How do I write a mystical pregnancy for a modern audience?

[Erebus]

I would like to do a mystical pregnancy for a story, with the female as the main character. One of the gods from the world pantheon wishes to be reincarnated into the physical realm in order to experience what it is like to be human. Do to ancient laws made eons ago, gods cannot enter the realm in their true form. He proposes the woman to allow herself to be used as a conduit to be born into the mortal world in exchange for power, which she accepts.

I wanted to write the pregnancy from the perspective of the mother, and make it unique due to the factor of a god being involved. The subsequent birth is supposed to be beautiful and intense, so I would like to include that as well. I would appreciate any tips and advice on writing it. Should I go into the gritty details? What should be shown or glossed over? How much is too much? How do I avoid making it tacky or cheesy to the reader?

 

[Skybreaker Sin K'al]

My advice is ask someone who has given birth what it feels like and work off that. Obviously you'll have to work in the mystical factor yourself, but try to make it feel as grounded as possible.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

One thing to make sure of is to allow the woman the choice whether to consent to it or not.

 

[Sharad9]

One thing to make sure of is to allow the woman the choice whether to consent to it or not.

do you think tropes like this should die? or can it be done with taste?

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

^What exactly do you mean?

 

[Sharad9]

^What exactly do you mean?

i mean do you think certain tropes shouldnt be used today because they are outdated. the whole idea of the immaculate conception and the issue of purity, and moral hangups about sex and body image.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

I was more thinking about the 'female character being impregnated by some supernatural force without consent' thing. I'm really sick of it.

 

[elemtilas]

Well, the woman in the story did consent. And not only that, she sold herself for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver to boot.

As for tropes, issues of sex, morality, body image, purity and the like are all intimately and inherently human in nature. They are always appropriate fodder for a good writer and will never die so long as human beings are human beings.

As for the trope "female character being impregnated by some supernatural force without consent", that too is fair game. The question really is not "should the trope itself die", but rather "what does a writer of the present time do with it"?

But, if you want a powerful exposition of a woman being impregnated via supernatural force, responding with grace, humility and full willing consent, you can hardly find a better than let it be to me according to your word.

As for the Immaculate Conception, that's what happened to Mary. You know, before she was born. That is, as a theological concept, it doesn't bear at all upon the OP's story.