I may have controversial ideas. Should I write about it?

Post Reply New Topic

As an aspie I have many frustrations and strong ideas concerning neurotypical human society. I beleive that our world is plagued with far too many socio-economic and environmental problems related to human selfishness. Basically I veiw most humans as a nothing but a bunch of drunken, sex-crazed primates that will think of any excuse to get the next hit of pleasure. Meanwhile there are countless children starving to death and environments getting destroyed. This all frustrates me to the point where I have wanted to write a novel or something similar for the past ten years now.

The basic idea is a religious sci-fi epic I have tentatively called "Immaculate". It will involve humanity, religion, angels and demons. Though it has gone through many iterations over the years (which I have scrapped), the main character is a secret agent investigating a religious cult calling themsleves the Immaculate Children. They beleive that since they are virgins, they are the true children of the Virgin Mary and can become powerful and immortal demi-gods as a result. They wish to reign in a new world order where there is no more sex, alcohol, drugs or anything sinful and their agenda involves destroying bars, prophylactics and anything else related to human debauchery. Yet while they think they can solve the world's problems, they don't realize that their leader is possessed by a powerful demon that is looking to get summoned out of Hell. The main character's mission is to prevent this catastrophe. The basic idea of the story is for people to question what is really right but I really just want to use this cult's beliefs to get a few things off my chest.

This idea has been haunting and nearly depressing me. Depending on my mood I want to do something like this but at the same time it just feels wrong. I just want someone to listen to my ideas but I don't want to upset anyone either (either in religious, mainstream or autistic spectrum societies). I have written near novel length works only to scrap them out of frustration. It's gotten to the point where it is consuming me and I waste way too much free time just thinking whether I should do it or not. I feel like I want to make some sort of mark on the world (if it will have any effect that is) but I don't want to become well know for it in case I start getting death threats or something. It just seems that people are going to keep doing the same things no matter what and things will never change. I have also thought of maybe incorporating these ideas into fanfics but I feel wierd doing that with already existing characters. I have other literary ideas not related to this topic but I just have this nagging feeling to want to get these ideas out there.

So basically, I want to know if I should do this or not. Would it be a waste of time or would it have significance? Would people listen or would I just be seen as a misanthropic sociopath? I have always felt like I should just remain anyonymous and enjoy the works of others but I get so inspired to do something and you only live once. I figured someone in this community would understand. Is there somewhere I could post this kind of work or someone I can talk to?

Go ahead and do it. If you have something to say, write about it. If it's good fiction, people will read it. People will not give you death threats for writing good fiction.

Go ahead and do it. If anything, your attempt will give me hope. I started writing a short story recently, but I'm thinking the "largeness" of the subject matter might be too big for me. It involves museums and consulates and international art thieves and police procedure and Nordic racists. I'd just hate going through all that trouble and then people start going, "Oh, this is unrealistic. The writer doesn't know what he's talking about. He's a hack." Yeah, as an aspie, I despise rejection. I've already done the outline for the story, so I guess all I can do now is make each scene as realistic as possible so people reading it will say, "Oh, that can happen." IDK

No offense to you, but I really don't find it very controversial or shocking at all. Greek mythology is more shocking. It would be a bit more controversial if perhaps the main character joined forces with Lucifer or the antichrist because these Immaculate Children were going to create a great unbalance. After all what's the point of good with evil? Light without dark? The idea of an overzealous religion cult really being led by a nefarious, even demonic leader isn't terribly unoriginal, but it has been used before. Its all about execution and how well you handle the conflict and your characters, keep that in mind. Don't worry about being controversial, who cares.

Why is the main leader possessed? Does he start urging his cultists to start sacrificing the impure, burning, making sacrifices etc? It could be an interesting angle that you could go down multiple routes with. Maybe depict the demon as being a rogue who wants to strike out from his brethren and take Earth himself and this angers Lucifer or the Antichrist. The character could maybe do a ceremony to summon Lucifer prematurely since he has the power to help our main character but perhaps the twist is that he unknowingly allows himself to become possessed at the end, thus becoming Lucifer's vessel and ensuring the great tribulation as spoken of in revelations.

Nomatter what you do, all I ask is that you please portray this demon as intelligent, cunning, lawful-evil type fellow. Don't make him into yet another raging wild beast from hell that wants "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, SKULLS FOR THE SKULLTHRONE" (yes I know that's from Warhammer). Above all else make things interesting. Yes, you have a story set up but make the characters fascinating. Maybe main character is cheating on his wife (if he's married) or has skeletons in his closet he must confront. I don't know how much knowledge of demonology, the bible or demonolotary you have, but if you are going to write a book about it you should absolutely research these topics. Understand that demons (in the bible) were originally angels that rebelled alongside Lucifer because they refused to bow down to man, God's creation. Demons, despite what they may say, HATE humans and want nothing more than to either use them or make them suffer, preferably both. Humans are to blame for all great dukes and counts in hell who fell from grace. According to the certain sources, a good number of demons would even like to return to Heaven and plead their case. Demons are also highly intelligent, have Milena to wait and are not stupid, chaotic gibbering hellbeasts. I HATE seeing a demon depicted like this in a book.

