. So, I've decided I know what I'm going to do--I'm just going to spit out everything, saying that it all took place in the time frame of one year. So, there will be a ton of action, because the place was full of a bunch of out of control kids, just barely held on a leash. More than anything I guess I should tell of one boys very slow journey to Christ. I'm a basic bible believing christian. The bible wasn't written in english, so it's important to get a good translation--from there, after being 'born again'--its a long jouney till one becomes even close to being 'christ-like'. So, this kid will figure all this out and by the way, this kid is me. I had an interesting childhood. Hope I didn't get on a religious high horse here. Didn't mean to be preachy, cause I know everyone has there own beliefs and they are to be respected. This is my first time on Nanowrimo. I've been published a little. I need more practice writing and need to read more. Am not sure what voice to use, but am going to view the story from 3rd person POV--limited, the best I can, though I will probably stray from time to time. I plan on losing sleep, I plan on suffering, I plan on going for it. I finally have Nanowrimo fever. Didn't get it before, but I get it now.

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Cadaverine — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:18:05 +0200

You weren't being preachy at all! You were just sharing your life experiences :)

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BRuth — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:50:35 +0200

Hi. I'm Barbara. My manuscript is currently titled "Back Stroke, Side Stroke, Butterfly, Crawl". It's about Patricia Isabella, a spiritually eclectic but mainly Buddhist lesbian disabled by multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome who is hospitalized with a serious illness, provisionally diagnosed as meningitis (although her MCS, and it's inevitable exacerbation and confusion of the medical picture keep the diagnoses coming. While in a series of hospitals various other diagnoses/explanations (epilepsy, vision quest, Bi-Polar Disorder, malingering) are offered by song lyrics, medical personnel, friends and passersby, channeled entities and television commercials. A primary character is the Dalai Lama; PI finds herself drowning and out of strokes when she arrives at zero degrees of separation from His Holiness. This book is a meditation on disability, memory, consciousness, and the power of naming.

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Backbones — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:11:33 +0200

Hallo! I am Backbones. I am a Religious Studies student at UW-Madison. I am religiously apathetic personally, but I think religion is important enough that it merits study. I'm not perfectly certain what I intend to write about yet, but I think it'll fit into this forum one way or another -- I'm considering something set in the Middle East around the time of the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Nick_Scully — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:53:24 +0200

Hi, I'm Nick :D I'm a newbie to NaNoWriMo and I'm having some trouble categorizing my story. Here's a synopsis: It's about a young woman, Katelyn, who dies in a car accident. She goes to heaven, but she doesn't meet St. Peter at the pearly gates. Instead, she finds herself on a path laden with images from her life before meeting with her aunt, who died about a decade ago. Her aunt guides her around heaven, where everyone lives in homes which sizes are proportional to how they lived their lives. So, somebody who was a criminal and a bad person lives in a cramped apartment, but someone who led a good life lives in an average-sized house. Also, people are grouped by religion and those similar to them. "Hell" is not a separate place, but resides on the outskirts of heaven, and the more terrible you were, the worse your situation. The better you were, the closer your adobe is to the center of heaven, Elysia. Elysia is a gated community where only the best of the best live. If you don't live in Elysia, you can work to earn your way up, but since everyone is there for eternity, you have to work a whole lot to move up. And in reality, practically no one actually moves up. They say God gives hope to everyone, even those in "Hell," but nobody seems to see any results. Katelyn struggles with why a so-called merciful God could give its people false hope and segregate them. She finds many others who share her views, and with their help, Katelyn attempts to change the way heaven itself is structured. I know that's pretty long and kind of confusing, but I feel like its necessary to understand why I'm having trouble. It's not purely a religious novel, although it will look at many religious views of the afterlife, and it touches on some pretty heavy topics I guess, but I don't know if that makes it literary fiction, since I want the characters to be important. Maybe it's kind of sci-fi, but maybe it is a religious/spiritual novel. I guess in the end, I'd love any and all help categorizing it!!! Thanks!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

