Spirit

[vaneramos]

I am considering writing Pilgrim's Cross from the POV of a supernatural character, a famous one at that. How can an atheist do this credibly?

I have been an atheist, and also an evangelical Christian. Through my childhood I considered myself a Christian without even knowing what it meant. And for a while after I stopped calling myself a Christian because of the terrible things done in Jesus name, I continued to believe in him but considered the Bible antiquated nonsense. So I have experienced many flavours of Christianity.

I could point out that this is fiction and dismiss the question, but that would not satisfy anyone, certainly not me. Fiction should be true or it will fail.

Whenever someone sets out to tell a story, they create another world. The more sincerely they believe in the world, the more they can enrich it with detail, the more they can persuade readers to let down their guard and take a voyage.

I have believed in this character in different ways over the course of my life. These days I believe in metaphor. It offers a creative way of looking at truth.

When you believe in something deeply enough, it takes over your life. This afternoon, working at the public library with my study buddy Michele, I tasted that sweet writing obsession for the first time in I don't know how long. Years?

I took a new attitude toward my narrator and set down two thoughtful paragraphs, fondling the words. It was wonderful. I can't wait to return to that space.