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why are there so many Mormon Genre Witers? "Something in the Water?”

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LokiL Since: Jun, 2010
#1: Oct 22nd 2011 at 9:36:54 AM

Recently I stumbled upon this article: http://mormonartist.net/issue-13/introduction/ about the overabundance of Mormon genre writers. I never really thought about it before, but there do seem to be quite a lot of them many of them are even somewhat famous and successful and others are quite good, a few are both. The article tries to find a reason for this overabundance (besides being predisposed to escapism and believing in silly things), but there is probably some cultural explanation. What do you think?

This phenomenon is probably not enough for a tvtropes entry (otherwise we would also need an entry for things like Jewish golden age comic artists and writers), but it is still interesting.

MangaManiac Since: Aug, 2010
#2: Oct 22nd 2011 at 10:13:13 AM

I dunno, most writers are people and some people are Mormons?

Never heard of this Mormon Genre before.

MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#3: Oct 22nd 2011 at 10:44:38 AM

I think it's supposed to be Genre writers (i.e. writing anything besides Lit Fic) who are Mormons. Not a Mormon genre.

terlwyth Since: Oct, 2010
#4: Oct 22nd 2011 at 2:27:34 PM

It's not "something in the water at all"

The explanation makes a lot of sense

It's stated that Mormons "Believe all things,hope all things,endure many things,and hope to be able to endure all things",now that's fairly recurring theme in Fantasy. And the whole quest to become like God through agency,well that makes writing Character Development fairly easy.

And of course writers see their job as a service do they not and important in the stereotypical "Hero's Journey".That also helps a bit.

Maybe the idea of chastity also helps (even though Meyer seemingly encourages the opposite via Trauffat Was Right)

NLK Mo A Since: May, 2010
#5: Oct 22nd 2011 at 2:49:29 PM

Yeah, but why just Mormons? A lot of religions have similar beliefs.

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MangaManiac Since: Aug, 2010
#6: Oct 22nd 2011 at 3:36:48 PM

How many non-Mormon authors are there?

Moth13 Since: Sep, 2010
#7: Oct 22nd 2011 at 4:46:27 PM

Approximately four billion.

MangaManiac Since: Aug, 2010
#8: Oct 22nd 2011 at 5:34:49 PM

How many Mormon authors are there?

Moth13 Since: Sep, 2010
wuggles (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#10: Oct 22nd 2011 at 6:00:36 PM

I'm just guessing here. Aren't Mormons discouraged from seeing rated R movies? I think fantasy and sci fi books are relatively easy to write without involving sex scenes or profanity, whereas if they wrote Lit Fic, people might think they are just trying to preach or convert.

MrShine Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Hoping Senpai notices me
#11: Oct 22nd 2011 at 6:02:22 PM

whereas if they wrote Lit Fic, people might think they are just trying to preach or convert.

Lit fic is mainly read by adults, fantasy and sci-fi is often read by impressionable teen males.

edited 22nd Oct '11 6:02:46 PM by MrShine

feotakahari Fuzzy Orange Doomsayer from Looking out at the city Since: Sep, 2009
Fuzzy Orange Doomsayer
#12: Oct 22nd 2011 at 6:28:46 PM

Looked at the article. I find it interesting how much the moral systems of these authors differ—I don't know what moral system Mormonism encourages, but I rather doubt that both Card and Sanderson write within it. (Maybe it's because, as one of the commenters points out, the genre of "Christian" books effectively excludes Mormon writers. Someone writing for a specifically Christian publisher needs to toe the line more than someone writing for a more general publisher.)

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful
TheEmeraldDragon Author in waiting Since: Feb, 2011
Author in waiting
#13: Oct 22nd 2011 at 6:55:04 PM

I can't say I've noticed any greater numbers of Mormon writers as opposed to any other group. To that end, in fact, I can only think of one. And I don't think Meyers is exactly who they would wany as their poster child.

I am a nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore, I am perfect.
ElderAtropos Since: Jan, 2012
#14: Oct 22nd 2011 at 6:58:46 PM

[up] Well, there's Orson Scott Card. And he was pretty good...for a while...

PDown It's easy, mmkay? Since: Jan, 2012
It's easy, mmkay?
#15: Oct 22nd 2011 at 9:09:30 PM

I was completely shocked to discover that SM was a Mormon or that people supported her books for a pro-abstinence message, because of how completely over-sexed the marketing is.

Heh heh, her initials are SM.

