A Word to Those Who Create Stories:
There is a tremendous fascination with the anti-hero in literature and media these days, to the point that noble characters are often dismissed outright as one-dimensionally nostalgic. A word to all you writers out there: Do not grow weary in creating good, or at least in creating protagonists who are capable of redemptive choices. Here is some encouragement from the brilliant novelist Mark Helprin:
A lot of people hate heroes. I was criticized for portraying people who are brave, honest, loving, intelligent. That was called weak and sentimental. People who dismiss all real emotion as sentimentality are cowards. They’re afraid to commit themselves, and so they remain ‘cool’ for the rest of their lives, until they’re dead—then they’re really cool.
Be truthful about the ruinious effects of Original Sin, by all means. But don't be so cool you miss chances to infuse your work with the shimmering realities of Original Grace.
May God bless the work of your hands,
Carolyn Arends
www.carolynarends.com
www.feedthelake.com
Looking for a place to feel inspired and challenged? Like to share a smile or a laugh? Interested in becoming more familiar with Canadian writers who have a Christian worldview? We are writers who live in different parts of Canada, see life from a variety of perspectives, and write in a number of genres. We share the goal of wanting to entertain and inspire you to be all you can be with God's help.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
Write Canada is more than a professional networking conference. It’s a safe place where beginning and intermediate writers can learn ...
-
Inspiration hardly strikes on an empty stomach. For this, and other reasons, writers must eat. And if you like minced beef (and you...
-
On Thanksgiving Sunday, our daughter and son-in-law blessed us with our first grandchild. My heart sings as I gaze in ...
-
Prediction, retrodiction, and malediction ... It's not even six a.m. here in EST, and already 230 people have visited the Post-Darwinist...
-
Recently, as an experienced writer, I was asked to participate in the evaluation of poetry. I felt ill equipped for the job but p...
-
by Rev Ed Hird One of the best loved Christmas Carols is the 146-year-old carol: Good King Wenceslas. In 1853, John Mason Neale chose Wences...
-
Hi from Denyse O’Leary on behalf of the Ottawa Christian Writers’ Fellowship, suggesting you join us April 2 if you are in the area, for al...
-
I'm writing this blog minutes before the clock strikes midnight. When you read it I will be collecting the final few memorie...
-
By Rev. Dr. Ed and Janice Hird Never underestimate the power of a praying mom. Has your life been impacted by a sacrificial mother w...
-
By Rev Ed Hird Worry, fear, and anger are the greatest disease-causers. They can literally eat us alive, from the inside out. The root of mo...
2 comments:
Carolyn,
I heartily agree with your point re the current fascination with the anti-hero.
Bravo! to Mark Helprin for his stance regarding genuine emotion and his insistance on developing protagonists "capable of redemptive choices."
Wow, Carolyn, I didn't know this… but it makes sense now that I read about it. Is it any wonder our kids are confused about their identities when they don't see a noble idealism held up as something worth aspiring to? Instead, there's this message to be mediocre, to blend in and assimilate. Yikes!
Thank God for youth leaders and teachers and parents who draw out and affirm strength of character in our kids. And thank God for his word that, over and over again, confirms his desire for mighty men and women of God to stand up and stand out and make a difference.
Thanks for sharing,
Lesley-Anne
Post a Comment