Hey all, today I am going to be tackling books that deal with witches, be them Wiccan or another form of witch. My best friend is Wiccan and so I know some about the faith and it just amazes me how some authors portray them.
Good
When you do your research by either being a witch, knowing a witch, or reading real literature by witches to determine how witches interact with their environment and other people. Using proper terms such as High Priestess and The God and Goddess are very important for your credibility, yes many of your readers may not know that it is factual, but those who know the faith do. Oh and knowing the sacred holidays is a must.
Bad
Authors who do not do the research, but instead create a new race of people who have witch like abilities, therefore they can use whatever terms they want. This can work, and I have read some books that it does work, but more often than not it falls flat and no one likes a flat book. Using Pagan and Wiccan interchangeably. This is a common error I find in many books. All Wiccan are Pagan due to them believing in two or more deities. However not all Pagan are Wiccan. I for example am not Wiccan but I am Pagan. My believe structure is not like the Wiccan one, however I do have some of the same implements that they do.
Ugly
People who completely disregard the faith and talk about whatever they want using whatever terms they want and say stuff about witches and covens that best case is just wrong, and worst case makes witches and those of the Wiccan faith look bad. Wiccans do not worship the Devil or Satan. They don’t even believe in Satan so how could they worship it/he. The Pentacle while a five pointed star is not about the Devil it is about the four elements and the spirit. I hear some of you out there saying “but I am an author so I can create my world how I see fit” Why yes you can, and I am okay with that, but if you are going along with real Witchy beliefs and then you veer off, depending on how you do it, it may not end well and it may alienate individuals who you would want to read your books. I am all about creative license, but keep smart about it.
