Truth-Telling Fiction

Many people question the value of fiction.  After all, how in the world can characters who never lived or breathed teach someone how to navigate the paths of life successfully?

Being a dreamer, I get it.  Here's my explanation:

Good fiction nestles nuggets of truth between action, romance, and heartbreak.  Driven to finish a story, we devour page after page, discovering hidden gems along the way that shine out all the brighter for being unexpected.

Fiction opens the mind to the possibility of miracles, magic, & true love.  Magic, true love, and miracles have their counterparts in real life.  If we have eyes trained to search out and recognize them, we will.

Through the eyes of fictional characters, we see the world more clearly. The reality overlaying the fiction reveals the truth of the one and the beauty in the other.  Author's paint their own beliefs into their works, spreading a vision of faith, strength, humor, and hope as easily as they can spread pessimism, hopelessness, and fear.

Gifted authors have the ability to lift souls from the depths of sorrow, ignorance, loneliness, and pain. Through the power of words, which according to Dumbledore are our most inexhaustible source of magic, we teach others about  strength, beauty, and wisdom.  Even in fiction. 

For a wonderful example of truth-telling fiction, pick up Defy by Sara B. Larson. The story of Alexa, a gifted fighter who must disguise herself as a soldier, Defy is a fantastic blend of girl power, romance, and the true meaning of beauty.

Fan Fiction & Fairytales

Outside of my teaching career, I am many things: author, partner in crime, avid reader, musician, and--I'll go ahead and own it--fangirl. I haven't gotten into the vast collection of fan fiction available, but while watching BBC's Sherlock, which Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat created out of their love for Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories, it hit me: this is fan fiction.

Which started me thinking, who else does that?

How about Peter Jackson? The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies are his tribute to J. R.R. Tolkien. Jackson read the series of books as a youngster and was quoted as saying, " I can't wait for someone to make a movie of this book, because I'd love to see it!"  Sounds like something I'd do. Uh, wait...

It was somewhere between fangirling over Sherlock, Loki, a bunch of hot dwarves, & the majority of the Avengers that I realized my favorite genre was also a form of fan fiction. If you hadn't noticed, I'm slightly obsessed with fairytales. And like Gatniss, Moffat, Jackson, & the entire Marvel Universe, I can't seem to keep my hands to myself.

Hey, at least I'm in good company.

So here I am, reading and writing twisted fairytales left and right. And why is that? Because I'm a fangirl and I'm proud to say it.  You're welcome to join me.