Religious, Spiritual & New Age

Just a quick reminder that this forum is for folks writing in the GENRE that deals with religion and spiritual matters.

This is not a place to debate religion, proselytize, convert or generally gather as members of a particular faith. (Feel free to create a thread in the groups & clubs if you'd like to form a social club.)

While you may have spiritual feelings that guide your writing, this forum is for the discussion of the books that you are writing.
Social threads will be moved into the Groups & Clubs lounge.

Posts which do not comply with these guidelines may be moved/locked without notice.

As NaNoWriMo draws to close, I feel anxious about losing some of my friends that I've met on NaNo.

My blooger address is:

http://smokymountainmitchell.blogspot.com/

Please become a follower. And, if you can, post your blog or website address here so that I can follow your Christian Novel's progress!

Heyo everyone
Im writing a few vodoo scenes that take place in New Orleans, my character is a great priestess of vodoo. Im largely making up the scenes from my own imagination but was wondering if there are any practicioners out there or experts, if you have any tips on writing about the practice?
What are some of the essentials?
thanks

Ok i found this quote on hinduism

Lead me from the unreal to the Real.
Lead me from darkness unto Light.
Lead me from death to Immortality.

this to me is very similar to the Lord's prayer in Christianity which is:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
[For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.]
Amen.

which i've always felt that the central message is the same as the quote i found on hinduism - what are your guys thoughts on this.

hi, i'm about to write a chapter where my MC visits a Mandir(I believe that is the name of your place of worship, correct me if i'm wrong) and i was wondering what would happen if someone came and started asking questions about hinduism. What do you believe are the main ideas and philosophies of your religion. What do you think of its ideas and its practices.

I'm about to write a chapter where my MC visits a Mosque and wondered what you would say to someone who came to your mosque and started asking questions about Islam. What do you think of Islam, its ideas, its practices?

hi, i'm about to write a chapter where my MC goes to a Vihara (i believe that is the name of the buddhist place of worship, correct me if i'm wrong) I know very little about Buddhism. I've done a little research but i want to know from buddhists what it is like when you enter your place of worship, your ideas on your religion, what would you say to someone who came to your place of worship and asked about buddhism.

In my novel, my MC starts out like a normal girl with a really rebellious sister who is very fond of swearing. Neither of them are Christian yet, and though my MC doesn't go around cursing, her sister does. Quite often.
Just wondering what anyone else thinks, is this okay in a YA Christian novel? I'm trying to make it seem realistic to teens nowadays but I don't know if I should keep up all the swearing on part of that certain character.

I am desperately seeking critique and editing help with my newly-finished Christian Lit novel! I'm not at the point yet where I feel ready to employ a "real" editor or submit to an agency or anything. But I need help navigating through the editing process from some fresh eyes. Friends and family who have started reading are taking their sweet sweet time with it (months) and I NEED input! If interested, here is my story in a nutshell:

Jonathon Douglas’ future looked bright- he had a beautiful young wife, a job he loved, and a faith in God that couldn’t be shaken- what more could he want? But his life goes into a tailspin when a deadly fire rips through his town and burns his future to the ground. Stripped of everything he ever held dear, he turns his back on God to embrace a life of lonely days and wild nights. Jonathon hits bottom in the seedy underbelly of the Las Vegas strip, where he finds the Lord had been with him all along. As he begins to rebuild his life and discover a new future in California, his days of hard living catch up with him and threaten everything once again. But this time he chooses to cling to his faith and trust in God to carry him through.

And a very very short excerpt:

I didn’t wait to hear any more. My mind ran a million miles per hour, thoughts swirling around my head so fast I didn’t have time to focus on any of them. I ran out the office doors and to my car with leaden feet. Each shallow breath escaped my mouth in a puff that hung in the air. “Oh Jesus help.” I fumbled with my keys trying to unlock the door. I forced down the new surge of panic trying to bubble up in my chest when I caught sight of Katy’s car seat in the back. “Father… Oh Jesus please. Please please please!” My mind could not conjure any more words than these.

If you are interested please send me a nanomail. I am willing to read and critique your work in return.

The Lunar Gazette is an online blog/zine with thoughtful articles, creative writing, artwork and magickal crafting. It is a place of open-mindedness and thoughtfulness. We are geared towards Pagan communities, with an emphasis on Wicca and witchcraft. We are curious about spirituality, the supernatural, magick, and how to improve our lives through creativity, thought, and spirituality.

As I am a NaNoWriMo writer, I thought I would pass this information along to other fantastic writers as well... I am really hoping you will consider writing an article, or submitting a short creative work to The Lunar Gazette. You can leave any questions for me here, or contact me at thelunargazette@gmail.com

What we are looking for:
*Articles on magickal, supernatural, and spiritual topics with references.
*Essays on history, mythology, and religion with references.
*Original creative fiction (poetry and short stories) and creative non-fiction.
*Interesting interviews with interesting folk.
*Magickal crafting lessons.
*Magickal recipes - i.e. - incenses, oil blends, spell kits, cooking recipes.
*Art work and photography with a spiritual or paranormal theme.
*Open mindedness, a thoughtful, friendly tone.
*Something unique, original, spiritual, and enlightening.

What we are not looking for:
-One sided opinions and close mindedness.
-Anything dark or harmful.
-Anything offensive or pornographic.
-Anything boring.
-Anything longer than 1500 words.
-Poor grammar and spelling errors.

Please send all submissions to thelunargazette@gmail.com

Please send them in .doc or .jpg compatible format. That way it’ll be nice and easy for me to read and publish to the site.

When you send a submission, please write your bio in the email message along with any of your website addresses. Whether it is a blog, an etsy page, or a myspace, please consider your publication a way to meet other like minded-folk, network and promote your personal craft!