OST1517 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:23:06 +0200

Hey! You guys can all call me OST. This is my first year---been writing for 5 years now, and have been wanting to do NaNo for a long time, but I was never at the right stage. But finally this year I actually am at the right place. So pumped for this! This time I am trying my hand at a Christian Epic Fantasy. Never done it before, so we'll see how it turns out. :]

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

quicktrick — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:06:57 +0200

Hiya! My name is Chad and I am so glad that I found out about nanowrimo. I hope to finally find the motivation to finish several projects that have been on my mind for forever. My project for November is a Christian comedy titled The Zero. The main character struggles to find purpose in his life. He hates his job, his friends take advantage of him, his parents view him as a disappointment, his spiritual life is stagnant, and the girl of his dreams barely acknowledges him. Eventually he reaches a breaking point and chooses to cash in all the favors that his friends owe him in staging a bank heist in which the main character becomes the hero and saves the girl of his dreams. All DOES NOT go according to plan along the way and the closer the group gets to their target date to "rob" the bank, the main character starts realizing the plans that God has for him. It's absolutely absurd and ridiculous, but I wanted to offer something different than the typical romantic or supernatural Christian fiction piece.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

boomar357 — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:53:01 +0200

My name is Mary Lou and I am writing a true story about when my heart stoppepd during surgery and what I learned on my visit to heaven.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

mkjorgenson — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:27:07 +0200

Hello! My name's Michelle and I'm pumped for my second year of NaNo! I just published my novel from last year, Regardless. I'm a non-fiction writer by trade, so to write fiction I had to "cheat": I took real events from the book of Acts and filled in more story around them. It worked well, so I'm doing it again (but hopefully better because, hey, if you're not improving...well, you're not improving). This time around I'm taking on the story of Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Cyprus who heard the gospel from Paul and Barnabas but was dissuaded by his advisor-and-magician Bar-Jesus. Not to give away the plot, but Paul gets all up in Bar-Jesus's face, blinds him, and Sergius Paulus believes in Jesus. Which is awesome in and of itself, but in the novel there will be more backstory and action and all the other predicaments characters weasel their way into. Just looking to write a story that honors God...and hits that 50,000(+) word mark :D

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Thannisan — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:55:55 +0200

I'd love to read what you write. I must have two hundred books on the topic that have been collected over many years. But the stories are often very unique and most are encouraging to read.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Thannisan — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:01:02 +0200

I have much the same problem... I'll be interested in how you work yours out. Good Luck!

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writerforever97 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:02:23 +0200

Hello all! :D My name is Grace. I'm writing a kind of teen Christian story. (it's kind of complicated haha) It's about this girl. (who I'm thinking shall remain nameless for the entire story) :D She is the narrarator. It starts with her kind of outside of Heaven, and she's wondering why she is there. She didn't think she would get into Heaven. She didn't "deserve" it. She meets God, who explains to her that maybe she isn't supposed to be in Heaven. This is where you go, "Wait, WHAT?!" My response is: It's not what you think. ;) Anywho. She is thoroughly confused, and God sends her into this seemingly endless hallway (the setting for most of the novel) where each room either represents a book of the Bible that relates to her life and such OR it just represents memories and people from her life. The whole plot is quite literally finding out the plot, if you think about it, because you're finding out about her life and how she ended up in the hallway... and why she thinks she doesn't deserve to go to Heaven. Whatcha think? :) I hope it turns out alright, but I don't know if I'll be good at this, seeing as its my first year doing NaNoWriMo. 1 Question: I was thinking of naming my book 72 Rooms (because of the Catholic Church's number of books in the Bible) but then I realized that other Christian churches don't all have the number at 72, and I also wasn't about to write about ALL 72 of the books! So now I'm thinking of naming it either Heaven's Hallway or Hallway to Heaven; only problem is that I looked those up and there seems to be something about them on the internet. :P Should I still use one of these? If so, which one? Ackkk. :P Sorry for my insanely long post. Please tell me what you think about my plot/title! Thanks!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

writerforever97 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:12:41 +0200

That sounds very interesting! :) My story is also in kind of a bunch of different genres. :P Its like a Religious/Drama/Mysteryish with hopefully a slightly comedic feel to it... if it works out. :P haha. Good luck on your novel!

