  Spiritual
This week: But They're Not MY Beliefs Edited by: Cinn  
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Google is my best friend and my worst enemy. It's fabulous for research, but then it becomes addictive. I'll have a character eating an orange, and next thing I'm Googling types of oranges, I'm visiting chat rooms about oranges, I'm learning the history of the orange. ~Liane Moriarty
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Of all the newsletters WDC has to offer, the Spiritual newsletter is the last that I ever thought I would sign up to write. I am not religious or spiritual in any way, and because it is simply not a part of my life, I always assumed that I would have no idea what to write on the topic. That assumption is what, in the end, led me to write this. I asked myself: If I wanted to write for the spiritual newsletter, how would I go about doing that? From there, it was not a long leap to the topic of writing from the perspective of someone who has beliefs that are not my beliefs. How would I do that without making a mockery of someone else's faith?
Ah! That is something to which anyone can relate. If you wanted to write a story about someone with a different religion or spiritual perspective, how would you do that? Could you keep your own voice and opinions from flavoring the story? How would you create a fully developed character rather than a stereotype? After giving it some thought over several weeks, I think that these might be helpful techniques to get yourself into the appropriate mindset:
Research is essential. Without knowing the basic foundations of what the character believes, it will be nearly impossible to sell the character as a real person. When in doubt, go back to the facts. If you get stuck, it might be useful to write a difficult scene in your own terms first as well. After you have the scene or story mapped out, it will be easier to target your research. Do you want the scene to take place during a religious ceremony or spiritual celebration, for instance? Jot down ideas that would apply to one you have seen before, and then look for similar ceremonies or celebrations that would be fitting for the character. You will find what you need much faster and can make the needed substitutions and edits with relative ease.
Make the emotional connection real. Knowing the appropriate names, terminology, and facts is a good start, but how do you make a reader believe that the character truly believes something that you, the writer, do not believe? There are too many believes in that sentence, but I am sure that you know what I mean. You believe this, and the character believes that. The key is to not think in terms of the differences and connect yourself with what the character is experiencing. How do you feel when you enter a church or temple or holy place? If you are spiritual, chances are that you feel safe or comfortable or peaceful or filled with anticipation for what your time there will hold. When your character enters their holy place, you know what that feels like already and can apply how you feel in yours to how they feel in theirs.
Know how spiritual they are before you begin. Is the character very religious? Moderately religious? Would they never dream of missing an important ceremony or prayer? These are things that you should decide and, most importantly, compare to yourself. This could act as a measurement to keep the character consistent. It may be easiest to start with a character whose beliefs are as important to them as yours are to you. Be sure that if you stray from your own level of spiritual involvement not to go too far one way or another. Writing about a fanatic, or someone conflicted about beliefs that you do not hold, could allow stereotypes or negative messages to creep into your writing by accident. A character at one extreme or the other is bound to fall a bit flat as well.
Remember that the character is not just the embodiment of their beliefs. To be well-rounded, they need to have other interests and hobbies. They have friends, family, jobs, education, household chores... they are people, after all. While brainstorming on the topic, I found myself wondering over and over how people of different religious backgrounds would react in various situations, from the mundane to the bizarre. What it all came down to was: it depends on what type of person they are.
Use all available resources and ask for help if needed. The internet is a wonderful thing. If you want to know what a celebration or tradition or ceremony is really like, you can find videos and images online in many situations. Is it jubilant or calm? Is it joyous or serious? Does it seem lax or strictly formal? If you read about objects or articles of clothing during your research, find some images of them. These sorts of details will be very helpful when it comes time to describe a scene. A friend with hands-on experience could be the most useful resource. There are people from all sorts of spiritual and religious backgrounds on WDC. If all else fails, ask for help.
It may seem strange to take lessons from an atheist on writing about a spiritual person, but it has been an interesting journey for me. Most of the tips I gave are things that would make it easier for me if I could use them. Relating how I feel to how the character feels requires a bit of creativity because there is no parallel for me, which means that you can be creative as well. If you have trouble connecting the strength of your convictions to someone else's belief system, perhaps you should try what I do... connect it to something non-spiritual that you strongly believe, whether it is a social cause or a political agenda. If you can capture the emotions involved, you can make the character come to life. |
There are many personal perspectives on different spiritual concepts and ceremonies all over WDC. Once you do some research and know what to search for, you might as well give it a try! There are also some groups and other resources that could be useful to you.
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A poem on the Buddhist concept of Dukkha, or suffering. Dactylic Tetrameter and end rhyme.
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Here's my thoughts on why I fast and what it feels like.
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Spiritual: August 26, 2015 Issue [#7176]
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