Fiction Like Fire |
It's probably really cliche to say that my vision began with The Lord of the Rings, but that's the truth. Why did it make such an impression? Well, it was principally the end of Frodo's story that clinched it for me.
Plenty of other stories had offered epic battles of good versus evil and memorable characters. But Frodo's journey fascinated me. He offered himself to bear a burden that was not his; he risked everything to complete his desperate mission; he fought a battle in his mind every step of the way, knowing that each person touched by the Ring--even those with strong minds--had been tempted profoundly by its power; and, in the end, he accomplished his task by losing things he could never get back. The story sung like fire through my soul, with the burning sense of truth, of sacred and terrible things, of costly redemption. I was only eleven years old, but I already knew that sometimes the battles of life scar you forever. Yes, the victory is worth the scars, but nothing is ever the same again. The story of life changes you. 
Have you ever read a book that pierced you with its depth of soul, felt the burning in your chest that comes only when the author touches on a truth and reality so potent to you that you wonder how they knew you--knew life--so well? I have found stories of that caliber and I've reviewed some of them on this site, but there is always a need for more. And that's why I write. I made a promise to myself that I would strive to write the sort of stories that wounded you and healed you at the same time. I would write stories like fire, stories that illuminate, inquire, and ignite. 
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Illuminate
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I believe that truth often speaks loudest through fiction. Fiction does not preach. It simply lets the message speak for itself. It illuminates the truth like a purifying fire.
We need to be told that life is hard, because we know it is. We need to watch someone throw rocks at the sky and ask why, because we have been that person many times. We need to acknowledge all the rawness and hardship and suffering. In a world of lies and uncertainty, we need the unchanging thing. And then we need to know that there is more. 
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Inquire |
When we acknowledge the truth, we find the sacred. Like a fire on an altar, it offers light in the darkness and a connection to things Beyond.
We long for the assurance that we are part of something greater. We long to know that our lives have real meaning. We long to step outside of simple existence and into thriving richness of reality. 
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Ignite |
More than anything, we want to know that the story ends well. Can things be made right after so much evil has been done? Can wounds from so much pain ever heal?
It is in the sacred that we find redemption, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of its death, every feather aflame with new life. There is morning after the dark. There is hope after the sorrow. There is life after death. 
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Join the Vision |
If stories like fire appeal to you--stories with themes of truth, sacredness, and redemption--then welcome!
Sign up for my email list to get started with a FREE EBOOK of your choice! You can learn more about my books here. Drop a line here to tell me about the last story that gave you that raw, beautiful sense of life and inspired you. Or tell me your idea for a story that would fit in this vision. P.S. I do check this comment section regularly and respond as I am able, but if you want to be SURE I see your message or you have a time-sensitive communication, email me here. |