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writerforever97 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:15:57 +0200

Woah! Seems like a really interesting plot! Hope everything goes well!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

excentryke — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:36:02 +0200

hello! Wow, just finished my first morning writing, and I'm so geared up! I am an American studying abroad, preparing for ordination, believe it or not. In one of my classes, I got a little too interested in one of the heresies, Origen's specifically, and then a plot just took me over. I started imagining what it would be like if Origen's heresy had been true, and what that could have looked and felt like, and came up with the idea of telling the story of the second fallen spirit--the spirit who followed the original fallen one because of love--and how history would look to the spirit who could remember what falling from heaven felt like, even when the younger spirits forget and move on into human history. Slowly, over history, the "real" knowledge of the Trinity is lost and changed until, slowly, it starts to look like the orthodoxy of the early Church, and the spirit (who is unnamed) is the only one who truly knows or remembers how it once was. So, yeah, complicated but a lot of fun. :)

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Vorbis — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:46:28 +0200

I'm not even sure if I'm writing a novel at all. I'm an athiest, trying to find the meaning of life. I've always felt that a life should be a process of growth and learning, with a beginning middle and end. But we have no way of knowing ahead of time when that ending will occur - if you build your life towards a climax or a happily ever after moment, what if you never reach it and die unfulfilled? What if you reach it and find out that after the ever after you have to find new goals? So I'm working on a process that your life's story should be a wheel, with each milestone being a possible ending, and the ending only being the beginning again. I'm using the Major Arcana of the Tarot as the guide for the wheel, because it forms a quest and has a natural progression of learning and milestones. Mostly I guess it's trying to find a meaning of life when all you believe in is Science, which says you're about as important as the dinosaurs used to be.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Vorbis — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:47:35 +0200

I've never heard of this story, but it sounds fascinating!

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CameronAdams — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:06:38 +0200

I believe it was Temple Grandin who suggested that all of the advances in human evolution were not made by the 'normals' who were having a good (or bad) time at partying, telling stories, getting into and discussing interpersonal relationships, but by the autistics who sat at the edge of the group constantly chipping away at that rock and ignoring everyone.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

CameronAdams — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:14:41 +0200

Awesome idea, Andy.

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CameronAdams — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:26:52 +0200

Hey, Cameron here. here are some of my notes: Tipping the hypercube: its about relationships and, when they crumble our attempts at fixing them. It is also about time travel and about psychedelics. Ultimately, I think it will be about how if you could travel in time, how would you change it. How does one choose a juncture to change and how does one assess what that change will be. Its not so much a kill Hitler thing. Much more personal. What is to be gained and lost by changing the past. I see history as a strange attractor so the salient events and people are just paper cutouts on the big pattern. They will occur in some form regardless of the main players. Like when scientists all over the world make the same breakthroughs at pretty much the same time. Also, if it is true that we choose our life prior to being born, what is the implication of changing that for spiritual development. Maybe we need this pain for some reason. This gets me into the whole issue of the Hindu perspective that we are god’s fingerpuppets, and we are playing particular roles for Brahman to experience everything so he does not get bored with omniscience , we get the paradox of should we bore god by following an old path or by becoming enlightened, and the fact that trying that change is our role. Should we accept or try to change. Its all emerged today as I sat down to write with no plan whatsoever.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Cadaverine — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:56:22 +0200

I've always considered Carl Sagan to have a lot of note to say on that subject - of the universe as a spirituality. I love his quote, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." I like that very much. Because there are billions of stars and incredibly beautiful things around us constantly, on this planet and many others and in the sky above us and if we weren't here, there would be nothing to notice. Nothing to notice it is beautiful, and even more, nothing to want to understand it. I mean, the dinosaurs died. And they were no more important than we are or than the earth is - the pale blue dot - but we know the dinosaurs were here, because we found them and studied them. And in doing so we can look backwards through time and think "you are gone, but you were here". Look - in my faith, there's a piece of scripture that says: "Cattle die and kinsmen die, thyself too soon must die, but one thing never, I ween, will die, -- fair fame of one who has earned." He is immortal who is never forgotten.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