At first I didn't realize I needed all this stuff...
Drakyndra Her with the hat from Somewhere Since: Jan, 2001
Her with the hat
#16: Oct 23rd 2011 at 1:52:14 AM

I could make a snarky comment about their entire religion being based on fantasy fiction, but that would be mean.

I tend to agree with the point made in the article about Mormon writers being very open and talkative about their religion in relation to their writing - aside from some pointedly atheist/agnostic writers I read, most of the authors I read I have no idea about their religious beliefs. Because they don't really talk about them much.

Isn't Mormonism one of the door-to-door religions? I think it's just socially ingrained for Mormons to proselytize about their beliefs.

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RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#17: Oct 23rd 2011 at 2:23:35 AM

Maybe Mormonism just has fewer of the "Harry Potter converts children to Satanism!!" people.

TheEmeraldDragon Author in waiting Since: Feb, 2011
Author in waiting
#18: Oct 23rd 2011 at 3:47:49 AM

Drakyndra, If their entire relgion is based on Fantasy Fiction, what does that say about the rest of Christianity?

And no, it is the Jahova Witnesses that go door-to-door.

I am a nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore, I am perfect.
DoktorvonEurotrash Lex et Veritas from Not a place of honour (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#19: Oct 23rd 2011 at 4:23:13 AM

I really want to see whether Mormonism is statistically overrepresented compared to other religions in speculative fiction. Yes, Orson Scott Card and Stephenie Meyer get a lot of press as "Mormon authors". Would there be the same focus on their faith if they were Protestant? Probably not.

And I really don't see a correlation between your personal beliefs and whether you write fantasy or not. That is to say, your beliefs (or lack thereof) will probably influence your writing in subtle ways. But it's not like only people who believe in the supernatural are allowed to write fantasy, and atheists aren't allowed to write anything other than realistic fiction.

Drakyndra Her with the hat from Somewhere Since: Jan, 2001
Her with the hat
#20: Oct 23rd 2011 at 6:05:18 AM

[up][up]Pretty much the same thing, I suppose. In my experience, there's some crazy shit in the Bible.

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RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#21: Oct 23rd 2011 at 6:14:45 AM

[up][up] But there are some people whose religious beliefs forbid writing fantasy, because just writing about magical powers is considered too close to blasphemy.

That's why I was really surprised to discover Brandon Sanderson was a devout Mormon; he puts so many invented religions in his books, makes them so varied, and treats them all with such respect that I never would have guessed he was a devout anything. I figured someone with their own passionately held religious beliefs wouldn't be so willing and eager to create worlds where their religion is wrong.

LokiL Since: Jun, 2010
#22: Oct 23rd 2011 at 6:38:00 AM

Howard Taylor the Author of Schlock Mercenary has an interesting article on the phenomenon in his blog:

http://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/meme-in-a-monoculture

I also think that it is a very real thing. Mormons only make up about 1.4 percent of US citizens and only minuscule amounts of the population outside the US, but they seem to be represented far more than 1 in 70 among Sci-Fi and Fantasy authors. But there doesn't seem to be much of a common trend in their works. Tracy Hickman for example seems to have little in common with Stephanie Meyer except for being a female Mormon fantasy author. In fact most of the authors don't seem to be influenced by their religion at all. And you would never guess or even wonder about it unless explicitly told. You might start to see influences if you look again at their works afterwards but most it is probably just interpreted into it after the fact. Of course there are always exceptions like the original Battlestar Galactica which was almost blatantly the book of Mormon in space. But most Mormon Genre writers like above mentioned Sci-Fi Webcomic writer Howard Taylor or Dave Wolverton/David Farland of Star Wars Expanded Universe and Runelord fame might as well be atheists for all that religion crops up in their works.

MrShine Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Hoping Senpai notices me
#23: Oct 23rd 2011 at 8:20:55 AM

There is one other religion that heavily promotes itself via fantasy/science fiction: scientology.

Galeros Slay foes with bow and arrow Since: Jan, 2001
Slay foes with bow and arrow
#24: Oct 23rd 2011 at 9:59:12 AM

Tracy Hickman for example seems to have little in common with Stephanie Meyer except for being a female Mormon fantasy author.

Tracy Hickman is a man.

silver2195 Since: Jan, 2001
#25: Oct 23rd 2011 at 10:21:57 AM

[up][up][up]Religion actually does crop up in Schlock Mercenary, but mainly to point out how silly the Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions trope is.

Currently taking a break from the site. See my user page for more information.

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