You put it well when you advised writers to put in the time and get the details right. In some stories it can add a lot to a character but it needs to be deftly dealt with. Getting details wrong, especially a religion that isn’t your own can offend people. I personally don’t use religion in my stories as it’s not something I want to focus on. Also, it’s too easy for either a character or the author to get preachy and that’s a huge turnoff.
Thanks for this, Gabino. Really great to hear your open-minded take on this subject. You're right––religious illiteracy = cultural illiteracy. Reminds me of a panel I heard at a con, where writers were discussing their favorite "monster tropes" (vampires, etc.) When the topic of "demonic possession" came up, everyone just sort of shut down, claiming they were turned off by the "religious" aspects of those kinds of stories. I wanted to say, "No one says YOU have to believe in that religion, or in demons; not only that, but your characters (not all of them, anyway) don't even have to believe in it."
It's when I started embracing some of my own family material and trauma (including the religious aspects; my father was a Lutheran minister) that I was able to begin writing honest fiction.
Wow... you just opened a whole Pandora's box of possibilities. I've never thought about religion(s) as a way to connect with readers, as a way to have characters live in a reader's head.
There's an old noir novel, Ride the Pink Horse (Dorothy B Hughes, 1946), that centers around the burning of Zozobra. I never understood why that story haunted me - you've helped me comprehend why it's so powerful.
Religion is also hugely helpful in establishing an authentic time and place--your books prove it. I write a lot of European medieval fantasy rooted in European medieval history (you know, dragon-banger books ;) ), and those characters have to be up to their necks in the kind of Catholic Christianity that spawned the Crusades, for ill and good. Otherwise, the story doesn't play. But having that layer gives me a great cheat sheet when I'm figuring out how those characters would prioritize outcomes and how they would react to things. Even sexy dragons.
Thanks for this Gabino! Definitely worth adding into stories when characters call for it.
Thank you!
You put it well when you advised writers to put in the time and get the details right. In some stories it can add a lot to a character but it needs to be deftly dealt with. Getting details wrong, especially a religion that isn’t your own can offend people. I personally don’t use religion in my stories as it’s not something I want to focus on. Also, it’s too easy for either a character or the author to get preachy and that’s a huge turnoff.
Thanks for this, Gabino. Really great to hear your open-minded take on this subject. You're right––religious illiteracy = cultural illiteracy. Reminds me of a panel I heard at a con, where writers were discussing their favorite "monster tropes" (vampires, etc.) When the topic of "demonic possession" came up, everyone just sort of shut down, claiming they were turned off by the "religious" aspects of those kinds of stories. I wanted to say, "No one says YOU have to believe in that religion, or in demons; not only that, but your characters (not all of them, anyway) don't even have to believe in it."
Excellent point!
Thank you for this, Gabino.
It's when I started embracing some of my own family material and trauma (including the religious aspects; my father was a Lutheran minister) that I was able to begin writing honest fiction.
Great! I write a lot of folk horror, so I'm always looking for new ways to integrate dark religion into a story.
Wow... you just opened a whole Pandora's box of possibilities. I've never thought about religion(s) as a way to connect with readers, as a way to have characters live in a reader's head.
There's an old noir novel, Ride the Pink Horse (Dorothy B Hughes, 1946), that centers around the burning of Zozobra. I never understood why that story haunted me - you've helped me comprehend why it's so powerful.
Thank you for this essay.
Religion is also hugely helpful in establishing an authentic time and place--your books prove it. I write a lot of European medieval fantasy rooted in European medieval history (you know, dragon-banger books ;) ), and those characters have to be up to their necks in the kind of Catholic Christianity that spawned the Crusades, for ill and good. Otherwise, the story doesn't play. But having that layer gives me a great cheat sheet when I'm figuring out how those characters would prioritize outcomes and how they would react to things. Even sexy dragons.
😁😁😁