authormonique — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:10:22 +0200

My name is Monique and I am writing a story about a girl that has faced many life hardships at a young age as a result of not having the relationship with her mom that she needs. The hardships she faces backs her into a corner with the ending result being to turn to God to heal her broken spirit about life and ultmimately forcing her to deal with the issues she has with her mom.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

par5score2 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:25:35 +0200

Hi I'm Anne Duffy, My story is a merging of Sci-Fi and Spiritual fiction. It's about the colonisation of an earth type planet and getting to know the local dragons, who are intelligent and have their own Lore with a lot of Spirituality in it. There are also some other aliens and the spiritual/philosophical discussions will feature/ Many of the humans are Trinitarians which combines New Age and Christianity and based on my personal beliefs. Healing herbs will also feature as the colonists need medicines.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

KKLangton — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:59:56 +0200

Hi, Although I'm a Nano veteran of seven years, I've decided to break with noveling tradition, join the Rebels, and write for all intents and purposes a spiritual non-ficition memoir that will encompass a lot of traditional and non-traditional spiritual paths--and my observations along the way. Hoping to make some of it funny--though some of it certainly isn't! Working title: Finding God in All the Wrong Places. Seems no matter what I did, SOMEone had a negative opinion about what I was doing, and yet....there was the Holy. K

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

firstladyvenus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:47:36 +0200

Hi, Lady V Here! I am writing Christian Fiction and Non-Fiction. I have an autobiographic story that is screaming to come out, but I also have 2 Christian Fiction stories playing scenes over and over in my head, so I think I will be writing in more than one direction, though the one I am penning for wrimo is the autobiographic piece...

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

firstladyvenus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:49:19 +0200

Sounds Good...happy writing!

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firstladyvenus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:51:07 +0200

Sounds like a great story..

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firstladyvenus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:51:59 +0200

really interesting...sounds like it will be a good read!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

firstladyvenus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:53:22 +0200

Wow!..this sounds like the preview to a great movie...

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

firstladyvenus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:55:56 +0200

Honoring God is my main objective also...Happy Writing!!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Vorbis — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:07:52 +0200

That is beautiful, and very true. Reminds me of Achilles =) I think I was searching for a way to be immortal and leave a legacy when I was younger, but the more I've thought about the question of meaning I've come to believe that what comes after us is for the ones who live there. This is our time, and all our meaning and consequence will be found here. Which is an unbelievably hard concept for me, although I get it might not seem so hard for others! I don't have any particular attachment to real life or corporeal form, as it were. Sort of a floating head with the misfortune to be carting a body around. So coming to accept that it's the things we do in day to day life that matter is tricky for me, because I'm not much of a do-er, what with the whole having to walk and talk and pick things up and move them in order for things to get done. I think binding the two facts, that we are here for such a short time in relation to the cosmos at large, and that this tiny piece of time is all that is ours, is what I'm trying to come to terms with in my Nano piece. I'm really really comfortable with the world at large and thinking of myself as a collection of atoms with no particular attachment to being in a human shape. I'm less at peace with still needing to find a meaning while I am a human. Reconciling the two of those is proving impossible in my head, we'll see if putting it on paper helps! Thanks for your insights!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

mikegoodrick — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:26:10 +0200

I'm Michael I grew up in church subscribing to my parents faith. 5 months ago my life hit rock bottom and I denounced God. A week later I completely turned around. Everything was different. I pursued God on a completely different level. Not the good, church, sunday school way but a real, true life way. My faith became real and I realized so many things that are wrong with the "christian" faith today. I'm writing my autobiography on this. http://www.thehipsterandthehymn.com

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

AccidentalPreachersWife — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:53:39 +0200

Your book sounds interesting, Mary Lou! I am writing about what happened after I nearly died during childbirth, and the path that brought my husband and I into the ministry. It is actually Christian non-fiction (I am breaking the rules). Many blessings to you! ~Theresa (The Accidental Preacher's Wife)

