A Writer for Christ

[SeekeroftheTruth]

Hello, this is Jaydyn Gray.

I want to be a writer, especially one that writes for Christ and gives messages through the stories. What I’d like to write is stories involved with genres, including Christian allegory/symbolism, fantasy, adventure, mystery, and maybe even horror (if possible; and I’ll need to find out how I can put horror in a Christian story, where good battles evil, without making it trashy or gory).  The Bible is among my favorite books to read, and the stories I like to read are The Chronicles of Narnia, The Kingdom Series, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera, Peter Pan, and other stories that involve fantasy, adventure, and battles between good and evil, and especially Jesus-Figures like Aslan (Narnia) and the Prince (Kingdom). I am new to this forum, for I’ve never joined in any forums on websites, before. There are many books and movies that I like but I don’t want to rattle on and on when it comes to the names of my favorite stories.

I hope to be a just as good writer like C. S. Lewis and Chuck Black. I hope to write stories full of Truth, and lessons about inner beauty, kindness, goodness, compassion, and love (and I don’t mean the romantic type, lol!). I like the idea of even doing Christian versions of some of my favorite movies and stories, even of some might say that can’t be done. After all, Melanie Dickerson was able to do stories of famous fairy tales with Christianity in them, so why can’t I?

I’m glad I got to join and I hope that I can be able to find help in writing stories and what to do when it comes to asking questions about what I can do. I don’t want to commit plagiarism and illegal copyright.

Sincerely, Jaydyn Gray

 

[Anonymous]

@seekerofthetruth Bonjour, mon ami! Professionally, I go by Grace A. Johnson (you know, when I’m taking tea with the Queen or talking business with the POTUS), but you may call me Gracie. Or Grace. Or matey. Or hearty. Or Gracie. Take your pick.

‘Tis a veritable pleasure to meet you, I’m sure. I’ve got a couple introductory questions for you, for starters.

#1 What led you here to the Kingdom of Pen?

#2 What has inspired your desire to write?

#3 Are you currently working on any ideas?

#4 Why are you the first person I’ve ever met who’s read (or at least mentioned that they’ve read) the Kingdom series? I’ve read it twice, and it was one of those series that will always reminded me of my childhood…when I’ve actually made it out of my childhood.

Ahem.

I’m rather new to the forum universe myself, although I’ve been writing for roughly five years, so we’re in the same boat, I reckon. I do so like that you’re interested in allegorical stories (that’s a favorite here on KP) and even horror. It’s also intriguing to see someone more interested in writing based upon popular movies/books. I’m not well-versed in this particular universe, although I have done my research, so I’d love to give you some “legal advice.”

Firstly, it depends on which particular work you intend to base a book upon. Something such as The Phantom of the Opera (the original serial/novel itself, not the musical) or The Hunchback of Notre Dame (again, the book by Victor Hugo, not the Disney movie) could easily be used as material. You could, in fact, use the characters from these particular stories, much in the same way many novelists have used Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Since these books are so old, they’re in the public domain, so you have free access to every aspect. That being said, the copyrights to these works may have been acquired by other entities at some time–in which case, I have no idea what that would mean for a book inspired/based upon them. I would imagine that if Pride and Prejudice is “free to use,” then these novels would be as well.

Secondly, certain “fairytales,” as we call them, though some are far from such, like The Beauty and the Beast are so, so old (14th-16th century) are completely free for any sort of use. Of course, only the main plot or the moral of the story is usually all that is used, since so many stories have been derived from the original (i.e., Grimm fairytales and Disney). Myths and legends, from Apollo and Daphne to Paul Bunyan, have no original source, and therefore have never been copyrighted, in which case you can use these stories as you wish.

Thirdly, Disney remakes of fairytales, like The Beauty and the Beast, for example, are copyrighted. So, unless you’re setting your story in 4043 with a zombie beast on a distant planet, then you can’t name your heroine Belle and stick her in a yellow dress. Melanie Dickerson (so cool that you’ve read her, BTW), for example, takes the “main idea” of these fairytales and gives them her own twist. Her Mulan retelling, The Warrior Maiden, is about a girl named Mulan who disguises herself as a boy to fight in a war. Sounds just like the original story, right? Well, Mulan is only half-Asian and she’s in Lithuania/Poland/Germany, fighting alongside the son of a German duke instead of what Disney depicted (like the talking animals in the animated 90s movie or even the supernatural elements in the live-action Disney+ movie). Therefore, she’s avoided being sued by only using the “main idea” (and the character’s name, in this case) and using her own content, writing, and imagination for the rest.

