The Forgotten Power of Reading
The books that have made lasting impressions on me are always the ones with multifaceted characters. The more complex the character and the more emotional development that they go through, the more believable and intriguing a story. Because of how my love of literature has progressed over the years, I strive to write elloquently, entertainingly, and personally. Eloquently to create clear mental images, entertainingly to spur a reader on, and personally to create an investment in a storyline. I have laughed aloud, swore, cried, and stayed up until 6am because of a well written book... So, on the flip side of that, I hope that when someone reads my work, they view the characters as true-to-life, the landscape as vivid, and the conflict as highly relatable. Nobody is strong all the time, a coward all the time, or chipper all the time, etc etc. Everyone rides highs and fall into lows! So shouldn't a book character do the same? Situations in life allow a person to act upon different aspects of their personality and abilities- THAT is the reason why I have always tried to make characters not only struggle in a believable manner but develop and redeem themselves in a believable manner as well. One of the main characters in Descendants of War is Silvia, a woman who has faced an unmentionable amount of loss and heartbreak but has also lived through peace with great confidence. She has just as much, if not more, internal conflict as she does external. Her pride, self-value, happiness, strength, and life-outlook all get shaken to the core over the course of the series. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say her journey to re-center herself and find contentment after turmoil and change, is a process I'm sure we all can identify with. Life is ever changing, and so are we. We learn to cope, we learn to fogive, we grow stronger, become braver, work harder, and find new hope. That is the circle of life- to fall down only to get up more resilient and more determined. To me, one's personal journey is just about the most important thing out there. Finding internal peace means you have the energy and ability to then turn to others to assist them on their journey toward peace. That's the answer, isn't it, to getting along with others? If you're confident in your own being you are more open to kindness and less likely to take hatred to heart. And, the opposite can be said, if you are confident in yourself you are also more likely to be able to spread goodwill and curb negativity. Don't ever believe your peace of mind doesn't matter, don't let yourself be belittled, and don't ever stop loving yourself. You matter. And once we all know and believe this, we will be able to support eachother without judgement or suspicion of ill intent. Personal peace leads to life peace. And you know, I'm quite sure just as well as I do, how desperately we all are in need of peace.