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

DictatorEuro — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:38:00 +0200

Hai, Smitty here. im a college Juniour and even though i am not actively religious, i am going to be writing a Historical Fiction/ Religious Fiction story this year. This years story is based in 1938, nazi germany. It is centered around 3 seminarians and their professor as they help hide people from the government whike grappling with the position of their church at the time and the morality it entails :3

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Lionheart_Clan — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:08:12 +0200

Hello, I typically go by Lion and while I have pretty much stalked NaNo since 2007 this is my first year actually getting stuff done. This is also the first time that I have not written a high fantasy, though knowing myself it will probably end up having a lot of fantasy elements by the time it is actually done. Regardless I like how it has turned out so far. Set sometime in the middle ages and in an undisclosed location, partially because I'll research later and partially because I like the ambiguity, though I tend to hint at pre-Lombard Italy.. My story is about a young medieval monk named Benedict living in a monastery dedicated to Saint Christopher, more of an ironic decision on my part since that saint is the patron on travelers, who works as an illuminator in the monastery's scriptorium. Benedict begins to start having terrible nightmares in which colors fade and decorative images all around his monastery begin to disappear. As the nightmares continue he starts to loss his faith and his sanity as he believes that he is being stalked by a "Demon of Iconoclasm" . Fearing that his illuminations will be lost, he frantically produces an overwhelming amount manuscripts of high quality. Discovering that he cares more for his art than his faith, Benedict begins to face trouble with his Abbot, fellow monks, and the demon that is stalking him.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Lionheart_Clan — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:14:29 +0200

I wrote a massive paper last semester on the theology of Origen, and surprisingly there are actually quite a few Christian denominations that share similar views, especially on universalism. Anyway, I would suggest reading Hans Urs von Balthasar who was a modern Swedish Catholic theologian. While his views are not as radical as Origen's were, he is a very interesting in somewhat similar theology. He could give you some help. Good luck

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Cadaverine — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:59:59 +0200

You're very welcome and I wish you good luck! I hope you find what you're looking for :D

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Wild Honey — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:26:00 +0200

Hello, Wild Honey here, I have 2222 words on day 2. I am writing in verse currently in the voice of Miriam from the Old Testament, telling her story through a prayer journal focusing on her life as a dancer and tambourine player. I think my novel will most likely end up being three long poems. I find all of the posts on here about near death experiences interesting especially as I'm reading them on this 2nd Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). I might explore the concept of reincarnation in my writing. Blessings to everyone in your journey this month!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

phoenixgirrl — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:16:01 +0200

I'm Rachel, or Phoenixgirrl. I'm writing a Christian Chick Lit book. There's some autobiographical stuff, some wish-fulfillment, and some straight-up fiction. While the main story is about a woman finding herself after her abusive husband dies just as my life revolves around my Church, so does hers and her family's. The Church is really almost a character in the story, but there's (so far!) little friction with it, more being a member of her Church supports my main character and helps her through her trials and tribulations. It's great to read the many varied novels that include faith/religion!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

par5score2 — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:06:06 +0200

Good ideas. My philosophy is Trinitarian, bringing the Creator and Holy Spirit more into my faith whilst not dismissing Christ in any way. The spiritual side of my storyline brings these ideas together in an alien environment. Best wishes with yours

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

par5score2 — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:09:50 +0200

Our faith always does make sense. Shame more people can't see it.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

par5score2 — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:17:59 +0200

I went through something similar but it took me longer to see the truth which I now do in a more full way. I agree many christian churches have gone wrong, especially by not allowing the Holy Spirit to move more freely. He can inspire anywhere any time to all who are open to him, hence the growth of New Age types. The Creator is also seen almost just as Christ's Father and not as the Creator. I now regard myself as a Trinitarian though I am a practicing RC

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Knight_of_the_Light — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:49:59 +0200

Greetings, I'm Knight of the Light, and I am writing a uh- book about sin titled 'The Other Three Letter Word.' So... we'll see how that goes. It's non-fiction, so maybe I should put this in the NaNo Rebels section, but I thought it should be here as well. Anyway, I put up an excerpt of it on my profile, so feel free to check it out.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Rob(literated) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:33:25 +0200

