Hatrack River Writers Workshop: An opinionated question... (help)

This is topic An opinionated question... (help) in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/writers/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002804

Posted by Leaf II (Member # 2924) on :

Hi.. That title is somewhat lacking.. but whatever. I have a question for all of you. In the long, agonazing months spent waiting for my current manuscript to "ripen," I am attempting another, different story, but I am stuck at the idea. I like it, I think it could be good, but I don't know if it is too much on the line of 'been there, done that,' or 'shut up, that's such an overdone topic.' But I'll tell you the very general basic plot, and you all can tell me your own opinions on the subject, because I am very intersted in them. (And if this is just a flat out terrible idea, please, for Gods sake tell me before I'm 50,o00 words into it.

Okay:
by the way.. this is going to be rich with 'christian mythology,' so be prepared, but there will be no preaching or side taking in the book, because i am very in the grey area of religion. (and the witch trials...)

There are angels flying over the land, for whatever reason. One of them falls, and dies. A girl is very near the angel when he lands, and the whole town, the whole colonies know about it then, and all the top religious officials get involved. But its not really about that, its about the girl that found him, and her trying to find out what killed the angel, since only a few certain things can harm them. She meets the angel's 'close friend' (complicated nvm) at the spot where he dies, and they talk ... ect.. thats how that goes down.
Next part of the story, another girl, in another village, runs into a group of 'witches,' but they are only called 'witches,' as slander. They are just regular people, but very paganish (think celtic) with the same respect for the land and 'magic.' The reason that the angel is killed ties in with the persecution (salem w. trials) of the 'witches.' I know thats not enough info, but it gets complicated after that. I just wondered if there was anyone kind enough to let me know their opinion on this (and be nice.)

Thanks guys.
-leaf

Posted by Clove (Member # 3125) on :

.

[This message has been edited by Clove (edited December 18, 2009).]

Posted by rcorporon (Member # 2879) on :

quote:
I would be interested in reading it if it was well-written, and well thought out.

Isn't this true for any piece of writing .

I like the idea, and as long as the ties between the angel dying and the witch trials is believable, I think I would enjoy reading it.

Posted by Leaf II (Member # 2924) on :

Thanks guys for your opinions, very very much. Keep them coming though, I will take all I can get on this right now.

-leaf

Posted by musestower on :

Leaf,

I think your idea is really interesting, and would love to read something like that. I have one question though... Does the angel dying and the Witch Trials take place in the same time?

Nicole

Posted by Leaf II (Member # 2924) on :

Hi,
No. One takes place just before the other... it's sort of.. the cause the Trials. See?
That's where I think I'm headed anyways.

Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :

I didn't understand much of what you're saying, but I think you haven't fleshed it out yet. No problem. I'm sure you can come up with a gripping tale in this scenario. You might consider the age of the girl: if she's traveling between witch-hunters and alleged witches, she's probably not a child.

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

Just write it. Writing is never wasted, if you're a writer.

Frankly, this story sounds a lot more likely in a Shinto oriented setting, or it might be that it sounds like an animeish sort of story. I don't think that transposing that into a Christian v. Pagan setting is impossible, but it would be a lot more difficult to pull off for various reasons. You might want to do some research, particularly on the whole "dead angel" paradox (if you don't know what's paradoxical about a dead angel, then you need a lot of research).

In any case, I think that the basic story concept could do very well. It's up to you as a writer. Heck, I was just sitting here thinking of doing a "daughters of Lilith" story...inspired by an anime in which the fansubbers, apparently totally unfamiliar with the whole Adam/Lilith/Eve thing, had transliterated the name as "Ririsu". I mean, the story (and characters) had nothing to do with the Jewish tradition, but hey. Part of it is because I was reading this article about C.S. Lewis that made a big deal about how evil Lilith was and I felt that she was getting a bad rap(putting aside the fact that I don't believe in any such person in the first place).

Posted by Leaf II (Member # 2924) on :

"if you don't know what's paradoxical about a dead angel, then you need a lot of research"

hahahahahahaha. Yeah. It'll all be explain within the story.. there will be certain rules for things, and everything will follow those rules so there won't be any discrepency there. I was just writing you guys to make sure it wasn't some ridiculous, and or stupid plot. But from what I can tell it would be generally accepted if it were well written (obviously) and everyone's motives was solid. So yeah.. thanks guys, I feel a lot better now about it than I did this afternoon.

-leaf

[This message has been edited by Leaf II (edited January 30, 2006).]

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

Don't neglect your novel either, though. But writing is all to the good, builds those thinky bits.