Faith
In my 2008 Red Dress Ink release, Freudian Slip, God is a woman, Albert Einstein is a cosmic social worker, and every mortal is struggling in their human journey. My main characters, Kate and Julian, each face the greatest challenges of their lives. Kate must overcome grief and the collapse of the world as she once knew it after 9/11; Julian must confront the fact that, in reviewing his life, he now sees he was a total a**hole. And considering his life is in the balance, and he could travel to either heaven or hell, he has very little time to contemplate just which direction he's headed--he's been shot and is dying.
And in looking at the manuscript of this book today, I realized this theme is in every book I've ever written--and possibly every book ever written by anyone:
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
I don't mean in a God-sense, though that is sometimes there. I don't mean in a Bible sense. I don't mean in a Buddhist sense (and most Buddhist are not theists so . . .). I mean in a sense of FAITH, the very irrational decision to believe in something you cannot see. I mean in terms of this definition of the word:
Belief that is not based on proof.
I can go back to every book I have ever written and the actual heart of the book is that moment when the main character presses forward despite all evidence to the contrary that they should give up. They proceed in blind fath, on hope, on the evidence of things not seen.
In Spanish Disco, Cassie Hayes knows she is likely never to get her hands on the sequel to the American literature classic Simple Simon, written by the very unbalanced Roland Riggs, but she proceeds on faith that perhaps within him, the sequel lies, unwritten but ready to emerge if only the right editor can coax it out of him.
In Diary of a Blues Goddess, the character of Nan sums up the journey of the heartbroken characters in the book: If God takes you to it, he'll take you through it. When I think of Dominique, the drag queen, whose journey from gay boy to trannie was frought with being disowned, with his father punching him in the face and breaking his nose, it was still a journey of faith. Of the unrealistic hope that despite his "differentness," compounded by race and loss, that he could evolve into a beautiful queen and win a prince.
In The Roofer, Ava must find within her the faith to believe that there is life away from the Westies in Hell's Kitchen, that there is something beyond the concrete playground of violence where she grew up. That faith is symbolized by the painting on her wall--found at a flea market. She and Tom hung this horse painting as a sign of what they each believed was possible--a farm, a world away from the spector of their father and murder. Somewhere inside Ava, that faith remained even if it was barely a glimmer throughout most of the book.
My desk is a vertiable altar of faith in something. Buddha statues mingle with Catholic candles to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. And that, as I look at the candle flickering, is the ultimate statement. A Patron of Hopeless Causes. And yet . . . we hope.
Thoughts? Is the theme of faith part of your work? Your life?
And in looking at the manuscript of this book today, I realized this theme is in every book I've ever written--and possibly every book ever written by anyone:
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
I don't mean in a God-sense, though that is sometimes there. I don't mean in a Bible sense. I don't mean in a Buddhist sense (and most Buddhist are not theists so . . .). I mean in a sense of FAITH, the very irrational decision to believe in something you cannot see. I mean in terms of this definition of the word:
Belief that is not based on proof.
I can go back to every book I have ever written and the actual heart of the book is that moment when the main character presses forward despite all evidence to the contrary that they should give up. They proceed in blind fath, on hope, on the evidence of things not seen.
In Spanish Disco, Cassie Hayes knows she is likely never to get her hands on the sequel to the American literature classic Simple Simon, written by the very unbalanced Roland Riggs, but she proceeds on faith that perhaps within him, the sequel lies, unwritten but ready to emerge if only the right editor can coax it out of him.
In Diary of a Blues Goddess, the character of Nan sums up the journey of the heartbroken characters in the book: If God takes you to it, he'll take you through it. When I think of Dominique, the drag queen, whose journey from gay boy to trannie was frought with being disowned, with his father punching him in the face and breaking his nose, it was still a journey of faith. Of the unrealistic hope that despite his "differentness," compounded by race and loss, that he could evolve into a beautiful queen and win a prince.
In The Roofer, Ava must find within her the faith to believe that there is life away from the Westies in Hell's Kitchen, that there is something beyond the concrete playground of violence where she grew up. That faith is symbolized by the painting on her wall--found at a flea market. She and Tom hung this horse painting as a sign of what they each believed was possible--a farm, a world away from the spector of their father and murder. Somewhere inside Ava, that faith remained even if it was barely a glimmer throughout most of the book.
My desk is a vertiable altar of faith in something. Buddha statues mingle with Catholic candles to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. And that, as I look at the candle flickering, is the ultimate statement. A Patron of Hopeless Causes. And yet . . . we hope.
Thoughts? Is the theme of faith part of your work? Your life?
Labels: faith
posted by Erica Orloff at 6:39 AM
15 Comments:
Not as much as I'd like it to be, but I could definitely use a St. Jude candle about right now. I think I'll just carry this quote around with me all day: "If God takes you to it, he'll take you through it."
Interesting. My favorite word is believe (had it tattooed on my body) and I relate belief to faith, as well. And in all my stories, at some point, I'm always asking myself, "What do they believe in?" What is worth losing it all for? So I have to agree that faith/belief plays a huge part in fiction, and real-life. Whether or not we believe it. ;-)
Hi Spy:
I'll light up a St. Jude candle here for you right now . . . . Sending you positive thoughts.
xo
E
Michele:
BELIEVE is a huge part of it. A lot of my characters really don't speak of a "belief" but they will keep going after the bad guy on the faith they can solve the crime. Whatever it is, characters, I think, to be most compelling, have to have something they believe in that's worth dying for.
E
It doesn't overtly form part of my books, though underlying what I write, and my life is the belief that there's an innate goodness in most people. I trust everyone, until they prove me other wise... unlike my partner, he isn't so trusting as I am (which I think is sad)
Hi Sara:
I don't think I would like to go through life not believing in other people . . . life's too short for cynicism.
E
Faith, belief... yes they are in my stories. Whether the MC is confronted with it in themselves or in others varies depending on the story, but there is always that element involved.
Me.. I see every day as a test of faith or belief. I create my day the way I want it to be and then test that against the circumstances that life throws at me. I win when, despite the circumstances, I can remain who I choose to be by the end of the day.
Your blogs are always so deep. Faith is a part of my life (otherwise I wouldn't be a writer), but the theme for my wip is something else.
ewoh:
Very powerful way to go through life . . . .
Thanks for sharing your insights.
E
My book on submission is fairly noir, an existential look at life depending on death.
My detective tackles what could be perceived as a lost cause (an orphaned runaway teen, surviving as a "lingerie model"). His faith in himself and a few close friends allows him to battle the internal and external demons thrown his way, and--even though he isn't quite successful in the end--his faith lights the path for a new day.
Hey, what do you expect from a guy named Jude? ;)
Maybe that's why I had thing for Fox Mulder. There's something to be said about wanting to believe. :)
Tears, Erica. Thank you so much. :-)
Jude:
That's precisely what I meant. Traditional faith can not be there, but faith in justice or friends can be equally strong. :-)
E
Heather:
I loved him, too! That LONGING for belief.
E
Hi Spy:
I had my candle going for you until about 4:00 in the afternoon--ALL DAY! So hoping some good things evolved. :-)
E
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