Priest Who Writes Sci Fi?

My sixth grade reading teacher gave us an assignment: to think of a story to write and prepare an outline. Embracing this assignment with gusto, I sat down after school and wrote a story about two children who were kidnaped by a spaceship. Thus began my affinity for writing science fiction.

          The same reading teacher had us reading sci fi as well. She introduced me to the works of Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov, which I devoured like fine chocolate. Later I discovered a similar taste for fantasy. The Lord of the Rings remains my absolute favorite and I’ve read the entire Harry Potter series multiple times.

          So, it’s not surprising that nearly ten years ago I began to write a sci fi trilogy. Ideas for such an opus had been with me for several years, and a sabbatical gave me the opportunity to start to put words on paper.

          Ever since, I’ve written hundreds of pages. I’ve considered and rejected numerous ideas; even scrapping the whole thing and starting over more than once. Writing it has been exciting, frustrating, and long, hard work.

Yet somehow the concept and characters continue to gnaw at me, to develop and deepen. Lately I’ve come to trust that and let go of my need to have everything flow effortlessly whenever I put pen to paper.

          My biggest learning is writing a novel is more about getting myself out of the way and letting the words come however imperfectly. The editing (a whole different process) will come later. The ideas and words flow more easily when my inner editor is turned off.

          I’ve also learned that authors rarely sit down and pound out the whole draft from start to finish! When I started, I assumed I’d be able to do that, which led to lots of frustration, as you can imagine. I have learned the wisdom of outlining, thinking through the “road map” so that I have a guide when I start writing. I’ve recently begun making a detailed outline, which has already given me surprising insights and clearer sense of where everything is going.

          People seem surprised when I tell them I’m writing a sci-fi trilogy. “But you’re a priest,” they say.   Of course, that’s how they know me. Also, I don’t give the impression of being interested in science and my personality seems more suited to writing about spiritual matters.

          For those see a disconnect between science and religion, I talk about one of the most interesting courses I took in seminary. It was taught by The Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne, who was a theoretical physicist and Anglican priest. I highly recommend his books, which are all about how science and religion address aspects of the same reality. In other words, God is big enough to embrace both!

          God gave us minds, after all, and made us capable of discovering all the wonders of how the world works. The work of research, of asking questions, developing hypotheses can be holy work. We can use the knowledge of science for good or ill, of course (that theme is in my trilogy) but that is our choice.

          Also, I’ve always believed that fiction conveys deep truths in a more accessible way than non-fiction. That’s why Jesus told parables! Through these stories, he gives us a powerful way of not only learning his teachings with our head, but of experiencing them in our heart.

          I believe that creativity and imagination are gifts from God because God is infinitely creative and imaginative. The more I engage in the spiritual practices of meditation and contemplation, the more receptive I seem to be to authentic creativity (a creativity coming from deep within my true self instead of being imposed).

          I am a priest who is writing a sci fi trilogy about three planets who share a terrible history. The main characters embark on an interplanetary quest to discover this history and in finding it, learn how to save these planets from imminent destruction. My “big, hairy, audacious” dream is that it will be published one day. For now, I am finding the process of writing it to be engaging and meaningful. It is a process that I look forward to sharing with you from time to time!