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How characters with conviction drive story

October 19, 2015 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

It would be impossible for me to recollect how many times I have heard people say to me, “All religions are really the same. So I don’t believe in any of them.” I think they thought it was impressive to say it, perhaps politically correct and socially accepted in our culture. Besides betraying a lack of knowledge or understanding of what divides religious groups, what they were really saying was, “I’ve given up on searching for absolute truth, so I am not accountable to any worldview.”

Interesting? Not really. It’s sad. Sad that an individual will fall into the trap of giving up on finding the basis for their convictions. Their ethics become based on feelings and emotions, as they are subject to no supreme authority. It brings to mind that verse in Revelation 3:16. It is pertinent to quote it here: “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.”

Conversely, I have encountered people of faiths that differ from mine who will tell me in no uncertain terms where they stand. People like that I can respect, even if our beliefs are polarizingly opposed. They know what they believe and why they believe it.

When writing fiction this is an important consideration. What kind of characters do you want to create? Do you want generic individuals so that you have to rely on the plot? Or would you rather have characters of conviction who stand firm on what they believe and why they believe it?

Looking at history demonstrates this repeatedly. If a simple monk had not stood against the Pope, we would never have heard of Martin Luther. If Hitler’s worldview had not been so polar-opposed to Stalin’s socialism, he may not have turned on Russia.

A story that is filled with characters of conviction leaves a lasting impact on the reader because the reader finds themselves rooting for some while condemning others. Characters with conviction can be praised or condemned for their choices and actions. Characters without conviction follow the whims of society and leave little lasting impact.

Conviction feeds growth. It makes people uncomfortable or inspires them, but it certainly leaves an impact on society. Characters of conviction drive story. We can root for them or watch them fall.

Storytelling is a powerful vehicle for exploring the best and the worst in humanity. But characters without conviction fade into the background. They neither angered nor thrilled us… Well, perhaps I am wrong in that. Sometimes they do anger us in the same way that those types do in real life.

Q: Do you recognize what convictions drive your favorite fiction characters?

Filed Under: inspiration, writing Tagged With: characters, conviction, fiction, history, writing

How we create Tomorrowland today

June 1, 2015 by AuthorAppleton 1 Comment

While watching the new Disney film Tomorrowland I found myself relating to its overriding theme: Negative thinking steers our world toward a negative outcome. Positive thinking steers us toward positive results. I found myself asking, “What kind of a future world do I want to create?”

Doom and gloom. The news is full of it, and people gobble it up.

I have collected most of the old Disney family films and one I really appreciate is Pollyanna. Based off of the book, this is the tale of an orphan girl who shares her message of positivity with the negative townsfolk. In my favorite scene of the movie she reads to the pastor from the quote on a locket that her father gave to her.

“If you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.” -Abraham Lincoln

In the movie Tomorrowland we explore the future that is created by our negative thinking. But what interested me most was considering the kind of future we can have if we approach things from a positive outlook.

If we look back through history there have been times of great darkness that only ended because a few brave souls stood against it. They chose to think positively and imagine creatively. Christian martyrs did not let intense persecution stifle their message, the message of Christ that created western society as we know it. Inventors like Tesla did not let negativity or adversity stop them in their ingenuity. The founding fathers of the United States did not let a tyrant or the cost of liberty stop them from proudly touting that message of a nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

For my part I want to return to the positive outlook. The world I see is cars flying instead of driving. Solar and wind-powered cities… More than this, let’s look beyond the technology and anticipate a society that fears and worships God. Where the young and the old care for each other. A return to the values that made this country great.

We are living in the Future our American ancestors Envisioned. Dreams become reality.

Q: What future do you envision?

Filed Under: fiction, movies, Science Fiction Tagged With: America, Christianity, Disney, future, history, new movies, Pollyanna, science fiction, Tomorrowland

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