M3 Bible: Language: Creation & Eden

            Yeah, you thought we were done with Eden, didn’t you. One last bit.

            Okay, we’ve been through all of four chapters of Genesis and a smidgen of the Talmud to talk about Lilith. All told, we haven’t been through that much material, but it’s densely packed with story metaphors, and implications. And that was just separately. Now let’s tackle them together.

F3 Future Imperfect

            Thanksgivings had become harder since Paul and Connie died. I did my best to join Ma, Dad, and Cassie in Florida, but financial realities often got in the way. And when I did, I did my best to keep myself upbeat for Cassie. It was hardest on her. But alone in my house on Thanksgiving with only a deli-prepared turkey dinner as comfort, I was left to introspective thoughts.

Mood Reading

            It’s a curious thing about books and stories: within the first few lines or paragraphs, readers implicitly know the mood of the story. They know what kind of story it’s going to be. But if asked, the reader would not be able to identify anything concretely as an indicator of the mood. The word choices and sentence structures indicate mood, but usually only other writers can pick up on it.

            I’ve noticed the same thing when it comes to speaking in public or teaching. The room has a mood. Stand-up comics know this because they must “read the room” or remark that it’s a “tough room.”

Bible: Eden: Consequences

            The consequences of Adam and Eve are tough for most people. There have been centuries of interpretations of this story, but tradition alone doesn’t mean that a given interpretation is correct. There are other considerations such as translation, but, more importantly, how the story is read.

            God is often interpreted as being stern and a punisher. Adam and Eve disobeyed, so he will take out his divine wrath upon them. Pronouncements about their death, their cursings, and even the fate of the serpent all lend themselves to this interpretation.

F3 Tools of The Trade

            Haral Braithwaite looked skeptically at the design, but shrugged and set to work. He had to stop several times while he smithed the steel, not because the design was overly complicated, but because it was terribly simple: a long, round piece of steel intersected by a handle sticking out at a right angle. A small dome of steel prevented slipping, and the handle was curved to allow it to fit comfortably in the hand. Small lines in the steel would provide a little grip without sacrificing strength.

Reflections

            I’ve been pondering reflections, but not the ones in mirrors. I’m more interested in societal reflections. I’ve had a theory that the news and media do less to shape events and attitudes than they do to reflect them.

M3 Bible: Eden: Eve's Choice

            It’s clear that Eve is soaking this up. But then, why wouldn’t she? Eve is not a rube. She’s not completely clueless. She’s intelligent, but unexperienced. This can lead people into thinking that she’s naïve, and well, in a way, she is. But, factually, she’s never had any dealings with someone of a duplicitous nature. There’s no reason for Eve not to believe the serpent. She’s spoken to God and she’s spoken to Adam, and neither of them have been duplicitous for any reason, so she has no way to gauge that.

F3 Bad Day

            I did my best to stay calm, but my skin crawled with the energy of the day. I clutched at my pendant to Tyche through my shirt, and stayed firmly under the covers of my bed. The bed was as safe as anywhere else in the house, maybe safer.

            Maybe.

            The phone rang, and I jumped. I let it go to the machine.

Armistice

            In the States we celebrate Veterans’ Day, a kind of catch-all to remember those who have served in the military, especially those who have been in conflict. I can get behind this idea. I have deep respect for the military. In trying to write Peter Flynn, I wanted to get the details of the lifestyle as correct as possible (while projecting it several hundred years into the future, of course).

M3 Bible: Eden: The Serpent's Pitch

            So, now we’re moving into this. Our first stop is that Eve is approached by the serpent. As said last week, the serpent is clever. This doesn’t adequately convey the serpent’s abilities. The serpent could have a blindfolded chess match with Odysseus and win.

            We’re not sure where that cleverness comes from. It’s easy to attribute the serpent as being someone else in disguise, but as discussed last week, we’re not doing that. We just don’t have the evidence for it. However, it could just as easily be a reference to how serpents (snakes) are able to insinuate themselves into places where they can strike. They are cunning hunters, and very stealthy, so it could be these attributes that are referenced.

F3 Regime Change

            The long night had ended. Alex smiled again as he looked at the announcement that Carl was retiring. At long last the man’s oppressive and downward spiral policies for the history department would be over.

            Alex looked up at the knock on his door. Rebecca Pullman stood there with a grin on her face.

            “You did it,” she said.

NaNo Time Again

            I’ve waffled about doing NaNoWriMo for the past couple of years, but done it anyway. Now I’m back on board and writing. I’ve got the project, I’ve got the will, but whether or not I can find the time with a full load of classes is up for grabs. I’m going for it, though. I’ve even done a lot of prep work on this story, more than I’ve ever done for past books. I’ve got semi-detailed chapter outlines and have done some world building for this one.

            It also helps that I watched a lot of movies in preparation for this. What? It’s for research. Honest!

M3 Bible: Eden: The Setup

            Like with Creation, get ready, this is going to be a wild ride.

            We’re all familiar with how it goes. Life in the garden is good, there are two trees, but don’t eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Stop. That’s important. It’s not the Tree of Knowledge. It’s the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It’s quite specific on that point. I’ve looked at half a dozen translations, twice that number of commentaries, and that point is never abridged: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Again, it’s very important.