I think my book, The Monorails of Mars, may be the only Jehovah's Witness science fiction novel out there :)
Thinking of writing a book about jw's, what should I put in it?
by purrpurr 16 Replies latest jw friends
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AntiEntropy
The Monorails of Mars
was real! @.@
I will read both of your books!
http://www.amazon.com/Terry-Walstrom/e/B00LTLKMWU/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
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OnTheWayOut
I've just finished reading Alan miller's "fade from the truth", I enjoyed it and I love that it's freely available.
First, a big thanks for reading that. I will say a few things about "FADE" and maybe it will help you with your desire to write. I didn't make it available to get rich, I would have needed to keep my day job no matter what.
I read Kyria Abraham's I'M PERFECT, YOU'RE DOOMED while I was writing a horrible and bitter book about my thoughts on JW doctrine. I knew it was such a negative work that I had to abandon it. I didn't even want to read it, certainly nobody else would. I was very much inspired by Kyria and her way of simply stating her story.
I was going through therapy and started just telling my personal story for my own personal therapy. I actually started with a profound event in my life (a suicide attempt) that led to me becoming a JW as an adult, then needed to back up to my childhood introduction to JW's via my mother. Then it only seemed natural as I processed the outcome for therapy to write out the outcome of my journey.
Along the way, I debated with myself about making that personal story into a public story. I finally decided that if I could help a single person on their journey, it should be public. I googled some things about how long a book should be and got the Zen answer that it should be no longer than needed to complete the story. But I also learned that a published work should be close to a minimum 50,000 words. My story was shorter than that and seemed to accomplish the Zen goal, but to get to that minimum, I added a short chapter called ANAMORPHOSIS which was my meditations that came from an epiphany on how I, at a low point in life, needed to believe in the illusions created by Watchtower.
I shared my story with Barb Anderson and she posted it to her webpage. Later, I put it on Amazon as a very low priced ebook and as a print book. I have met a few people who say it has made a difference in their lives, which is way more precious to me than any profits. I think every writer of JW stories can tell you it's not the way to get rich.
I hope that helped. -
purrpurr
Hi onthewayout,
I didn't know you were "Alan miller". Great book! Everyone should check it out!
PS you have a PM x
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Island Man
Here's an idea for you:
Write a book about the common excuses and rationalizations JWs use when confronted with TTATT - excuses like "wait on Jehovah", "human imperfection", "who else has the truth / where else to go", "that was in the past", "the light gets brighter", etc
The format could be that you tackle each excuse or rationalization, one at a time. You first mention the name of the excuse as a heading. Then you use sample dialog between a JW and a critic to demonstrate use of the excuse. Then you proceed to analyze and pick apart the excuse showing how and why it's fallacious and/or hypocritical. Then you give a suggested counter response(s) that utterly demolishes and exposes the excuse for the rubbish that it is.
Maybe you can call the book "Hiding Behind Paper Shields" with a sub-theme in smaller print that reads: "The lies they use to defend "The Truth". "Paper Shields" - a metaphorical reference to pitiful excuses and rationalizations used by JWs - would have a double-meaning. The shield is paper in the sense that it is very weak and affords no real protection. It is also paper in the sense that the excuses and rationalizations come to JWs on paper - fed to them in Watchtower literature.
The cover can have a picture of an insecure-looking JW holding up a literal paper shield against an attack. The shield would be painted with crayons to give the impression that they tried to make it look like a real strong shield made of metal, but the color is not convincing. lol.
The book would be an excellent resource for newly awakening ones and even the public that is aware of TTATT. You can think of it as being like the reasoning book for reasoning with JWs but specifically geared at exposing and overcoming their pitiful excuses and rationalizations. it would be an excellent resource for dealing with the rationalizations that elders use on judicial committees when confronted with TTATT by an awake JW.
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Doubtfully Yours
This is what would be good:
- Include the true history of the religion from it's beginnings to what it is now in an unbiased way.
- Biblical understanding which drives their policies, even if we do not agree with some, but the 'why' per their interpretation of the text.
- Include inconsistencies as well with the biblical accounts, such as why the baptism of minors is okay when the leader Christ set a different example and instructions.
- Ways in which the faith could be improved, such as in the protection to minors/women in their midst but also the ones outside by reporting crimes to the legal authorities.
- Real life examples of people/families/communities that have improved because of putting into practice what they learned in the faith. Truths of how our way of life benefits us and others when followed appropriately.
- The good, the bad, the ugly, black/white/gray. Put on a journalistic hat and do a tell all in an unbiased way.
When done, I'll gladly read and provide comments. Keep us posted!
DY
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Doubtfully Yours
Oh, and here's something that must be included and nobody has said it in print in great detail:
- Homosexuals, transgendered people not allowed/accepted, regardless of what is printed or said either in print (for legalistic coverage) or from the 'teeth out'.
Forget about it; these people are 'marked', stigmatized and marginalized in a big way, as if having the 'plague'. The nicey nice smiles and gestures are just a façade. Don't even bother....
To the true/heavily indoctrinated born-in JW these behaviors are of the mentally ill, abhorrent abominations, ando ne of the main reasons why Armageddon cannot get here fast enough. JWs HATE the LGBT community! They are the clear fulfilment of Isaiah 5:20.
There. I said it and that is a truth.
DY