I wish you the best though, your story does sound good. Keep writing, be hard on yourself but have fun too.

Thanks for the replies. I had the idea for the demon to be a Succubus but they would most certainly be intelligent and manipulative. I also hate demons being depicted as soulless, bloodthirsty creatures. I just recently came up with an idea for a short story peice that doesn't involve so much Biblical or Demonological stuff. I call it "You Want Zealot With That?" and it basically depicts a struggling reporter looking for a scoop. He comes across this zealot that preaches similar ideas to what I losted above.

That's what you do with controversial ideas, you write about them.

While I don't agree with some of the views espoused in your OP, I say write whatever story you want. I presume you live in a country with freedom of speech, which means in effect that you have the right to say more or less whatever you want (along with everyone else having the right to say they disagree with you, of course).

You could write it. If you don't want anyone else to read it, you don't have to let them. I only let a few people read my writing. I actually have a similar problem. A lot of the characters in my writing are misanthropes to some extent, some more so than others. However, they have a great love and respect for nature.

Your story idea is either extremely sharp, or its extremely obtuse.

Not sure which it is.

LIke others above Im also not sure what exactly is "contraversial" about this.
But if this extreme idealism of yours is the thing that you are labeling as "contraversial" then I agree that you're indeed being "contraversial".

Also-im confused as to where the reader's sympathy is supposed to be.

Apparently your own sympathy is with the cult members who (like you) regard society as corrupt and hedonisitc and so forth.

So that would indeed be "contraversial"-asking readers to sympathize with such a "cult". But it would not be impossible to pull off. In fact that could be a very unique journey to take readers on.

Not everyone has your extreme views-perhaps.

But who isnt repelled (in some way or another) by modern society?
So if you're a good enough a writer you could hook most readers on a vicarious journey that ends up with them in the "contraversial" destination of vicariously joining a cult and identifying with cult members. That is- taking cult followers and humanizing them and causing readers to see themselves in cult followers - could be both disturbing and enlightening to most readers- who tend to see cults as just being armies of whackos.

But here is where Im confused:

So the cult is good, and the leader is good. But for some reason the leader gets litereally "demonically possessed". So then the leader becomes evil-even though the cult are the good guys.

Have I got it right?

So the leader turns evil- but evil in order to-do what?

To further his idealistic cause?

Its sounds like the story of almost every political movement in human history!


All you're doing is plagarizing real history- the leaders of the French, or Russian, or of the Iranian revolution, all became "demonically possessed" (figuritively speaking) and turned struggles against injustice toward the dark side and doing injustice themselves.

Cult leaders like Jim Jones, and David Koresh, were either evil to begin with- or morphed into being evil.

So my question is this: Are you AWARE that your just retelling human history? Or are you doing that unwittingly?

If its the former - then you might be constructing a rather clever piece of social commentary-disguised as just another excorist knockoff thriller. That might be quite interesting.

If the latter- then you're being rather naive and UNclever in NOT seeing how this storyline LOOKS like a metaphor for so much of human history ( ie idealism being turned into evil by leaders doing "gods work" who then become metaphorically speaking "demonically possesed" ).

If that latter is the case then you better rethink what you're doing.

I really want to write a fantasy novel based on Al Qaeda from Al Qaeda's perspective. The rebels vs the evil empire.

I agree with the above posters, in that it is effectively a retelling of say, any revolution or past movement in human history.

IE A good-intentioned leader tries to help society end it's own injustices, perceived or real, and ends up creating a new, more oppressive order out of the chaos they inadvertently created.

Unless the story ends up having some new, groundbreaking idea inside of it, it's basically every other story about an evil cult ever told.

If you've ever played Command and Conquer before, or have watched Lost, then you'll know what I mean.(Kane/Brotherhood of Nod for C&C, and the "Others" for Lost)

The thing about those two examples are that they possessed two original takes on the evil cult idea.

You have to ask yourself, does my story have a unique idea that builds upon the original, almost cliche evil cult idea?

@Ganondox, while you're writing your Al Qaeda vs the Evil Empire book, don't forget to mention about the schoolgirls that get acid rained on them by their families for trying to be educated or the wives who get their noses chopped off for supposedly looking at other men.

Kewl!

I can relate to your feelings about the world around you and the discrepencies that comes with it. If you want to express your feelings through writing, by all means, go with it. Why keep the issues you are struggling with bottled up? The idea for your fictional writing sounds interesting. There will always be someone out there somewhere waiting to attempt to harshly criticize any form of art. Maybe they are jealous, who knows? Please don't let your fear of scrutinization prohibit you from creative ideas.

Hmm yes it could perhaps be something that was done before. I will have to look at it some more.