To thine own self be true

One thing I've battled as a writer is staying true to my spiritual beliefs while writing about things that may not be spiritual in nature. Well, check that. I guess I could argue that everything has a spiritual side to it--every decision we make is influenced by our core beliefs.

My Bariwon series has priests in it, and there is a prevailing religion, but I don't dig very deep into that. Instead, I focus more on human nature and how different types of people react when they are faced with difficult choices. And for complete disclosure, the decision to leave out bad language, explicit sex scenes and graphic violence is based on my personal core beliefs.

However, I was faced with a completely different challenge during the writing of my third book--one that is not in the Bariwon series.  I just completed the edits on it. It's called The Mirror of the Soul.

What makes this book unique is that it is based on the works of musician Chris de Burgh. The main story is driven from the song of the same name, however, I used dozens of his songs as inspiration for the book. I'm proud to say, I feel I've written a pretty darn compelling story using all these elements.

But, back to the challenge. This book takes place just after the Hundred's Year War in France around the mid-1400's. The primary focus of the book is about religion and those that would use it to further their own gain.

One of my biggest fears is that people would perceive this book as an attack on a certain religion--which it isn't. It is the story of one abbot and his monks and the actions they take. At the same time, I wanted to stay true to my core beliefs while telling this tale. I can say that I feel like I was successful, and least in my mind. I've no doubt there are those who can and will find fault.

But that's the point of this blog. I think each writer is trying to express something of their beliefs when they write. I dare say it can be a form of therapy. Yet, as an author, you also want your readers to become emotionally invested in the characters and story--without them feeling like they are being preached to.

It's something I think about each time I write: telling a good story while staying true to myself.