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Oct 25, 2011

How it started...

I've worked in the software industry for over 25 years and have had the pleasure of helping to start seven companies. I often thought that it would be cool to write a novel about one, or more, of the experiences. I tried a number of times, but writing dialog is completely different than non-fiction and I found I lacked the confidence. I was never able to make more than half a chapter before putting it aside.

Then, a few years ago, I came across a topic that felt so important to me that I just had to complete the work. I was at a talk by a professor of religious history about whether or not Christ really existed. The crowd was mostly secular and were skeptical about religion. The professor spoke for an hour and a half and never really answered the question, though he presented a lot of data. The first question in the Q&A period was the same as the title of the talk, Whether or not Christ Really Existed. The professor looked at the audience of about 200 people like we were idiots and said, "Well, of course not".

I found it staggering that this professor could say such a thing. My estimation was that at least 90% of the people there thought someone must have existed that represented Jesus Christ; they would have just doubted his divinity. The gulf between what this scholar thought and what the (secular) public thought was truly mind-boggling. I endeavored to find out more and went on a quest of research into the topic. After dozens of books, I came to understand why many scholars today think Jesus Christ either didn't exist at all or our image of him is based on some amalgam.

After that, I decided that the best way to get the information to the public would be in the form of a novel. There were plenty of non-fiction books out there on the topic if people really wanted to read them, but clearly those weren't getting into the public's consciousness. I started out writing a book on how the Book of Q (a theorized book pre-dating the gospels believed to have a collection of sayings that were later used by the gospel writers) came about.

This was exactly the topic I needed; it had so much potential, in my opinion, that I would have to push through any difficulties in writing fiction to get it written and published. And so my adventure began...

Of course this blog is about the writing process and not the particular topic, so ignore the topic (especially if you don't like it) and read on if you are interested in the topic of writing and publishing.

Documenting the adventure

Documenting the adventure of developing our chosen craft. Documenting the journey of becoming the author's we know we want to be, at least in our own minds. Documenting the forks in the road. All in the hopes of making some sense of it. And maybe, sharing the adventure with some fellow travelers.