Hi all, I'm Rob, NaNoNewb, and I'm writing something that could only be classified as "auto-fictional magical realism." My working title is "Abraham's Shadow." It's essentially about my lifetime of religious musings and interests. I've spent most of my 28 years here wandering from path to path: raised Lutheran but my extended family is Catholic, went angry atheist, studied with Japanese zen masters, had a Hindu epiphany or two in India, and find myself attracted to both Islam's discipline and Taoism's looseness at the same time. But the story is essentially a blurring of my own experience with a fictional reinterpretation of Isaac, Abraham's son who was going to be sacrificed to YHWH. While the Biblical Isaac seems to be inspired by the devotion, my Isaac is going to have a symbolic rejection of Abrahamic religions in general, via issues with his actual modern-day father but also the overarching themes of the faiths and how they operate in the world. Abrahamic faiths have, as a defining feature, the idea that we must sacrifice the things most dear to us in this world in order to gain some sort of abstract reward later on. We identify with Abraham, yet we don't hear much about Isaac's part of the story. We think of ourselves as the sacrificer, but never as the sacrifice. So my autobiographical Isaac will take up that mantle, and will challenge the very notion of sacrifice, attempting to escape the shadow of a man who would have killed his son, and sparked the religious tradition that currently dominates the world (as Judaism, Christianity and Islam) through his homicidal act of faith.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

JoyceHeatherington — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 04:08:57 +0200

I'm Joyce. I'm writting about a make believe town who the majority are believers, and most of the town is addicted to coffee, and what happens when they cant fin any more coffee. And oh yes this towns grows the main source of coffee. It has three cities in the entire state.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

novamae — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 04:59:52 +0200

I'm writing a story that is fairly Buddhist centric, about one life of an individual, and then their subsequent reincarnated life.

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par5score2 — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:58:07 +0200

Just reread this synopsis. Hoping I'll get a chance to read it, or at least some. I'm impressed.

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par5score2 — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:06:43 +0200

Agree with Cadaverie.

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par5score2 — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:11:08 +0200

Sounds fantastic. He could also be returning to God because of Love and comes through some New Age Christians who learn to relate to him.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

AshleenO.Gaea — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:02:06 +0200

Merry hi! I'm Ashleen, from Tucson. This is my 5th NaNo, and as usual, I'm not sure whether to categorize what I'm writing as chick lit or religious/spiritual; it's really both, maybe. (I sort of have to rule out YA because even though there is a teen-aged girl involved as a strong secondary character, nothing but her own lines are from her point of view.) The narrator is the girl's 40-something mother, and this MC is a Wiccan priestess. This year's book is meant to be the 4th in a series, and explores what happens when an initiate (not the MC) breaks her oath and her tools turn against her.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Jessica Syme — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:57:40 +0200

Hi all My name is Jessica and I have had a small Writing, Editing & Publishing business for over 10 years. I have answered many questions from people writing about their healing or ancestral journey, how to self-publish, how to begin, how to deal with the wider industry etc. I am writing a book called Publishing and Spirit: bringing the journey back to the world - I hope it will answer some questions for those struggling with the secular Publishing Industry, after a long healing journey, to take it gently, trust their gut feelings and stay out of harm's way. It is a wild world out there but it does not need to be. in best heart Jess

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

SarahKate867 — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:23:10 +0200

Hello, My name is Kate. This is my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and I'm very excited about it. I'm writing kind of a post-apocalyptic fiction with a majorly Christian sub-plot. The story takes place about 100 years after an apocalyptic event which wiped out a vast majority of the population. As humanity begins to grow again they are faced with the task of basically reorganizing governments and countries. This story take place on the continent of North America. It has since since regrouped into 3 populated regions, Ashkinoir, Midvein and Outland. The primary characters are Jessa and Gavin. Jessa is a lifelong resident of Ashkinoir (which is very close to a police state). She has faced many hardships in her life and just wants to be able to get out of Ashkinoir. She is not a believer, but not exactly an agnostic either. Gavin is from Outland and he is a believer. Outland is basically a network of villages. Gavin helps Jessa get out Ashkinoir and takes her to Outland with him. He teaches her about love. Both between humans as well as the love of God.

