Welcome back, Weekend Writing Warriors. I hope you enjoyed last weeks intro to my Dystopian Suspense novel The Five Barred Gate. It is set in a world where it is illegal to be offensive. There are federal laws against saying certain things, especially against those in authority. To violate the law brought on legal consequences.
This week I pick up where I left off last week. Eric and Jacob continue their conversation. As always I begin with the synopsis for reference.
Synopsis:
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Non-Offensive Movement in the United States became federal law? What would happen to the freedoms guaranteed to us through the Constitution? This is the story of Jacob Andrews. He is faced with the decision to follow his heart and disregard what the law says about how he should live; even if it means his life.
Here are this week’s eight:
“You must have known your sermon could be misinterpreted and get you into trouble with the law. Why say it in public like that?”
“I would be in greater danger if I didn’t preach the Gospel the way God leads me to. Like the old saying goes, ‘Better to die on my feet before God, than on my knees before man.’ Besides, what greater death could one ask for?”
“I don’t know about that, sounds pretty scary. Guess you take your God thing seriously?”
“I do,” Eric said softly, “I do.” Then he was silent for a moment. “That and I didn’t think I would get caught.”
They both laugh.
Thank you for reading this week’s snippet. Next week I plan to jump ahead a bit. You have the gist that these two men are in prison. Eric, for his faith. While we don’t know why Jacob is there, that would be giving you too much info. And half the fun is leaving y’all in suspense. 🙂
Again, The Five Barred Gate is available for purchase on Amazon. The link is below. You can also purchase direct from me by visiting the Home Page of this website and a Buy Now button is at the bottom of the screen. The benefit of buying direct is that you will receive a signed copy.
Below that link is my Children’s book series Elissa the Curious Snail. A series of books about a snail that teaches children about prayer and believing in themselves. Series at 4 books. 2 more set for 2020.
Moments for the Heart 
Sounds like Eric has courage, and by the second to last line, he’s honest about himself, too.
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Sometimes our courage comes from a sense of security in our beliefs. It can occasionally blind us to the reality around us. As it does Eric in this case.
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I like that he admitted he didn’t think he’d get caught. While readers want our heroes to be principled, we don’t necessarily want them to be perfect, hence unrelatable.
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There are many levels to Eric, even more than I could put in this book. But I did not want to overwrite him. It is one of the dangers we as writers face. We write our character outlines, then we face how much we put into the story, and how much we leave out. Sometimes we face the ultimate dilemma of, as Stephen King puts it, “killing our darlings.” (deleting a part of the story that we think is brilliant, but hurts the story overall) I did much of that, especially with Eric. It is good to hear from such a small exchange that a character is relatable. But vulnerability and fallibility are very relatable features. Ones we often leave out of our heroes when writing them.
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Yikes! I wonder if his punishment will be that harsh.
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Ahh, the real question. The link to purchase from Amazon is below 🙂 . It is a great read. 😀
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Eric’s statement that he didn’t think he’d get caught is very telling about his character. And I get the sense, since they both laughed about that admission, that it wasn’t the main reason he did it. It’s good to have a sense of humor even in the worst of circumstances. Great snippet! Tweeted.
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While showing a sense of humor and giving an air of humanness to Eric, I also wrote this scene as a bonding point for Eric and Jacob. They are just getting to know each other. This is still early in the novel and Jacob is still a bit abrasive but lowering his guard. Thanks for the compliment, and share.
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Can’t have our heroes be so perfect we can’t identify with them. I like that he said he thought he wouldn’t get caught.
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As I said with Ed, we often write our heroes too perfect. We leave out that they can be vulnerable or fallible. There are many instances of people doing things under the guise of boldness with a hint of belief that they won’t get caught.
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I think it would be difficult to live in such a society. Even the most banal thought voiced is bound to offend ‘someone’. I also like the fact he admitted he didn’t think he’d get caught.
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As the characters in the novel will discover, it is most difficult – and challenging. Will they succeed? You’ll need to read their adventure to find out. 🙂
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This is dystopian? I wonder about the man he’s speking with–and the way he prods about him taking his “God thing” seriously. I hope he can be trusted…
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Yes, it is dystopian. The book is set in a world where there are federal laws against being offensive, especially against the government.
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What an interesting snippet. I’m getting a kick out of this and look forward to the next one.
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