Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Biblical Women

The story I decided to read this week is Biblical Women written by the authors of the Bible.

The story of The Witch of Endor is quite interesting. Although King Saul was probably used to getting his way, the witch wasn't automatically willing to give up her safety to help him. She said " Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" I think I could definitely use this is useful aspect of this story for my story. Also, I think having the main character (like Saul) have to "struggle" to get what he/she wants instead of it being handed over keeps the story interesting.

The story of Bathsheba is also so intriguing. I say this because even though she made the bad decisions and David did what he did to Uriah, she still loved Uriah and "mourned for her husband". This could be an interesting aspect to add to a story where "love conquers all" even one individual (like David) feels like they have the other's feelings "in the bad".

In the story of Esther, one “favorite moment” or aspect that I have is the whole idea of Esther’s secret that she is keeping from the king. In addition, not only is she keeping a big secret, she doesn't know what will happen if she tells the king- be killed or that it will save her people. I find this interesting because the character that you “least” expect to have the “answer” to the problem or to know valuable information, is the one that has it. Also, another important aspect is to never be fooled by character’s “kindness”, they may be the most evil ones.

Next, the story of Susanna shows the possibility of someone proving someone else “wrong” when it comes to a decision. This could be useful when thinking about the plot of a story and if we should automatically assume what’s said is true. In the stories about Mary, this shows to never be surprised with a “plot twist” in the story. The author can change the story completely in the matter of one situation. Lastly, it’s important to watch how different characters will act in different ways towards situation, other characters, and troubles they are facing (Mary and Martha’s reactions).

Esther being dressed by her maids. This could possibly be before she tells the kind she is a Jew (hence her looking sad or worried). Source: Esther

Week 2 Reading Diary: Bible Women

I hope I did this correctly! 

The story I decided to read this week is Biblical Women written by the authors of the Bible. 

There were a few moments that stood out to me during the first section of reading. For one, all of the women mentioned were the ones who were being put to the test in the story. Also, in all of the stories the woman was the one who enacted the “plot twist” for the story with a major decision. For example, with Eve, it was a decision she made to eat the fruit. With Sarah, it was also about a decision she made about letting Abraham sleep with Hagar. With Hagar, it was a little different; she had to make a decision as to whether or not she believed enough in God to save her and her son. These women, along with the rest ended up being the surprise “game changer” for the story. This common plot throughout all of the stories is interesting and could be useful for writing my own stories. I could use the idea of having the same plot for all parts of the story and having different characters be the ones who make the story turn out that way. In addition, like the Biblical women stories, I could continue the theme of having all the “same” main character in each part. Meaning, I could use all female or male, adults or children, or even animals as the one “type” of character that always seems to be the one who changes the plot of the story. Lastly, I think the setup of the stories is interesting to look at as well. They were all “headed” one way, then the big decisions were made (by the women), then the story completely changed from it’s original plan. However, with these decisions, God always turned the story around, possibly making it end even better than it could have before. This type of character could be used as a God, hero, or "fairy godmother" type of character in my story.

Photo showing Hagar's trust in the Lord to protect her and her son (with an angel) after being sent away by Abraham. Source by Tiepolo on: Wikimedia Commons