Behind the Scenes of the Writing of Simon
The book Simon has now been read my numerous people from all over the country. There are a few questions I’m frequently asked and a few consistent comments that I had not anticipated. I would like to share my thoughts on these.
But first, I am grateful for the responses to the novel. As a first-time author there has been a constant lurking uneasiness in the back of my mind. It has me questioning the clarity of my writing believing that it is clunky, redundant, and lifeless. It has me questioning the value of the story wondering if it is any good, blasphemous, or laughable (probably riddled with plot holes, inconsistencies, and parts that just don’t make sense). It has me thinking that readers will find the story dull, boring, and worthy of the garbage can.
However, as I have worked on the story of Simon of Cyrene, time and time again I have had a strong feeling that the story is good. And being good, it will resonate with people, and they will find themselves considering the themes of book in new ways. I have always believed a good story induces our minds to reflection, motivates us, and encourages us to good actions. So far, responses to the story lead me to negate the uneasiness in my mind and hold fast to the positive experiences’ readers are having.
Let’s jump in and have some fun with some common questions!
Why do the chapters jump back and forth in time?
Hands down this is the most common question I’ve received. There are two reasons why this structure was used. Let’s take a quick step back and look at the layout.
By in large, with the exception of the last few chapters, the even numbered chapters cover Simon’s experience carrying the cross and the events at Golgotha. The odd chapters cover Simon’s experiences leading up to his time in Jerusalem.
The First Reason
The core and meat of the story are the even chapters; however, these tend to be the shortest, on average being only 5 pages in length. I wanted those pivotal parts to be throughout the novel and not just packed at the end of the story.
To accomplish this, alternating chapters that go further back in time in Simon’s life (odd chapters) were used to separate the minute by minute and hour by hour progression of that fateful day in Jerusalem. The second reason is tied to this structure and was built in with the very first draft.
The Second Reason
Each odd chapter has a lesson Simon learns which prepares him for a specific moment on that road with Christ. I wanted to convey the idea that God prepares us, even if we don’t know it, for things which are to come and sometimes those lessons span decades in preparation for something significant. I structured the chapters so the most recent lesson for Simon – which corresponds to the last leg of Simon’s journey to Jerusalem – aligns with a moment, in descending order, that transpires between Christ and Simon. If that isn’t confusing enough!
For example, the theme of Chapter 1 is “The Beauty of the Earth.” In that chapter Simon has a profound experience noticing the delicate and grand majesty of plants, rocks, and scenery. Read closely and you will see the theme continued in the description of the people along that road, albeit through Simon’s eyes which have not yet made the connection between people and what nature taught earlier in the day. The lesson of this chapter is mirrored in Chapter 19 as Simon gains a profound insight about people and the earth by observing Christ’s last mortal moments.
The theme of Chapter 3 corresponds with Chapter 16. Chapter 5 to Chapter 14, and so on. I’ve given you the first theme. See if you can decipher the other eight!
In truth, so subtle are the themes that tie Simon’s past experiences to what occurs on the road to Golgotha that I don’t expect readers to pick up on them - at least without knowing the structure. Especially because I didn’t put the themes side by side, instead they bridge chapters from other parts of the book. In essence, it is a creative way to depict a potential way God’s hand is revealed in our own lives.
Just in case a visual is more helpful. Here is the layout of the timeline of the book!
Is Chapter 5 a sort of the Good Samaritan?
This happens to be one of my favorite chapters! It is a complex one too, covering three distinct situations, which all carry the same theme (see previous question!) albeit in different ways. I refer to the second situation in this chapter as the “Reverse Samaritan” or the “Good Jew.”
Geographically the region where Simon is at for this chapter places him within the realm of the Samaritans. Simon of Cyrene is a Jew, but a deep disposition within his character kicks in causing him to act in a way that his logical mind reels at. The reason for his actions is not the one you may be thinking, for Simon has moved passed historical reasons to despise others.
If you really want to clinch the beauty of this chapter, make sure to keep it in mind when you come to Chapter 14!
Why is the rending of the veil at the temple in Jerusalem not prominent?
I have been surprised to get this question a few times. Though the rending of the veil at the temple in Jerusalem was a significant event of that day it is a detail that Simon (at least according to this story) does not witness. I wanted this story to be solely from the perspective of Simon. Hence there are no references to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ various trials, or burial because Simon was not present to witness those.
The rending of the temple’s veil is referenced in Chapter 18 from the gossip Simon hears in the streets of Jerusalem. However, Simon, having been through so much that day, was not mentally, physically, or spiritually present to connect the dots on the importance of that event having come to pass.
It's kind of like when we have a day that is just crazy, hectic, or emotionally draining and then something else occurs that we would normally take note of, but due to the situation of the day it pales in comparison to the other circumstances our mind is trying to comprehend.
Why are all mentions of the Messiah capitalized expect for one?
This question is typically expressed more as a suggestion. “I noticed on page 73 that the world Messiah is not capitalized, but it is elsewhere.” Ah ha ha, I think. It worked!