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

DonPasquale — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:29:03 +0200

Hell all, I'm Sissy, and this is my first official year doing NaNo. I'm 15, and from the lovely land of Connecticut. I would consider my story more YA, but there's a lot of religion in it. I'm writing about a family that had all these problems, the second youngest has Asperger's, the oldest may be Schizophrenic (they never really find out), and the mother's freaking out because she had a brother who was sent to a mental institution for autism when she was really young, and he never came back.And she doesn't want that to happen to her kids. Religion is one of the major themes, and one of the things that helps them get through it. The two oldest kids sing in church choir (like me!) and they get all sorts of spiritual guidance from different members. All four of my major characters get some sort of guidance from God. Sorry you had to read that, it's still pretty rough. xD

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

bookwormlady — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:58:27 +0200

Hello! My name is Laura and I'm a writer in Central Florida. My novel is about a sixteen year old boy who gets taken to Guyana, South America for a two week medical mission trip. My family and I have done some one week medical mission trips in Guyana and I'm using my experiences there for the novel. The tagline to the novel is, "Sometimes you have to travel pretty far in order to find yourself." Hope everyone is doing well with their Nano this year!

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

CarolynElliott — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:28:29 +0200

Breezy: that sounds awesome. I'd love to read what you wrote when you're done. ;)

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CarolynElliott — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:30:45 +0200

Hi there Vorbis-- just wanted to introduce myself because the arcana of the tarot are also playing a role in my work-- but I'm coming at it from just about the opposite of an atheist perspective. I'm a transcendentalist myself. ;)

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

CarolynElliott — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:34:36 +0200

Hi guys! I just wanted to introduce myself. I set out to write some metaphysical / visionary fiction a la The Alchemist / The Celestine Prophecy.... but at about 5000 words it seems to be turning into a kind of Tom Robbins-esque philosophical fantasy. Here's the synopsis: Laney Mitchell is a plain and sensitive girl from Pittsburgh who gets all wrapped up with the town's only successful alchemist, the charming and sinister John Dee. After participating in angel-killing, a vicious metaphysical act done to harvest angel blood, a highly-valued entheogenic drug, Laney hits a spiritual bottom and must be brought back to wholeness by following the advice of Krishna Tagore, a blind young yogi who sees that Laney has potential to work as a love healer, if only she can overcome her own addiction to infatuation. Love, Carolyn

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

Lunatic_Lunite — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:02:20 +0200

One of the minorities on this thread, lol. While I could have tagged my novel as sci-fi, the whole "spaceship explodes, killing all inside, just after takeoff" kind of wrecks that. Basically, we've predicted (with our amazing, futuristic technology) that a solar flare, worse than we could've ever expected will soon hit the earth with little chance for us to overcome the catastrophes that come with and after it. With this knowledge, all countries collaborate together to create five "ARKs", spaceships that can carry millions of people safely away to find, start a colony, and hopefully repopulate the human race (because not everyone can come, for obvious reasons). Holding the most priority to board the ARKs are the "smartest" and "most talented" people, along with their immediate families. The others are "lucky people" who've been also chosen at random, who've met basic requirements such as having no criminal record, a good reputation in their community, working well in a team, etc. But due to some malfunction that connects all the ARKs, they fail shortly after taking off, killing all passengers inside and leaving humanity a little more than screwed. My story follows a group of people left behind, whose loved ones died in the ARKs, and their spiritual and emotional journey as the days to their fated doom draw nearer. They deal with the loss of their family and friends, accepting their and humanity's inevitable death, and even coming to terms with their inner demons. In a world where struggling to stay alive seems meaningless, they eventually find the will to live one last time before dying. Also touches on some Buddhist elements, though that's because one of the characters is a tulku (the monk kind) who struggles between his adherence to his teachings and his feelings--"The origin of suffering is attachment".

Re: Welcome! Who are you? Whatcha writin'?

AltarGirl — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:05:30 +0200

Hi, I am "AltarGirl." I have written fiction which deals with the invisibility of women in the Catholic Church.