Fourthly, plagiarism is when you directly steal another person’s writing and call it your own. Hopefully, you would not be taking your copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and typing each individual word down on your Word document and try to pass it off as your own work. Plagiarism is most likely to occur in high school/college writing, when students are required to use information from another source and cite it. Oftentimes, it’s too easy to just copy and paste, not cite, not paraphrase, and forgo having to come up with your own conclusions and do extensive research. (And I should know. College essays are difficult. Particularly when they’re about embalming…but that’s a story for another horror novel.)

Fifthly, movies are a whole ‘nother ballgame altogether. Since movies as we know them have only be around for about a hundred years (note: as we know them; other forms of film/cinema have existed for much longer), they’re not in the public domain and so you cannot write a book about Jack Sparrow, Harry Potter, or Lucy Pevensie (for the latter, even if we’re talking about the book.) However, fanfiction is a broad world in which you can use whichever character or world from any popular universe and write all you want about them. Very few fanfiction stories are published, though, and only with the permission of the publisher/author of the original work. These are horrible examples, but also the only ones I know of (this is saying a lot about my character…ha, ha): Fifty Shades of Grey and After are both fanfiction–of what, I dunno.

You can write whatever you want; it’s just a matter of putting it out there, even in a social media post. One example of well-executed “based off of something else” books/movies is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. (In my opinion, the movie is crappy, but that’s beside the point.) On Stranger Tides is based upon a book of the same name, written in 1987 by Tim Powers. I don’t know how they did it legally, but they did. Then, a book by MaryLu Tyndall (The Reckless) possessed a lot of similarities–a search for the fountain of youth, supernatural elements, and just an overall feeling of On Stranger Tides.

Anyway…where was I going with all of this? I’m sorry if I’ve TMIed you, but I always love helping people! Especially when it comes to writing! Feel free to ask any and all questions you have, either here or in another topic. Today, the Topic of the Week comes out, where we all share our thoughts on writing, our writing process, and some of our favorite books/movies. Also, there’s a short story picture prompt contest every month–sign up for the KP newsletter for more info. Whenever you get started on a story, you can have a chapter or excerpt critiqued, and all 667 (8, including you) love answering questions and giving advice!

Do you have any specific questions about writing in general? I’d love to try and answer them!

Also, you can totally put horror into a Christian book! I don’t know of any examples, since I’m a historical romance reader/writer, but I wouldn’t doubt that there are plenty of those out there, from contemporary to fantasy to historical, from thrillers to mystery to espionage. It’s all about balance!

[Kathleen]

@seekerofthetruth

Hi Jaydyn! Welcome to the Kingdom Pen forum!

I’m Kathleen, and I hang out here a lot in the Kingdom of Pen. (It’s quite nice btw).

Your favorite books are some of my favorite as well! Except for the Kingdom Series, although I’ve heard a lot about it, (we even have an interview with the author on KP), I still have yet to read it. What are the things about the series that made it one of your favorite books?

When did you first start getting into allegories? What was the first allegory you read that captured your interest? Some of my favorite allegories are, of course, The Chronicles of Narnia and Passages by Focus on the Family.

@gracie-j

Whoa. I had no idea you knew so much about copyright laws! When did you gain so much information on the topic?

