A PERSONAL QUESTION to help me finish my NOVEL

by Terry 37 Replies latest jw friends

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  Terry

  HERE IS A PERSONAL QUESTION:

  Is it disturbing to you when an author jumps into the flow of history and radically departs in order to drive an important lesson home to the reader?

  In this novel I have several Watch Tower leaders meeting incredibly violent deaths at the hands of --well, I won't give anything away.

  I can't begin to tell you how satisfying it was writing these chapters!

  In fact--it was catharsis.

  I will shortly publish THE MONORAILS OF MARS.

  In my efforts to stay as close as humanly possible to true historical events I've done careful research into names, places and events.

  However, since I'm writing an allegory--I must radically depart from reality at a certain point in the presentation.

  I've reached 91,000 words and 305 pages.

  The ending is the cross-hairs.

  This is the first novel to incorporate mind control and fanaticism of the New World Society into a Science Fiction plot.

  I have Charles Russell, Judge Rutherford, Nathan Knorr and Fred Franz and a host of historical personages involved.

  (Among these: Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Teddy Roosevelt as well as artic explorers Roald Amundsen, Louise Boyd, Umberto Nobile and Marie Perry.)

  The novel is presented as a mystery of many machinations.

  I keep asking myself, 'What kind of book would tempt an active Jehovah's Witness to read about their religion?" The answer I came up with is:

  A book which did NOT appear to be an Apostate rant.

  Thanks in advance for your answer.
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  3rdgen

  Terry, If the story is fictional then who cares whether or not the events described therin are historically accurate? Forrest Gump comes to mind. However, I'm not a fan of being taught an "important lesson" Important to whom? The author or me? Who is your intended audience?
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  Finkelstein

  My opinion is that if these main WTS. characters/leaders were corruptly devious in their endeavors to become

  powerful controlling leaders and they caused insurmountable personal damage to the people they took control

  over from their endeavorers, a violent death might very establish a concluding moral imperative, particularly if

  the action of ending these people's lives were conducted by the ones they hurt the most .

  .

  Look forward to reading the novel Terry.
• 

  Old Goat

  Terry,

  Good writing trumps all. It's your story to tell. Tell it well and people will enjoy it.

  Do you have a Beta Reader, someone with a good sense of grammar and story, who can read it too? Seeing what you write through another's eyes is always helpful.

  Good luck with the book.
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  ldrnomo

  I enjoy your writing Terry can't wait to read this new novel and I like your style so my advice is do what you think is best.
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  problemaddict

  Im not 100% sure of the question, but I do not personally mind when the author diverges in order to make a greater point, as long as it doesn't seem tacked on.
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  Oubliette

  Did you see Inglourious Basterds?

  It "tells the fictional alternate history story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany's political leadership, one planned by a young French Jewish cinema proprietor (Laurent), and the other by a team of Jewish-American soldiers led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt)."
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  Lied2NoMore

  Hmm...if the plot includes a disgruntled assassin..an ex-JW who goes to the HQ to carry out methodical executions of the WT leadership...I want to be the lead character!!!
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  Terry

  Thanks for the vote of confidence!

  I like the comparison with Forrest Gump, :)

  I did see Inglorious Basturds and I loved the emotional release of watching Hitler get murdered in front of my eyes.

  Incidentally, I actually can't believe I wrote 18 pages today!

  My word count is over 100,000 now and I have 323 page word count.

  I am looking for a BETA reader and I don't know who would be so brave!
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  sarahsmile

  s it disturbing to you when an author jumps into the flow of history and radically departs in order to drive an important lesson home to the reader?

  Can you write an example?