Readers see it as a grammatical error, and it causes a bit of a cringe. Given, the zing of finding a grammatical error is not what I was attempting to convey, but I did want it to have a specific meaning. Look very closely at that section of the story. Start reading from the last paragraph on page 72 and go to “nowhere to be found” three quarters of the way down page 73.
Enter the subtle, dark, maniacal influence of he who seeks to destroy good, twist truth, belittle the work of God, and cast doubt upon the Savior of the world. By lowercasing that instance of the title Messiah, I wanted to convey that idea of doubt, belittling, and lies that are subtly crafted by the evil one in an attempt to get us to question what we have come to know.
What is the significance of the cover design?
Fun fact, I drew the design that would become the cover of this book in 2015. I did it completely freehand, in ink, and without any pre-sketches or planning on the paper. At the time I had no intention of continuing work on the book Simon, having shelved it the year prior, and the idea of making a design for it was nowhere in my mind.
Check out the full Atonement design here!
Shout out to Cara, who sat next to me in church and watched me draw it over the course of many weeks. Upon receiving her copy of Simon she reached out and asked if the cover design was the design she had watched me draw. Indeed it is!
In 2015 I set out to create a design that represented my understanding of the Atonement of Christ. There were ten main parts I wanted to capture. Here are those ten points and how they are represented.
The atonement covers our pains – This is represented at the bottom of the design by a bramble of thorns. This doubles as the crown of thorns that was put upon Christ’s head by the Roman soldiers. It represents both the pains we feel, and the pain Christ felt.
Pain is covered in the atonement for it is taught, “And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.” - 2 Nephi 9:21
The atonement covers our sorrows – This is represented in the middle of the design with the tear drops. This doubles as the tears that we cry, and the drops of blood Jesus shed for us.
Sorrow is covered in the atonement for it is taught, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” - Isaiah 53:4
The atonement covers our sins – This is represented by the meandering black lines that descend from the arc near the top of the design. It is to show that sin can start out plain and simple, but when pursued it becomes harder to distinguish, and fills our life. This leads into point number four.
There are many scriptures that teach that the atonement covers sin, but one of my favorites is, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” - Matthew 26:28
Sin, Sorrow, and Pain can be tied together. Sin leads to sorrow, sorrow leads to pain. The reverse can occur as well, pain leads to sorrow, sorrow can lead to sin. If unchecked each can lead from one to the next in a downward progression. However…
Sin, Sorrow, and Pain can be independent of each other. Notice there are tear drops within larger tear drops. They are not tied to sin or pain. These may be caused due to outside forces beyond our capacity to control and not from any wrongdoing on our part. Notice some of the thorns are singular, not crossing paths with any others or touching the other elements. There is an exception with the third element of sin. The Scriptures teach that “Wickedness never was happiness” so all sin is tied to sorrow. We may not feel sorrow for our sins, but we cannot achieve happiness through them.
As we get closer to the Atonement more light will fill our soul – and the further you get away from the Atonement the more darkness enters your soul. This is represented by the bottom of the design being dominated by black ink (the furthest away from the word Atonement), whereas the top of the design is dominated by white space (the closest to the word Atonement). We approach the atonement by coming to Christ, repenting of our sins, trusting in our Savior, and seeking to improve our lives to adhere to the gospel of Christ.
Through the Atonement death is overcome – This is represented by the thin arc over the arc of sin. The arc design was chosen to represent the top of a traditional gravestone, which are typically a vertical rectangle with an arched top. The thin arc also has rays of light coming off it to represent light or life beyond the grave. Placing the word Atonement over this arc was on purpose to show it overcame death.
That the Atonement raises us above all pains, sorrows, and sins – This is built in to the previous point, but is the main reason why there is a gap between the arc of sin and the arc of light. Through the atonement we leave all the sin, sorrow, and pain behind and move into an existence of light, joy, and peace.
That Christ walked the entirety of the road of mortality – This is represented by the double meaning of the thorns as the crown of thorns, the tear drops as His drops of blood, and the sin being thick near tears, thinning as it rises, and disappearing as it approaches the word Atonement. This is to show that Christ experienced all of it, understands it, and knows the exact situation of all of God’s children because of is all encompassing atonement.
The ultimate outcome through the Atonement is eternal life, progression, and light – This is represented by the top portion of the design, with light beams pointing upward never to be stopped. It is a realm dominated by light, separated from the burdens of mortality.
I hope you get the chance to read Simon. Though it is a fictional story about Simon of Cyrene, I believe it helps open our minds to the significance of a seemingly random person, who was far away from his home, being chosen to carry the cross of Christ.
I don’t believe an experience with Christ is by chance. Which means I don’t believe Simon of Cyrene just happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time. On the contrary, I think he was in the right place at the right time prepared to have a significant and personal experience with the Savior of the world.
If you have other questions relating to the book, please leave them in the comments below!