 

[SeekeroftheTruth]

Hi, Kathleen,

I want to say that the main thing that made The Kingdom Series one of my favorite books is the Prince, the King’s Son. I can’t say that I’ve read all the books, but I did read Kingdom’s Reign. I’ve tried reading Kingdom’s Dawn and Kingdom’s Hope, but I haven’t gotten through the whole books. I did listen to the audiobook (dramatized version) of Kingdom’s Edge, and boy, did it make me cry. (But in a good way, because it touched my heart!) I even listened to a dramatized audiobook when it came to Kingdom’s Reign, and it’s one of my favorite books in the series, besides from Kingdom’s Edge. When the Prince appears, you have a knowing that it’s Him, even when the music you hear in the audiobook suddenly changes to the kind that gets your attention. It’s almost as if you could stop what you’re doing such as a chore and listen to the description of the Prince. Even if the description of His Face is not mentioned, it’s His Eyes. Even His character is made known throughout the stories on more than one occasion. The Prince is known as kind and compassionate, loving and caring, and fierce and devoted, especially to His Father, the King. He’s an amazing Jesus-Figure, besides from Aslan the Lion in The Chronicles of Narnia, as well as one of my favorite Jesus-Figures.

I want to say that the first Christian allegory/symbolism/supposition-(if that’s a word)-based story that caught my interest was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I first discovered a copy of the book when I was attending Davis School. I was probably somewhere in a grade between grades 2-4. I got excited about seeing the book because I saw the Disney film based on the book or when I was listening to Focus on the Family audiobook of the same book (depending on which of my memories came first). I later discovered, when reading it, how different it was. But I don’t think it changed my mind about the Narnia series, later on. My favorite characters are Aslan the Lion and Lucy Pevensie, and I like the idea of a Lion and a girl bonding, especially if it’s a Jesus-Figure and a girl bonding in a Father-daughter bond. Aslan is one of my reasons for liking lions.

I think the more I read Christian allegory/symbolism and Christian-based books like The Land of Far-Beyond, Christian’s Quest, Son of Angels: Jonah Stone (or Jonah Stone: Son of Angels), Dragons in Our Midst: Raising Dragons and The Candlestone (I’m trying to remember if I read the whole books after the first in the series, especially the second, third, and/or fourth),  and The Elijah Project, and some pages or chapters of some other books, I like the idea of writing stories that involve Christian allegory.

[SeekeroftheTruth]

Sorry about the empty reply if you’ve received it. It was an accident on my part.

[SeekeroftheTruth]

Hi, Grace,

What led me to the Kingdom of Pen, I can’t say that I’m too sure. I try to remember how I got to KingdomPen. But it was during a road trip for Dad that I happened upon it. I might’ve been trying to look for some fantasy prompts or maybe trying to find a Christian writing website (I can’t remember too well, I’m afraid). I became interested when it came to looking up some topics, something like how to do the first chapter of a book. Sometime after, I discovered Story Embers. I like this website and Story Embers. I should’ve gotten into these websites while still in my teens, such as thirteen or fourteen.

It might not be easy to answer the second question, but I guess I realized that I wanted to be a writer when I was fourteen. Even before I was a teenager, I liked the idea of writing a story (or some stories) that involved my favorite characters from movies (especially those from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Kung Fu Panda). Maybe at that point, as well, I had the urge to write. I guess when I was trying to do an assignment for Mom’s art class in Davis involving a comic book, tw0- or three-page story, I guess I decided that I wanted to write comic books. I liked the idea of involving a Christian kid with superpowers or special gifts and an evil villain wanting to use her for evil. I even wanted to do a Christian version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I think another of my reasons for being inspired to write is the idea of writing was the Jonah Stone: Son of Angels, where the kids in the series have angelic powers inspired by the Armor of God and where they also have spiritual gifts (such as Jonah having the gift of prophecy and Eliza having the gift of tongues or interpretation of tongues). The age of fourteen was when I became more serious about God (in a good way) through the film God’s Not Dead.

When it comes to story ideas, I’m afraid I struggle with them. I have story ideas, but I can’t stay focused on one. It seems that whenever I have an idea in mind and might be working on it, another idea comes into my head and I find myself focusing on a different idea. I try to write the ideas I have down, but I need to put them all into one notebook (lol). I hope to get started on a book at some point, but I worry that I won’t be able to stick with one story and finish it, before continuing to another. I have trouble connecting the story together. How do I put a story together and start it?

