The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B. (Page 54 of 57)

I had in mind to write key scenes from books two and three before I publish book one. That allows me to determine what changes, if any, I need to make to book one before I canonize it.

Do you mean what if the reader is reading something wrong despite the author's words outside the story?

My reason for wanting to do something other than my existing Roads of Time writeup is to simplify the opening and the assumptions the reader has to make going into the story. It should make the ancient letter discovered in the Vatican archives shorter and less convoluted. There are only so many things I want to ask the reader to accept as up front assumptions before the story even begins (e.g., Satan issues the challenge, God accepts, that changes the future sufficiently to deviate from the Bible, explain why didn't the Bible change to reflect the new timeline, etc.).

There's a lot to be said for the simplicity of "In an alternate universe...." It would allow me to do pretty much anything I want and leave the details of trying to explain things until later (over the course of the three books) and perhaps leave some of the details to the reader's imagination.

So:
In an alternate universe....
The ancient letter says discrepancies will be explained by the Lord.

Since I'm deferring explaining some things, I may not even need to mention an alternate universe outside the story. If it's important to the story, perhaps the characters can figure it out (or at least speculate correctly).

Voila!

I know I'm late but I will comment anyway. I like the comparison with the Holy Spirit. There is a pattern and hence Connor can claim a similar pattern. I also like the it's-all-a-lie-anyway approach. You're right. You can say anything you want.

Not sure about this one. Sure, do the figurative as mentioned. That gives lots of leeway. I wonder if you will lose some people based on how far you stray from the truth (figurative or not).

Besides, I won't lose any readers at that point since they've paid for the book, presumably liked the first two, and have read almost until the end of the third. Don't forget, there will be an author's note at the beginning of the books clearly identifying what they are and the fact that they may not necessarily get every last detail identical to the Bible, but then the Catholic interpretations are light-years away from the literal text.

Thanks, but that would add a lot of complexity to a story that already has so many elements beyond what's apparent to the reader over the course of most of book one. The first of the true complexity is revealed at the climax, when the basic conspiracy is revealed.

The complexity grows deeper in book two (e.g., Connor sharing the soul of Adam, the beginning of end time disasters, the identification of an incoming comet that will eventually destroy all life on Earth, incorporating other religions into the story (although not in a huge way), Connor learning about the genetic breeding that enslaves him to Satan, the attempt to retake the Vatican, and so much more).

The most complexity is in book three (more end time disasters, the rescue mission into Hell, Connor deviating from that plan, the confrontation at Armageddon between Connor's forces and Satan's, the return of Christ, Connor finally having to settle the Last Challenge, Connor potentially having to throw himself into the lake of fire to save others, eventually being taken to the top of a mountain to meet God the Father, to learn that he's expected to lead thousands of "punishment" worlds, full of history's mortal sinners, to holiness, etc.

Besides added complexity, I can't imagine adding yet another important group to the story and being able to do them justice since there is so much already going on, both visible and behind the scenes.

One alternative way to do it might be to have Satan doing things in the Holy Land that even Connor isn't aware of. Satan already places demons at strategic locations throughout the Holy Land to help Connor further the idea that he is Christ. Some of them could cause unexpected events to occur that result in deaths (mainly guards) even Connor didn't expect. That might trouble him enough to at least begin to question what he's doing by the end of book one even though he doesn't yet know about the gene that enslaves him.

I haven't really thought enough about how best to make things less repetitive in the Holy Land yet. I have a similar problem in Rome in that the investigations led by Campagna and De Rosa in book one are too episodic. They don't really build toward an increasingly interesting/thrilling investigation. With each investigation, Campagna should be getting closer and closer to the truth. Instead, each crucifixion in Rome happens, is investigated, leads to a plan, the plan fails, lather rinse repeat. The clues that build up after each crucifixion may have to be ones that Satan himself leaves behind in order to continue the cat & mouse game while Connor builds toward being Christ.

I have to work out solutions to those issues in both Rome and the Holy Land sometime soon, though. As I have to start writing v2 of the first murder investigation very soon, probably within the next three chapters.

Really? Wow. I'm impressed with this alone. How much prodding did you have to do before it "understood" what you wanted?
Be careful! Are there digital demons lurking about AI?

What's a 4D creature?

Connor has to grow at a normal rate. There would be people around him who are not necessarily part of the conspiracy. And he winds up in Romano's youth seminary (orphanage) from age 7 on.

Besides, I've pretty much settled on the boy being a separate body/soul inhabited by the Lord at the same time as he inhabits his original human body. Much as the Holy Spirit can do when it co-exists in many Christians at once. Also, don't forget, it's all a lie.

Although I don't yet know if the Lord returning in two different bodies is more or less credible than him returning solely as a boy. In either case, the ancient letter can help but I don't know if that is enough for the reader to suspend disbelief. I have a hunch him returning only as a boy is more believable since there's no real precedent for his appearing as two beings simultaneously.

EDIT: Come to think of it, there's no real precedent for either, but readers will easily understand the concept of Christ returning as a child, although they may not buy it. The beauty of the way it unfolds, though, is that some characters will think he *may* be Christ, and the events of the story will slowly "prove" that he *is* Christ.

Him existing simultaneously as two humans is a harder sell although it avoids completely the discrepancies between the "story world" and the Bible's prophecies.

I dabbled  with 4D and 5D creatures in my main series but in the rewrite, planning to leave it out. Waaay too hard to explain when a character unties a perfect knot by an easy tug

(name of prominent boy)-gang

Hemorrhoids are good especially in terms of variations:
Hemorrhoid-gang
Prince Hemorrhoid for the leader
Hemorrhoids of desolation (as you noted)
Demon hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids from Hell.

Also, hemorrhoids are something people can identify with! They can even get pictures - YUCK!