As for The Kingdom Series, I have to tell you the truth, I’ve only read one whole book, Kingdom’s Reign, while having started but not fully finished two others, Kingdom’s Dawn and Kingdom’s Hope. But I have listened to an audiobook (the dramatized kind), Kingdom’s Edge, and I can tell you that it has brought me to tears (in a good way). My favorite Character in the series is the Prince. Whenever He appears, it’s easy to picture Him in a specific scene in the series, and when I hear His voice on the audiobook, I can almost imagine that that’s how Jesus would’ve sounded like. And when I told Mom about a scene from Kingdom’s Edge, about where Cedric, William, and the followers (Knights of the Prince) are going to the Kingdom across the Sea (Heaven), I ended up crying, especially when it came to the words that Cedric said, being something like “We were going home.” or “We are going home.” It might’ve been in Kingdom’s Reign when Cedric said those words, but it brought me to tears all the same (also in a good way). But let me tell you, it’s one of the best Christian allegory stories in the world.

[Anonymous]

@kathleenramm I have this obsession with writing and publishing a story based on (or, better yet, an alternate to) Gone with the Wind, so I’ve had to do my research! 😆 And I’ve just kind of gleaned a lot over the last couple years.

@seekerofthetruth I found KP pretty much the same way, for which I am eternally grateful! It’s so great that you’re here and that you’re interested in writing!

Definitely finished the Kingdom series–it’s quite good!

So, let me just stop you right there–don’t you ever let an overabundance of ideas or a perceived inability to “finish a book” stop you. Ever. For one, I have, roughly, a new idea every day. I have notebooks FULL of ideas, and I have not just lists of ideas but whole outlines (sometimes spanning several documents) saved onto my computer, over half of which I will probably never actually write, let alone finish. I have this wild tendency to write anywhere between two sentences to 50,ooo words of a book without ever finishing it, let alone publishing it–all while working on two or three other books. While I was writing my first novel, Beyond the Inner Storm, when I was about eleven-ish, I was also writing about four other books–two of which I nearly finished. I finished BTIS, then I edited it, then I scrapped it, then I tried to rewrite it, then I moved onto something else. Technically, you can never, ever be fully focused on one single book at a time. If you can, then you’re either a superhuman or you aren’t really a writer. The creative mind (given to us by God, in Whose image we have been made) is always working, constantly going, making, thinking, creating, dreaming, designing. If that stops, then that person is probably dead.

I lose focus all the time. I’m currently writing my third full-length novel (I’m 84,000 words in) and not only have I been working on it for a year, I’ve also been crazy unfocused. I’ve had to force myself to concentrate on it–but, you know what? That’s not healthy. I do some of my best writing when I’m reading other people’s books, outlining other story ideas, and writing other projects. When I tried to staunch my creative flow, I only get a trickle instead of a flood.

I would suggest starting out with something small (I never did this when I was starting out, and I probably should have). Write a short story. Write flash fiction. Write a novella. Don’t start on a novel–not yet. Write an informal essay. Write a book review. Write a blog post. Get those creative juices pumping and get used to writing. Hone your craft and develop your voice. Don’t start on a 75,000-word novel and get lost halfway through because you don’t know your voice or your plot or exactly what you’re doing. Outline an idea. Go in-depth. Interview one of your characters. Start small, and then grow.

And when you do start on a novel, work on several things at once. The worst that could happen is that it takes you a year or two to finish something. Guess what? Most authors take a lifetime to write one novel. Some of the greatest authors of all time did. Take some time to get used to your novel (you don’t have to pants it, but you don’t have to flesh out every single scene either), then write those first few easy chapters. Once you’ve got your footing, outline another idea. Write 200 words in one book, then 400 in another. Keep your mind open. If you have other hobbies/talents, do them too. Play ball. Practice an instrument. Paint and sketch. I’m a crappy drawer, but I would always design my heroine as I came up with different ideas. Do something like that–using your other hobbies to influence your writing. Or read. Reading is by far the best thing you could ever do as a writer. Read good books. Bad books. Books that you like. Books that you hate. Books that fit your genre–like fantasy. Books that don’t–like comedy. Reading is the key to everything in life, believe me.

Anyway…excuse the rant. 😊 I hope that helps!

[Author]

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